Well-SENSE’s FLI technology marks its first round of offshore deployments

ABERDEEN - Well-SENSE has successfully completed its first round of commercial offshore FiberLine Intervention (FLI) projects worth a six-figure sum, demonstrating efficiency gains and the acquisition of high quality, rich downhole data.

Over the last six months, Well-SENSE has conducted multiple offshore FLI projects for a range of top tier international supermajors and applications. These have included Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) surveys for flow profiling on two unmanned gas lift wells off the coast of Malaysia, and a selection of leak detection surveys, capturing DTS and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) data, to determine leak points in producing wells and wells headed for Plug and Abandonment in the North Sea.

FLI’s unique bare fiber deployment provided a range of measured downhole data to the operators in a quarter of the time it would usually take with conventional methods. Operations, on average, took around three hours, compared to the expected 12-14 hours for wireline logging.

During the flow profiling project, FLI delivered additional well insights including the optimal temperature of the producing well, the location of water ingress and the flow performance of each gas injection valve, allowing the operator to consider new production optimization options for the two wells.

Capturing both distributed temperature and distributed acoustic data during the leak detection projects allowed the operators to verify well integrity or identify leak points and paths, including in the B and C annulus, and plan any remediation work necessary.

FLI technology uses a small, compact probe to install bare optical fiber along the whole well to gather instant, distributed data simultaneously from every location. It does not rely on wireline, slickline or coiled tubing for deployment, allowing faster mobilization and significantly reducing the well site footprint, personnel on site and intervention cost.

The lightweight, portable nature of the technology allows operators to acquire data for diagnostic and monitoring purposes more readily, particularly in challenging offshore locations, such as unmanned satellite platforms with little or no deck space. Just one Well-SENSE engineer is required to transport and operate FLI, removing the need for a well intervention vessel, passing on significant efficiencies and risk reduction.

Craig Feherty, Well-SENSE CEO said: “FLI’s fiber optic technology is a game-changer in downhole well surveillance, delivering substantial safety and time efficiencies when compared to conventional methods.

“The results of our first round of offshore deployments demonstrates just how significant our FLI technology is in delivering quality well data quickly and efficiently in this environment. These projects mark a significant milestone for Well-SENSE as we look to expand offshore applications globally.”