Workover Rigs Keep Oil and Gas Operations Running Smoothly
Over time, oil and gas wells may experience equipment wear or other issues that impede production. Workover rigs are essential for carrying out routine maintenance on the well. This includes repairing or replacing damaged components like tubing, casings, and pumps. By keeping the well infrastructure in good working condition, workover rigs prevent costly downtime and ensure steady production.
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Restoring Well Productivity
After a period of production, wells often experience a decline in output due to a variety of factors such as reservoir depletion, formation damage, or equipment failure. Workover rigs are used to stimulate production by performing tasks like:
- Acidizing or fracturing to open up blocked formation pathways and increase flow rates;
- Re-perforating the well to access additional hydrocarbon reserves;
- Changing out completion components such as pumps or artificial lift systems to match current production needs.
These operations help restore or improve the flow of oil and gas, maximizing the well’s productivity.
Well Recompletion
When a well’s initial production zone is exhausted, a workover rig may be used for well recompletion—the process of accessing a new production zone in the same wellbore. This is achieved by plugging the old production zone and perforating a new zone to tap into fresh reserves. This significantly extends the life of the well without the need for drilling a new one, saving time and reducing costs.
Well Intervention and Troubleshooting
Problems like sand production, scaling, or paraffin buildup can obstruct flow and reduce production efficiency. Workover rigs are deployed to intervene in these issues, employing methods such as:
- Cleaning out sand or debris from the wellbore;
- Removing scale or wax deposits that block the flow of oil;
- Fishing operations, which involve retrieving equipment or debris that has fallen into the well.
These interventions keep the well flowing smoothly, preventing further damage and production loss.
Plugging and Abandonment (P&A)
When a well reaches the end of its useful life, workover rigs are employed to safely and environmentally soundly plug and abandon the well. This involves setting cement plugs and ensuring that no fluids from the reservoir can leak into surrounding formations or the surface. Proper well abandonment is critical to avoiding environmental hazards and legal liabilities.
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)
Workover rigs can also be part of enhanced oil recovery techniques, which aim to extract more oil from the reservoir after primary production methods have declined. Techniques include water flooding, gas injection, or thermal recovery, where the workover rig installs the necessary equipment to inject water, gas, or steam into the reservoir to boost production.
Changing Artificial Lift Systems
Wells that do not naturally flow to the surface require artificial lift systems, such as pumps, to help bring oil and gas to the surface. As wells’ conditions change, workover rigs are used to replace or upgrade these artificial lift systems (e.g., installing a more powerful pump). This helps maintain consistent production even when the natural reservoir pressure declines.
Efficiency in Operations
By keeping wells in optimal operating condition, workover rigs help minimize operational downtime and prevent unplanned shutdowns. Their ability to quickly address issues and restore production means that oil and gas companies can maintain a steady output without the need for costly, time-consuming interventions.
Choose to cooperate with specialized companies as UPET, leader in construction of mobile drilling rigs and in Romania and the region. By handling everything from routine maintenance to complex well interventions and recompletion, mobile workover rigs equipment help oil and gas operators maximize the economic potential of their wells while minimizing downtime and operational risks.
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