Offshore staff
STAVANGER, Norway – Wintershall has deployed an Emerson Roxar downhole sensor system at the Maria field development in the Norwegian Sea, which is due to start up soon.
The latest version of the system, claimed to provide improved well integrity monitoring and offshore safety, is a wireless solution that supplies integrity data and measures online and real-time pressure and temperature information from behind the casing in subsea production wells.
The pressure/temperature monitoring capability allows Wintershall to verify that the predicted pressure build-up falls within the design criteria. An alarm trigger point is implemented if pressures occur that are potentially outside the system design.
Emerson added that the new system has been tested at 225°C (437°F) and can withstand pressures of up to 1,380 bar (20,000 psi). This, the company claimed, generates savings for the operators in terms of reduced testing requirements, and freeing up of time to focus on production.
Sturle Haaland, European sales director at Emerson Automation Solutions, said: “Operators will now have the information they need to make informed decisions on well integrity, adhere to regulatory requirements, ensure offshore safety, and enable their wells to produce at optimal levels.”
The Roxar downhole sensor system is powered using an inductive coupling system developed in-house without the need for batteries. Its sensor is installed externally to the steel casing and may be cemented in place in the well.
Continuous power and data to and from the sensor is then transmitted wirelessly through the steel casing to ensure maximum well integrity for the life of the well, allowing any anomalies to be detected early and in real time.
The sensor system can be placed at any depth in the well completion system and has the capability to penetrate more than one set of steel casings.
11/20/2017
