Grouted Clamp Platform Repair
A platform inspection in the Gulf of Mexico indicated that the 20” OD framing cross members between the platform legs 38’ below sea level were in need of repair due to weakening from corrosion. The solution was to install 10’ long x 25” ID clam shell designed clamps around the weak sections of the pipes and then fill the space between the clamps and the pipe with a high strength grout. The grouting material selected for the application was Seal-Tite® Micro-Seal (two part resin) due to its superior compressive strength (14,000 psi versus 7,000 psi minimum requirement).
After installation of the clamps, the Seal-Tite® grout (supplied in 55 gallon drums) and pumping/mixing equipment were loaded on a dive support vessel and mobilized to the platform where each of the seven 100 gallon clamps were pumped full of grout. After 12 hours, when the compressive strength of the grout was approximately 7,000 psi, the clamps were fully tighten around the pipe. The Seal-Tite® grout fully hardened to its 14,000 psi compressive strength in approximately 24 hours, resulting in a successful new application of Seal-Tite® Micro-Seal as a grouting compound.
Potential Blowout
In the Gulf of Mexico, while running a screen into the well, the operator lost control of the well. Sand flowing around the screen was cutting through the 7-inch casing. The well had leaks in the casing hangers that prevented the operator from pressure testing the casing to determine the extent of the damage to the casing. Seal-Tite® cured the leaks in the casing hangers and reestablished the pressure barrier necessary to verify that there was communication through the casing.
Riser Latching Mechanism
Seal-Tite® performed a sealant operation on the Burlington Millom Well 113/27-Q1 in the Irish Sea. The customer on the job was Global Marine for Global Marine, vessel Ensco 72. A hydraulic leak in the Global Marine riser latching mechanism prevented the release of the riser from the Burlington sub-sea template. Curing the hydraulic leak using
Seal-Tite’s pressure-activated sealant rather than employing conventional means to mechanically release the incapacitated latching mechanism saved more than $800K. Additionally, risks to personnel and equipment and delays in rig demobilization were avoided.
Well Control Problems
A Gulf of Mexico well was experiencing leaks through the “D” seals, tubing cup seals and SCSSV control line. The operator was unable to replace the wellhead due to casing pressure in the well caused by communication from the tubing to annulus. A Seal-Tite® engineer was deployed to the platform to cure the leaks in the D seals and SCSSV control line by isolating the annulus pressure. After a new wellhead was installed, the Seal-Tite® engineer used custom-blended sealant to cure the leaks in the tubing cup seals. All Seal-Tite® operations were conducted through the test ports and SCSSV control line in the wellhead without a well intervention and the seals tested to 5000 psi. Seal-Tite® provided a safe and efficient operation without the need for a rig operation.
Hydraulic Controlled Master Valve Bonnet Seal Leak
The Bonnet seal gasket in a North Sea HCM Valve was leaking at a rate of 1.5 liters per minute. This wellhead leak caused a potentially dangerous well control situation. Injecting the sealant through the bonnet-seal injection port cured the leak. Curing the wellhead valve leak allowed the operator to close the SCSSV, set a tubing plug and replace the tree without losing control of the well.