In the vast Deepwater Gulf of Mexico, an international operator has been completing their wells with multi-stage single trip systems, utilizing zonal isolation packers between producing zones.

While the injector well had been completed with a standalone Welltec® Annular Barrier (WAB®), additional anchoring needs were anticipated to be >400,000 lbs in the producer well(s).

The introduction of a Welltec Expandable Anchor (WEA) for Inner-String Packer, in addition to a WAB, addressed the axial load requirements and also made it possible for a single trip completion system without the need for a deburr run after perforating throughout hundreds of feet.

The WEA was successfully incorporated into the completion design with no changes made to the well schematic.

From an extensive track record of deployments, it had already been established that the WAB product range was fully capable of being deployed without the prior need for a perforation deburr run. To mitigate any and all risk prior to this operation, rigorous testing was carried out on the WEA to reaffirm the same level of ruggedness and capability from the newer product.

An 812 WEA for Inner-String Packer was mounted onto the 6-5/8” production tubing and expanded via full surface control inside the 9-7/8” production liner with 5,000 psi, creating two zones in the completion.

The installed solution was designed and qualified to API11D1 V0 sealing and API19LH anchoring.

By combining an 812 WEA for Inner-String Packer with an 812 WAB, Welltec ensured an anchor with sufficient load capacity, and zonal isolation during the subsequent high-pressure frac operations, respectively.

In what was the first ever WEA application in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, cost savings of $3m USD were achieved via 2 – 3 days rig-time saved and the elimination of the deburr run.

The success of this operation and the flexibility of the solution represent two further cost-saving possibilities: firstly, similar per well savings in terms of rig time saved and deburr run elimination, and secondly through the option to reduce the inventory of other equipment as a result of the system’s flexibility and suitability for anything from conventional jobs to high-pressure-high-temperature applications.