Xcelis™ high-performance liner hanger system provided an efficient solution for a casing leak in a remote well, avoiding the time and cost inherent to cement squeezing and enabling subsequent high-pressure hydraulic fracturing.

XCL Resources installed a 5- × 7-in Xcelis liner hanger system in a remote horizontal well in northeastern Utah, with the top of the liner at 10,043-ft [3,061-m] MD. After the liner was cemented, a subsequent pressure test revealed a leak somewhere in the well. A readily available workover rig moved into position while the drilling rig moved to a new well to maximize cost efficiency. Using a service packer, the casing leak location was eventually identified 163 ft [50 m] above the top of the liner, indicating damage to the 7-in host casing. Addressing the leak was key before other operations could proceed.

XCL Resources accepted the proposal, and a second Xcelis system was promptly dispatched to the wellsite. The scab liner was installed in a single run and pressure integrity was confirmed by applying 4,800 psi [33 MPa] from surface. Completion operations were able to proceed with confidence; 61 stages were hydraulically fractured later without any issues, using stimulation pressures measuring 10,500 psi [72 MPa] at surface.