Operator Mills, Cleans, and Collects Samples in One Run | SLB

Milling active cleanout tool mills, cleans, and collects samples in one run

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Canada, North America, Offshore

An offshore horizontal oil producer was struggling with sand production due to suspected damaged screens. The ReSOLVE™ milling active cleanout tool overcame limited rig‑up height constraints and successfully collected samples for analysis, revealing the sand production issue was less severe than anticipated.

An offshore oil producer was struggling with sand production, likely due to damaged screens in the lower completions. This issue threatened the well's productivity and integrity. The operator initially planned to run a multifinger caliper log to pinpoint the sand's origin followed by downhole sand sampling using the ReSOLVE active debris removal tool. However, for this particular scenario, the SLB wireline intervention team proposed using the ReSOLVE milling active cleanout tool for its collection efficiency, pump design, and compact build. The tool’s combined milling and active collection capabilities would enable well debris to be milled out, collected, and removed for analysis in a single descent—saving approximately 16 hours of offshore rig time. To meet the project’s rig-up height constraints, SLB designed a custom bailer to fit the restricted space.

The multifinger caliper tagged an isolation valve at approximately 2,600 m. SLB deployed the ReSOLVE milling active cleanout tool to investigate further. Using the TuffTRAC™ wireline tractor, the intervention team navigated past the initial tag depth and continued down to the target depth, successfully setting up multiple collection stations along the way.

The collected samples were brought to surface and sent to the lab for analysis—revealing the sand production was less severe than anticipated. The ReSOLVE milling active cleanout tool run not only removed sand from the production pathway, it provided valuable insights into the well's overall performance.

Image of ReSOLVE milling active cleanout tool conveyed using the TuffTRAC wireline tractor.
The ReSOLVE milling active cleanout tool seamlessly integrates TuffTRAC wireline tractor-conveyed milling with debris collection pump and bailer technology— optimizing both cutting and collection efficiency.
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