Case study

Remote Offshore Well Recompleted from

aSmallUnmanned Platform
The eFire-Slickline firing head system anchored a reperforation string
thatdelivered success and savings
Challenge

Reperforate the Malong-A0 4L well from

a small, remote, unmanned platform
equipped with only a three-ton, manually
operated hydraulic crane.
Solution

Use the eFire-Slickline* electronic firing

head system for slickline deployment with
the IRIS* intelligent remote implementation
system, HSD* high shot density gun system,
and PowerJet* deep penetrating shaped
charges for an integrated solution.
Results

Performed a successful slickline operation

that minimized time, equipment, and
manpower requirements.

The completion design was an ideal

solution for the Malong-A0 4L well
situation.
Syed Mohd Shahril B. Syed Ahma
Well Integrity Engineering
PCSB

PCSB wanted to reperforate a well from a remote platform with a very small crane
Petronas Carigali Sendirian Berhad (PCSB) wanted to reperforate the Malong-A0 4L well to
restore Malong-Anding-Sotong field production to its optimum level.

The well was produced from a small, remote, unmanned platform equipped with only a threeton, manually operated hydraulic crane. This imposed limitations on the weight and size of
equipment that could be used for the operation and precluded the use of conventional wireline
or coiled-tubing perforating technologies.
Also, the size of the gun string was limited by the completion string restriction of 2.25 in, and
PCSB requested that the job be expedited so that the shut-in period would not extend beyond
2days.

Kuala Terengganu

Sotong field
Anding field

Peninsular
Malaysia

Malong field

South China Sea

Kuala Lumpur

The Malong-A0 4L well is in the Malong field offshore Terengganu, Malaysia.

Schlumberger proposed a slickline-deployed system built around eFire system

PCSB and Schlumberger collaborated to customize a perforating solution for the Malong-A0 4L
well that would enable all objectives to be met.
To accommodate the significant restrictions and limitations, Schlumberger proposed using an
eFire-Slickline electronic firing head system with an IRIS remote implementation system, a 2-in
HSD gun system, and PowerJet charges. Deploying this string with a standard slickline unit
would eliminate the need for heavier wireline or coiled-tubing equipment, enabling safer working
load requirements of the platform crane to be observed. Maximum gun swell after perforation
would still allow retrieval of the 2-in guns.

Perforating

Case study: The eFire-Slickline firing head system anchored a reperforation string that delivered success and savings
The successful recompletion minimized time, equipment, and manpower requirements
The eFire system was programmed and deployed. Jerks on the slickline initiated the system
sequence of arming, firing, and disarming in a specific time window, ensuring an effective
explosive operation without incident.

Once the guns had fired, an increase in downhole pressure was observed as expected and
confirmed the penetrations had reached the formation. When the string was retrieved to surface,
all the explosive charges were found to have fired.
Pressure data downloaded from the eFire system confirmed that the Malong-A0 4L well had been
successfully reperforated. The operation was completed within the time limit given by PCSB, and
all objectives were accomplished in four very efficient runs, helping improve field productivity.
Operational safety was enhanced by the exclusion of primary explosives and the fact that the
activation process of the eFIre system includes the capability to abort the firing sequence at will.

Pressure transducer
Battery

Using the eFire system on a standard slickline unit prevented platform and crane limitations from
compromising the operation and eliminated the need for conventional perforation methods that
would have required more time, equipment, and manpower.
Controller circuits

2,500
Gun firing

Downhole
pressure,
psi

2,000

Run in
hole

1,500
10:15:00

Arming
command

10:25:00

10:35:00

Firing
command

10:45:00

Disarming
command

10:55:00

Time, h:min:sec
eFire system pressure pulse response plot from the successful reperforation.

11:05:00

Pull out
of hole
Initiator circuits

11:15:00

eFire system detonator

The slickline reperforation string
design was an ideal solution to recover
Malong-A0 4L well production.

www.slb.com/perforating

* Mark of Schlumberger
Copyright 2010 Schlumberger. All rights reserved. 09-TS-0380