Through the utilization of the feedback from an electric-line shifting tool, the operator was able to design an intervention to restore hydraulic control of a failed surface-controlled adjustable sliding sleeve without pulling the entire completion.

The smart well completions designed by the operator incorporated adjustable sliding sleeves activated hydraulically from the surface to provide downhole choking capability. In this case study, the adjustable sliding sleeves had failed closed and its position could not be determined. The sliding sleeves appeared to fail hydraulically as the well could not be brought onto production after the running of the initial completion. The fully instrumented slim electrical-line shifting tool was deployed to diagnose the condition of the adjustable sliding sleeves, in-situ, before committing to a major workover intervention to pull and replace the completion.

With the slim electrical-line shifting tool, the operator was able to successfully latch into the shifting profile and perform a series of shifting operations capturing the real-time data from the shifting tool and the production platform hydraulics and well sensors. This enabled analyzing, diagnosing, and making an informed decision on the best options on how to intervene without the time and cost intensive operation of pulling the completion.

This case study demonstrated the value of a fully controllable instrumented electrical-line powered shifting tool for the purposes of troubleshooting and diagnosing of completion problems. Its ability to adjust force and displacement with on-board sensors provided feedback for effectively troubleshooting and diagnosing the condition of well components downhole in real time. Ultimately, the deployment of the instrumented slim shifting tool mitigated a full workover and saved the operator USD 60 million.