SPD completes high risk well abandonment in Dubai
Posted: 20 February 2006
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SPD has completed a multi-million dollar turnkey project for the Government of Dubai. The high risk abandonment of well Hom-2 onshore Dubai was completed ahead of schedule, within budget, with no injuries to personnel and no well control incidents.
SPD is an independent project management and engineering company with offices in UAE and UK.
John Capps, General Manager of Margham Dubai Establishment, representing the Government of Dubai, said: "SPD used a project management approach to successfully plug the well and complete the abandonment. A good plan using good people proved a winning combination."
Drilled and completed in 1980, Hom-2 was left untouched for 25 years. It was not until the expansion of nearby industrial areas that it became necessary to abandon and remove the well, allowing civil works to continue.
Hom 2 was a deep, hot well, with a depth of over 16,500ft and a temperature in excess of 350 degree Fahrenheit. Other risk factors included internal pressure of over 3,200psi, uncertainty about the type and condition of the equipment contained in the well and uncertainty about reservoir fluid type and composition. When Hom-2 was drilled in 1980 the location was surrounded by desert; the same location now sits amid active industrial sites and close to a major highway.
Colin Finnegan, Well Engineering Manager at SPD, said: "Despite the many uncertainties involved, we were confident that through sound and creative engineering we could manage the risks. We put a lot of emphasis on contingency planning."
"In addition to conducting a thorough risk assessment and implementing risk mitigation measures, we established a Hom-2 task force drawn from the local emergency services, the Dubai Government and SPD personnel. The interaction, dedication and professionalism of the entire team were crucial to the success of the project."
Prior to setting the first abandonment plug, all of the downhole operations had to be conducted with pressure on the well. Following some initially complex through-tubing operations, using a 120klbs rig assist snubbing unit, a 460klbs hydraulic workover unit was rigged up to finalize the abandonment.
Posted by Editor Pipeline Magazine
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