Casing Integrity Evaluation in Complex Subsurface Intervention Abandonment Wells Using Magnetic Ranging

Abstract

This paper describes how active and passive magnetic ranging logging used while drilling subsurface intervention wells shows characteristics of the target well casing integrity and damage. Over the course of the development of a novel active magnetic ranging system and through several years of commercial application, data has been collected and analyzed to understand the characteristics of casing damage. This paper explains the methods used in field operations to collect this data. Using the gathered information, various stages of casing damage and poor integrity are shown. Results obtained from active and passive magnetic ranging are presented in the context of identifying casing damage. This is a departure from the standard methods of interpreting the data as it is not focused on locating a wellbore but determining the integrity of the casing. Casing integrity in idle wells is usually understood by conventional logging techniques until there is a restriction or damage on the well. Magnetic ranging logging performed during the intervention to abandon these wells can give an indication to operators of the casing integrity that otherwise would have been unknown without access to the damaged well. This can help optimize subsequent abandonment procedures as well as assist with field planning into the future to mitigate issues stemming from casing integrity and to identify the causes of previously unknown critical casing damage. The paper reports surface experimental data and compares it with two field examples. In the first field example, the passive magnetic interference from a hundred-year-old casing in the offset well caused more than 100000nT deviation from the reference field approximately 1ft away from the offset well, suggesting severe casing damage. The active magnetic signature measured simultaneously approaches zero, pointing to a lack of electrical continuity in the offset casing caused by a complete break. The second field example shows an offset well segment with passive interference of 7000nT in the presence of a stable active magnetic signal at approximately 2ft separation between wells due to possible casing damage without complete separation. The passive interference increases to 14000 nT at deeper depth while the active signal approaches zero due to a complete casing break. Novel application using the data collected by active and passive magnetic ranging techniques is being applied for the understanding of issues related to casing integrity.