Page 44: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Aug/Sep 2016)

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Clients observe a multi-operator factory acceptance test of the

SWC at a Weatherford research and development facility in

Aberdeen, Scotland. Photo courtesy of

Weatherford International.

SUBSEA

Building a connection

Jerry Lee takes a look at

Weatherford’s new subsea wellhead connector, which allows operators to use vessels of opportunity for P&A work, reducing the cost of decommissioning operations.

bandonment and decommission- ing is set to rise as older oil and

Deployed using a

A gas developments become cost- heave-compensated lier to maintain and operate during the wire, tubulars, or a current downturn. Research and Markets combination of the two, forecasts a 20.4% CAGR out to 2020 for the SWC's latching system enables it to interface with common mandrel and hub pro? les. Images courtesy of Weatherford International.

the global offshore decommissioning market. In the North Sea alone, Douglas isolation, intermediate reservoir isola- that can latch onto a subsea wellhead

Westwood projects that US$48 billion will tion, and environmental isolation with (via rotation) and allows electro hydrau- be spent on plugging and abandonment wellhead recovery. Typically, a MODU lic continuity to the bottomhole assem- (P&A) work (OE: June 2016).

Several companies are working to is contracted for the entire operation, bly for P&A or intervention work. The bring down decommissioning expenses. however, Weatherford’s new SWC seeks design is based on Weatherford’s MOST

Weatherford has created a subsea well- to change this by performing phase (mechanical outside-latch single-trip) head connector (SWC) with this goal in three with a less expensive monohull subsea wellhead retrieval tool, using its mind. The SWC can be deployed from a vessel, allowing the operator to save latching mechanism. vessel of opportunity (VOO) – a mobile 40-60%, conservatively, on this phase, Using the MOST tool as a base, engi- offshore drilling unit (MODU) or monohu- says Steven Canny, engineering lead, neers redeveloped the connector to be ll vessel – for P&A or re-entry operations.

Well Abandonment and Intervention run with tubulars, including interven-

Abandoning a subsea well is complet- Services, Weatherford. tion riser, or on a heave-compensated ed in three phases: primary reservoir The SWC is a mechanical connector wire and a work-class ROV (remotely

August 2016 | OE oedigital.com 46 046_OE0816_Subsea1Jerry.indd 46 7/22/16 11:52 PM