Cone Crusher™ Cuts Costs

Ease of Use
Haugland explains that the Cone Crusher™ tool is much easier to deploy than other traditional alternatives, saving time and therefore money as it leads to earlier production. This makes it very cost effective since there is less mobilization time and issues with regards to maneuvering in severe sea states. It is also quick and easy to rig up using a standard wireline rig-up, resulting in health, safety and environmental (HSE) advantages.

Aker Kvaerner Well Service has dedicated a significant amount of engineering work since the fall of 2004 to developing and commercializing the Cone Crusher™ technology, including an extensive test program. The equipment consists of a main body with four rotating cutting cones weighing less than 4.5 lbs (2 kg) in total. The configuration of the cutting cones can be varied according to the problem to be addressed. Each cutting cone is free-rotating on its own axis independently of the main body. Each cone has a unique cutting pattern to crush the scale. It needs relatively low-input torque making it ideal for wireline tractor application. The tractor only supplies power to the device when it encounters an obstacle. The tractor also supplies weight-onbit and locks the system to the tubing, preventing the rest of the system from rotating.

First Deployment
The Cone Crusher™ tool’s first job was performed in March 2006 in the UK sector of the North Sea, involving the removal of 360.9 ft (110 m) of barium sulphate scale with a 3.9-in (9.8-cm) OD Cone Crusher™ tool. This resulted in cost savings and reduced HSE risk for the operator. The second job was carried out in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea with a 3.8-in (9.7-cm) OD Cone Crusher™ scale removal tool. The task was to remove a 16.4-ft (5-m) long scale bridge with a nearly solid core. The scale was successfully removed after two runs. This resulted in an increase in production of 1,000 barrels per day. The operator has since indicated a permanent need for the equipment. In November last year, the replacement of a failed safety valve in a Norwegian producer was made difficult and potentially time-consuming by scale in the tubing. A total of 705.4-ft (215-m) mixture of barium sulphate and calcium carbonate scale was successfully milled with the 6-in (15.2-cm) OD Cone Crusher™ tool. Haugland says that a cutting speed of 6.6 to 9.8 ft (2 to 3 m) per hour had been anticipated, but in fact a rate of 19.7 to 23 ft (6 to 7 m) per hour was achieved on a scale thickness up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm). This was the first successful application of tractor milling in 7-in (17.8-cm) tubing. The whole operation was carried out in less than 50 hours, a considerable reduction in hours compared with other/traditional equipment.

Valuable New Scale Removal Tool
Running the Cone Crusher™ scale mill tool – in conjunction with the PowerTrac® Advance™ wireline tractor – offers operators a valuable addition to available methods for scale removal, especially in extended reach and horizontal wells. The tool is an effective intervention method to restore well productivity and can be an extremely cost-effective alternative to other methods. Particular applications include removal of scale bridges, cleaning of wells after squeeze operations and removal of hard debris.