EFC Group of Aberdeen has designed, built and delivered a multi-million pound mechanical handling contract to provide a self-erecting “rigless intervention system (RIS), otherwise known as Mastiff for Baker Hughes, which provided the brief.
The system has a 352-ton capacity for well bore tubular extraction, during the well abandonment phase and conductor pre-installation activities.
While performing conductor pipe removal, the system supports cutting and pulling lifts of 15m (50ft) sections of 36-inch conductor pipe, inner casing and cement which EFC says is a significant improvement over casing jack systems (these usually work with 1.5m (5ft) sections).
The system can also be used to initiate a slot recovery programme for continued field development prior to drilling further wells.
Once the pipe is removed, a well slot can be prepared for a new, full sized wellbore using a full-range of equipment from drive-pipe whipstocks to hammer services, saving valuable rig time and giving the operator the option to further redevelop assets.
EFC sales director Ted Littlechild said the Mastiff design and build was a “significant contract” for the company, and grew out of an opportunity that Baker Hughes identified in the oil and gas service market.
Key aspects of Mastiff include:
o The system provides operators with an alternative method for carrying out pipe installation and retrieval operations, which typically require a costly offshore rig. Using the RIS reduces the cost of abandonment, workover and drive pipe pre-installation operations.
o The device has a self-pinning mast erection system that improves safety and allows the unit to be rigged up or down in 24-48 hours.
o The RIS is light weight and this, together with its design, mean it is ideal for platforms with limited load capacity.