Advancing scientific verification of plug and abandonment activities
Quentin Morgan A * , Janet Mignano B , James Ashton B , Andrew Clemence A and Robert Layher CA
B
C
Quentin Morgan has 42 years’ experience at both small and major international oilfield services companies. After several years in various field positions in the North Sea, he spent 13 years at Expro Group in operational and management roles helping to establish new geomarkets for various product lines and a further 4 years managing the company’s research and development team. Quentin then spent 10 years at Weatherford, first as a Product Line Manager covering the Middle East and North Africa, then as a Technical Director with a global remit to commercialise new well completion and monitoring technologies. Quentin was appointed Chief Technology Officer of Qteq’s forerunner in Queensland at the end of 2011 and currently manages development and commercialisation of new technologies across energy, mining and water industries. He holds a BSc in Nuclear Physics and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering. |
Janet Mignano is the Subsurface Manager at AGL Energy Ltd, leading and managing the Subsurface team to maximise value, optimise production and deliver safe and compliant subsurface works across AGL’s portfolio in NSW and Queensland. In recent years, Janet and her team have developed the AGL Water Information Management System (WIMS), which has achieved 100% audit compliance for documentation and implementation. She has been involved in providing feedback on the Code of Practice for the construction and abandonment of petroleum wells and associated bores in both states. Over the last 6 years, her team has focused on well integrity management and decommissioning operations, having completed plug and abandonment (P&A) of more than 140 coal seam gas (CSG) and 20 conventional wells. Her team have also successfully evolved P&A techniques to decrease decommissioning costs in conventional wells by 25%, with plans to further reduce costs through application of new and emerging technologies. |
James Ashton is a Senior Drilling and Completions Engineer at AGL Energy. He has 21 years of progressive experience in the oil and gas industry. His professional history includes delivery of exploration and production wells, well integrity management, completions and interventions, and well abandonments with service rigs and coil tubing units at both AGL Energy and Lucas Energy, respectively. James was the responsible engineer for the remediation activities detailed in this paper and has a focus on well engineering, well remediation and decommissioning technology that spans conventional oil and gas, gas condensate, gas storage, tight gas and CSG tenements. James is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has postgraduate qualifications in Petroleum Engineering from the University of New South Wales. |
Andrew Clemence holds a Bachelor of Engineering with a Major in Computer Systems from the University of Southern Queensland. Andrew is currently the Technology Manager at Qteq Pty Ltd, having worked previously as Electronics Engineer at Sigra Pty Ltd. Andrew is a Professional Member and Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineers Australia and is registered as a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland in the Electrical discipline. |
Rob Layher has over 40 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, with a comprehensive petroleum engineering background and thorough technical knowledge of downhole and field operations. This cumulative experience has enabled him to develop the innovative approach to advance the methodology and science behind wellbore integrity restoration. Starting his career as summer student and working his way up to Operations Foreman, he has since held positions as a post-secondary Petroleum Engineering Instructor, Sales Executive for an oilfield explosives company in Canada and Venezuela, President of a private oil and gas producer, President of Ventbusters Inc., and now, CEO of Ventbuster Instruments Inc. Over the last 20 years, he has collaborated with oil and gas clients and service providers to develop technologies, find operational solutions, and manage and direct over 5000 well abandonment and integrity restoration operations, all in compliance with governmental regulators. |
Abstract
To realise ‘net-zero’ methane emission targets by 2050, the industry must adopt a program of baseline emissions quantification and proactive remediation. Establishing low-rate, low-pressured venting baselines to atmosphere requires precise ‘point-source’ measurements unattainable using gas monitors, optical imaging technologies, positive displacement, differential pressure, and ultrasonic and vortex flow meters. These are critical requirements, not only during the productive life of oil and gas wells, but in particular following plug and abandonment (P&A) activities. It is often the case that wells that have been abandoned come ‘back to life’ years later – so-called ‘Zombie wells’. Ventbuster® is a patented, precision, flow quantification device, with a low limit of detection and a high dynamic range. It uses flow channel technology to accurately quantify gas emissions, even under low-pressure conditions. The device is portable and adaptable onto any wellhead or plant equipment to quantify and record emission events, with measurements transmitted in real-time to a secure Internet of Things platform. An increasingly common application is to monitor the execution of P&A activities, enabling real-time decision-making on changes to the program design that may be required to meet compliance criteria. The device then autonomously transmits data for a protracted period post-abandonment to provide the asset owner with auditable proof of a successful P&A. The outcome of a single case study is disclosed to showcase system operating principle, functionality, operation envelope, and perceived features and benefits.
Keywords: Australia, bubble tests, CH4 , false positives, fugitive emissions, methane, SCVF, surface casing vent flow, Ventbuster.
Quentin Morgan has 42 years’ experience at both small and major international oilfield services companies. After several years in various field positions in the North Sea, he spent 13 years at Expro Group in operational and management roles helping to establish new geomarkets for various product lines and a further 4 years managing the company’s research and development team. Quentin then spent 10 years at Weatherford, first as a Product Line Manager covering the Middle East and North Africa, then as a Technical Director with a global remit to commercialise new well completion and monitoring technologies. Quentin was appointed Chief Technology Officer of Qteq’s forerunner in Queensland at the end of 2011 and currently manages development and commercialisation of new technologies across energy, mining and water industries. He holds a BSc in Nuclear Physics and an MSc in Petroleum Engineering. |
Janet Mignano is the Subsurface Manager at AGL Energy Ltd, leading and managing the Subsurface team to maximise value, optimise production and deliver safe and compliant subsurface works across AGL’s portfolio in NSW and Queensland. In recent years, Janet and her team have developed the AGL Water Information Management System (WIMS), which has achieved 100% audit compliance for documentation and implementation. She has been involved in providing feedback on the Code of Practice for the construction and abandonment of petroleum wells and associated bores in both states. Over the last 6 years, her team has focused on well integrity management and decommissioning operations, having completed plug and abandonment (P&A) of more than 140 coal seam gas (CSG) and 20 conventional wells. Her team have also successfully evolved P&A techniques to decrease decommissioning costs in conventional wells by 25%, with plans to further reduce costs through application of new and emerging technologies. |
James Ashton is a Senior Drilling and Completions Engineer at AGL Energy. He has 21 years of progressive experience in the oil and gas industry. His professional history includes delivery of exploration and production wells, well integrity management, completions and interventions, and well abandonments with service rigs and coil tubing units at both AGL Energy and Lucas Energy, respectively. James was the responsible engineer for the remediation activities detailed in this paper and has a focus on well engineering, well remediation and decommissioning technology that spans conventional oil and gas, gas condensate, gas storage, tight gas and CSG tenements. James is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and has postgraduate qualifications in Petroleum Engineering from the University of New South Wales. |
Andrew Clemence holds a Bachelor of Engineering with a Major in Computer Systems from the University of Southern Queensland. Andrew is currently the Technology Manager at Qteq Pty Ltd, having worked previously as Electronics Engineer at Sigra Pty Ltd. Andrew is a Professional Member and Chartered Professional Engineer with Engineers Australia and is registered as a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland in the Electrical discipline. |
Rob Layher has over 40 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry, with a comprehensive petroleum engineering background and thorough technical knowledge of downhole and field operations. This cumulative experience has enabled him to develop the innovative approach to advance the methodology and science behind wellbore integrity restoration. Starting his career as summer student and working his way up to Operations Foreman, he has since held positions as a post-secondary Petroleum Engineering Instructor, Sales Executive for an oilfield explosives company in Canada and Venezuela, President of a private oil and gas producer, President of Ventbusters Inc., and now, CEO of Ventbuster Instruments Inc. Over the last 20 years, he has collaborated with oil and gas clients and service providers to develop technologies, find operational solutions, and manage and direct over 5000 well abandonment and integrity restoration operations, all in compliance with governmental regulators. |
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