RIASSUNTO
ABSTRACT
Agip S.p.a. is presently conducting a testing campaign on a complete line of 3 in. (76 mm.) TFL equipment, at a dedicated centre in Cortemaggiore (Italy) .
The aim of the testing is to study the functionality and the reliability of each tool, and of the system as a whole, generating an extensive data base on the performance of the system.
This paper is a description of the project and of the test plant that has been dedicated to its development; the procedures that are being followed for the testing, and the logic behind them, are also described.
At the end of the paper, a brief summary of the results that the project has yielded so far is reported, together with some general considerations on the most important problems associated with the use of TFL techniques.
INTRODUCTION
A TFL testing campaign is presently being developed by AGIP in a dedicated R&D centre located at Cortemaggiore, in the north of Italy, on a complete line of 3 in. (76 mm.) TFL equipment
The ultimate aim of the project is the acquisition of the expertise and insight in TFL technology that may eventually lead the company to the choice of TFLsolutions for the maintenance and service of future subsea wells.
So far, in fact, TFL technology has never been adopted by the company for any of its wells, in Italy or abroad, and,although this technology is not new and has already been tested and field-proven by several companies, performance data are still not easily available, and the costs and risks associated with the choice of TFL developments are such thata certain degree of in-house understanding of the capabilities and limits of the technique are felt to be needed, before embarking on a development venture.
The main reason that at first prompted the proposal of a testing campaign on TFL equipment was the foreseeable future necessity to develop subsea wells in very deep waters, such as in the Adriatic basin (water depths from 800 to 1000mts. 1.
The size of 3 in. (76 mm) was selected for the equipment line to be tested, since it appeared to be the most likely choice for a future application.
In the years 1985 and 1986 the pilot plant was set up, complete with flow-line loop and surface TFL facilities, and the equipment to be tested was ordered. The specification of the equipment ordered for testing covered most of the component S used in a typical dual string TFL well completion.
Actual testing started in 1988, and is presently (January 1990) ongoing, followed full-time by a small team of technicians, aided part-time by a TFL specialist from the tools manufacturer.
Close communication and cooperation between test personnel, the manufacturer, and personnel from other companies that also have an interest in TFL testing, has from the start been considered essential to the success of the project, and are constantly contributing to the improvement of the TFL product line, as well as to a better general understanding of the technique.