Expro completes inaugural deepwater deployment in the Gulf of Mexico

Well construction expert, Expro, has recently supported PETRONAS Mexico in the successful delivery of a deepwater exploration well (BC-1) off the coast of Tampico in over 5000ft of water.

This project marks the first Gulf of Mexico deployment of Expro's field-proven cementing technology, SeaCure®, and the world’s first deepwater application of QuikCure®, Expro's rapid cement hydration technology.

SeaCure®, Expro's flagship technology, provides stabbed-in inner string cementing for subsea wells. QuikCure® is a patented process which utilizes SeaCure® as a conduit for circulating heated fluids inside the casing after the cement job which increases the environmental setting temperature and helps to rapidly build compressive strength in the cement.

SeaCure® was used to optimize the 22” surface casing’s nitrogen foamed cement job and enabled a 17 ½” drill out in just under 20 minutes. The SeaCure® zero shoe-track solution saved 6 ½ hours compared to the operator’s most recently operated subsea well that required a cleanout BHA for the 22” which included a 19 ½” under-reamer.

Additionally, Expro recorded a maximum downhole temperature for the QuikCure® heat-sweep of 99oF (37oC), which more than doubled the cement job’s placement temperature at the same depth. The additional heat added through the QuikCure® process generated >6x early compressive strength in the tail cement over 8 hours. In terms of reducing waiting on cement (WOC) time, this result was equivalent to -4 hours WOC to develop 100psi in the tail slurry or -16 hours WOC to develop 500psi in the lead slurry near mudline.

Hafiz, Wells Director at PETRONAS Mexico, commented on the project: “We are very pleased with this technology offered by Expro, which was implemented in our recent deepwater exploration well. In general, it was proven that these technologies helped us in saving time and cost, while also increasing operational efficiency and supporting our decision-making process. Hopefully, the experience can be further shared with other projects around the globe.”

Tyler Reynolds, Expro's Business Development Manager, added: “We are incredibly proud to have delivered value to our clients at PETRONAS through our zero-shoe track solution, SeaCure®, and we are even more excited to have proven the applicability of our QuikCure® technology in deepwater applications. We are very thankful for the pioneering spirit of our clients at PETRONAS, and we hope to build on this milestone project as we strengthen our footprint in the region.”

Expro's disruptive technologies, including SeaCure® and ArticuLock®, were created in response to the growing requirement for simple, cost-saving and value-adding oil and gas service solutions.