On one particular project in which a client required to run routine pressure and temperature logging in its geothermal well, the existing service company was unable to retrieve the logging tools. Also, the temperature of the well was more than 148 C (300 F), posing additional technical challenges.
Assuming there was a casing integrity issue in the well, the client sought an alternative solution to running gauge rings or a caliper log.
Expro - a regular exhibitor at the GRC Annual meeting & Expo - was approached to deploy its high-temperature (up to 176 C [350 F]) downhole video camera, which confirmed the parted 133⁄8-in. casing was causing rock and cement to enter the wellbore and trapping the logging tools downhole. Running additional tools could have been potentially caught in the split casing and either damaged the casing or become deemed irretrievable.
By helping to inform decision-making, this saved 12 hours of rig time and two separate runs in the hole. Visualization of the parted casing provided detailed images of the rock and cement that entered the casing, allowing the most cost-effective remedial solution to be implemented.
The client now routinely deploys downhole video cameras within its maintenance program up to twice a year to monitor the effects of corrosive fluids in these geothermal wells. This proactive approach avoids well integrity issues and associated costly repairs, saving up to $1.5 million to repair the well or $5 million to cement the well.
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