PERFORATING GUN INCIDENT

Drill rig Noble Piet van Ede / well K2b-A2

20 October, 2010
Incident summary
Perforation Job
20 October, 2010
1. Well K2-A2. Platform K2-A operated by GDF SUEZ. Noble Drilling jack-up rig Piet van
Ede. Perforating guns (Halliburton; length 30 ft. diameter 2 inch, 20 inch range) were
being retrieved to surface on coiled tubing after indications of firing at firing depth.
2. Standard safety precautions taken after guns approaching 200 meter below surface
level (all non-essential personnel away from area around production riser, barriers
and signs put in place, rig PA announcement made, production platform personnel
notified).
3. Guns were pulled into the production riser between the X-mas tree on the production
platform and the coiled tubing BOP on the rig floor. Valves on the production X-mas
tree were closed to isolate the production riser from well pressure and riser pressure
was bled down to zero through the well test set-up, starting at 08.20 hours.
4. Upon noticing that the pressure in the coiled tubing was not decreasing
simultaneously with the riser pressure (which should have been the case), coiled
tubing operator realised immediately that the guns could still be hot.
5. Direct notification was given to keep all crew away from the rig floor and double check
for any people in areas at risk.
6. Crew decided to inform and discuss with onshore management before taking next
steps.
7. At 08.37 hours, a loud explosion was heard followed by a loud hiss of escaping
Nitrogen.
RIGFLOOR
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Pictures of damage
Surface Configuration
Critical factors (incident findings)
Reliance on (circumstantial) evidence of firing guns
No positive communication between coiled tubing and well annulus
established
Re-perforation program well K2-A2 not formally signed off and accepted
by all parties
No systematic check on receiving, understanding and use of relevant job
procedures
Responsibility for perforating operation not clearly defined,
communicated and understood
No formal check if situation is safe to continue operations
Key actions
Treat perforating guns always as hot unless visually declared safe
Company representative must check for proper communication between coiled tubing and
annulus after perforating and during POOH
Include in the well test/tubing conveyed perforating program the mandatory use of a shot
detection kit
Attach the gun fire pressure profile (liquid or liquid/gas) to the well test/tubing conveyed
perforating program
Mandatory to conduct for all well test/perforating jobs a pre-job meeting attended by all
services companies involved and with formal registration of minutes of meeting
Verify during the pre-job meetings whether contractors most recent procedures are used
Install physical stop -or any other acceptable alternative- on rig to platform gangway
Allow access only after confirmation of area formally declared safe (by company
representative)
24 hours GDF SUEZ supervisory coverage during High Risk operations.