WAB® for Well Construction & Integrity (Welltec® Annular Barrier)

Sustained casing pressure (SCP) is common in many wells globally (>30%) and present within multiple annuli. Since 2009, well integrity has cost operators over $75 billion. This has provided the impetus for the industry to focus on and rework international standards on well integrity management.

Through the incorporation of the WAB (Welltec Annular Barrier) to the well construction phase, Welltec® are facilitating enhanced well integrity via standalone cased hole barriers, open hole isolation and cement assurance.

At Welltec, we design and test our WAB range in accordance to IS014310, the industry standard which defines packer design validation grades.

Our V0 WAB range for cased hole SCP barrier has been tested to IS014310 V0*, the highest validation level within this industry standard, and provides, a verifiable, life of well barrier against SCP.

Our V3 WAB range for open hole isolation, has been validated to IS014310 V3*, the highest fluid validation level within this industry standard. The WAB provides life of well V3 isolation assurance within the open hole section. Additionally, it can be set within cement or used in combination with 2^nd stage cement systems to support HP columns of cement to prevent SCP or production of unwanted gas or water.

*Leak rate criteria

Globally, operators are faced with a large volume of wells, that require Plug & Abandonment, and they are now realising that these wells have not been constructed to accommodate Risk Free, CAPEX effective P&A. Couple this to ever stringent local regulations, operator P&A costs have significantly increased and can range from $4Mio for a single platform well and up to $11Mio for a single sub sea well.

This realisation has driven is a paradigm shift in drilling and well well construction methodology, to implement best practice for later well abandonment over the duration of the well life, during design, construction, production and ultimately abandonment. Cement alone is not a reliable barrier, and operators and now planning for the installation of multiple barriers and multi component barriers e.g. combine cement with mechanical barriers and resins to construct wells now, planning for the future.

To support this market shift, our WAB range, when incorporated within the cased hole for IS0 14310 V0 barrier or open hole, for IS0 14310 V3 isolation across the cap rock during well construction phase, will provide added future value as the foundation for placement of P& A cement plug, significantly reducing the future complexity and cost associated with P&A.