During a drilling campaign, a UAE-based operator encountered stuck pipe at 12,785ft. Typically, high energy sources such as explosives would be used to resolve the issue but this costly and carries associated risks.
Our Churchill HyPR Holesaver was deployed to cut, plug and abandon the section. The device, which is the only hydraulic pipe recovery system on the market, is activated by pumping robust Smart Darts. This redirects the flow of mud, creating a high velocity stream of fluid to erode and sever the string in just a few hours.
The Churchill DAVMX CircSub was first activated and positioned beneath the HyPR HoleSaver to optimize circulation flow for the HyPR dart. Once complete, the HyPR dart was delivered at 200gsm with the operator increasing the flow rate to 520gsm (3,980psi) to begin cutting. After 45 minutes of cutting, pressure reached 3,990psi and the operator’s pre-planned calculations indicated that applying 25 kftlbs of torque would twist off the pipe.
In traditional pipe severance operations, operators generally select a 90% inner diameter erosion target, which normally takes two to three hours. By applying the torque at 60%, the operator achieved an effective severance within one hour – a new record for stuck pipe recovery. This allowed the company to successfully plug and abandon pull out of hole.
Benefits
- Pipe severance achieved within one hour, saving valuable operational time
- DAVMX CircSub optimizes circulation flow
- Eliminated the need for high energy sources such as explosives on the rig
