Case Study: CannSeal unlocks a reduction in gas production in a gravel packed completion

• In an industry first, CannSeal effectively reduced gas production from a lower zone, placing an annular plug to seal off the 20/40 gravel packed annulus and work in combination with a choke.

• CannSeal’s ZonalSeal technology allowed for pin-point accuracy with the placement of the annular plug while installing a gravel pack completion in a single operation.

​The Challenge

As part of the well completion, the client needed to set an annular restriction to reduce the gas production from a lower reservoir section with a high delta pressure. Conventional sealing methods offered inadequate chances of success for placing an annular restriction while still installing a gravel pack completion to the entire open hole section, so an alternative approach was required.

The Solution

A 6-meter-long blank pipe was first installed between screen sections to create a restriction between the two reservoir zones. Then, following the completion of grave pack operation, the CannSeal wireline tool was run downhole on a standard E-line to locate the blank pipe.

Once the target depth was located using the tool’s CCL, an epoxy plug was then placed using only a a single wireline (W/L) run.

The plug used was a CannSeal ZonalSeal annular plug which was installed by perforating the pipe and injecting the 3 million cP epoxy sealant through the perforation and into the annulus. The highly viscous and particle-free epoxy used has the ability to penetrate micro gaps while still being self-carrying in large voids.

Approximately 13 litres of epoxy at a maximum injection pressure of 132 bar was injected to create an estimated 1,6m long plug in the annulus.

The Result

Using CannSeal’s ZonalSeal technology, the epoxy plug was successfully placed in a gravel packed annulus between a 5,5” blank pipe and an 8,5” open hole.

The operation was completed according to plan and the tool was retrieved to surface in a clean condition, proving the operational success of the plug placement. An Interwell choke was subsequently installed inside the pipe to complete the solution and reduce the gas production from the lower zone.

The successful completion of this intervention is a company and industry first, using an electric W/L tool to place an epoxy sealant in a gravel packed annulus.

CannSeal’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas Ringe, commented:

“We are very proud to have completed this intervention, showing that we can provide our ZonalSeal products not only as a retrofit for reduced water production but also as an optimization for a new completion. This intervention is a great showcase of an accurate, pin-point injection of the annular sealant and how this can be performed in a clean and efficient matter.

"Being the very first operation as an Interwell company, it is also a great example of the unique solutions we can provide to the industry as combined technologies.”

Interwell AS became the sole owner of CannSeal in late 2020. Interwell is a leading provider of wellbore technology with products qualified to the highest standards for well barrier and well integrity needs for the oil & gas industry. Interwell is a global provider of plugs, packers, and straddle solutions for challenging well applications within the area of high temperatures, high pressure, and high expansion.

Interwell’s technology is designed to be used as barriers or isolation in the reservoir during the production phase – mainly inside tubing and casing.