A gas lift valve (GLV) is a part of a gas lift system that helps eliminate the effects of tubing pressure on injection rates. If rates of recovery from a well are reduced, this can be connected to the performance of GLVs, and so a replacement may be required.

In this case, a client in Malaysia needed to carry out several valve replacements, with the added challenge of highly deviated intervals in three wells. Use of standard slickline would not be enough to overcome the deviations of 84° – 85°.

As the client had previous experience with Welltec®, they were extremely confident in the capabilities of the personnel and equipment to perform each operation. With other intervention providers unable to reach the target depth (TD), the Well Tractor® would be needed to deliver the Intervention.

Welltec were able to mobilize their tools and execute the job within two weeks of notice, operating remotely from a base in Labuan. The lightweight equipment was quickly deployed to the location, with the benefit of leaving the smallest possible footprint with regards to both hardware and personnel.

The operation would involve the setting and retrieval of four valves in three different injection wells.

With some initial difficulty in setting back the gas lift valve into the pocket, this was overcome by using an alternative running tool, and placing an extra spring on the kick-over tool to strengthen the arm.

In addition to all four GLV replacements, additional scope would stem from these workovers – within a two-month period, a total of eight wells were operated on. The additional tasks included contact logging, shifting of sliding sleeve doors, and static bottom-hole pressure logging.

The achievements in this case are inherent to the benefits of using Welltec’s downhole hardware, ultimately helping deliver a high level of customer satisfaction.

The client’s objective was to replace GLVs and reinstate the production rates of the wells. Not only was this achieved, but the rapid deployment of Welltec tools would help create significant savings on time and costs – the first run was performed within three days of equipment arriving on board.

Coiled Tubing methods for this job would have required a minimum additional 10 days for preparation and planning, whereas Welltec’s lightweight solutions delivered a reduced environmental impact with regards to logistical externalities.