Deploying a high-pressure Peak eCutter™ electronically activated nonexplosive wireline cutter enabled an operator in Argentina to salvage a rigless pumpdown perforating (PDP) operation on a five-well pad and resume operations within 24 h.
The operator wanted to salvage a rigless pumpdown perforating operation that was jeopardized when the tractor and stoker became stuck while fishing a stuck plug-and-perf BHA. The cable head was stuck at 5,400 m, more than 2,100 m inside the horizontal section of the well, which had a maximum deviation of 93°. The electrical weak point was not releasing, and the mechanical weak point could not be broken at that depth.
The stimulation fleet could not continue fracturing the five-well pad until the wireline cable was retrieved from the well. Cutting the cable at surface would have made the fishing operation extremely challenging and risked abandoning the well.
Considering the 5,000-psi wellhead pressure, SLB proposed the 2.7-in high-pressure Peak eCutter wireline cutter—with a pressure rating of 20,000 psi. It was deemed the only cutter that could withstand bottomhole pressure (BHP) during the pumpdown operation. The high-pressure Peak eCutter wireline cutter is dropped from surface to sever slickline or wireline cables when a toolstring becomes stuck downhole. It accurately places a clean cut at the required point above the toolstring assembly, even in highly deviated or complex-geometry wells, to enable the upper section to be retrieved to surface.
From 0.108-in slickline to 0.440-in heavy-duty high-strength cable, the cutting action is driven by a patented mechanical actuator, with the timer and trigger module powered by a small onboard lithium battery. The cutter is activated via an electronic timer and trigger module. Preprogrammed countdown times and optional custom programming capabilities support target depth and activation assurance without relying on explosives or impact against the stuck toolstring to make a cut.
The cutter was preprogrammed to trigger the module after an 8-h delay.
Using the Peak eCutter wireline cutter enabled the operator to cut a wireline cable at the cable head, retrieve the cable head and the entire section of cut cable from the well, and eliminate the need for radio-frequency silence during the operation.
