Expro International Group PLC has completed a “world first” application of its Cableless Telemetry System (CaTS) for monitoring of the reservoir pressure and temperature response in an abandoned subsea well. The CaTS technology was applied in the Clair Ridge appraisal well 206/8-T, operated by BP in the UK North Sea.
CaTS allows information to be transmitted to and from downhole without the use of cabling or wireline in the well.
CaTS is a revolutionary development in the field of reservoir monitoring and control that allows real-time information to be transmitted to and from downhole without the use of cabling or wireline in the well. Its two-way transmission capability enables the remote control of downhole instrumentation, opening the path to the radical redesign of downhole completions.
The CaTS system was installed in the 206/8-T well in early June 2006 as part of the final abandonment process. CaTS transmits its data from the reservoir to the seabed using Expro’s wireless telemetry technology. The data is collected, processed and stored at the seabed using a CaTS subsea receiver. The data is transmitted from the receiver, on demand, to a supply vessel located overhead the abandoned well. A first data interrogation visit took place in early July and post abandonment reservoir pressure and temperature data was uploaded for analysis by the reservoir engineers. Further data interrogation visits are planned for later in the year.
“This application of CaTS is of particular interest to those operators involved in the exploration and appraisal (E&A) stages of new field evaluation, where the value of gaining a better understanding of reservoir connectivity cannot be overstated. Our cableless technology enables an E&A well to deliver high value reservoir data beyond abandonment, which offers significant technical and commercial benefits to the operator,” says Brian Champion, Wireless Well Solutions general manager.
