Ultra-High Pressure Cutting for Downhole Casings and Pipes
Jun 18, 2014
Centura Oil Inc., a Minnesota-based water-jet service contractor to the oil, gas and mining industries, has developed a novel, downhole cutting system for casing and pipe that fits within pipes as narrow as 2 inches ID (51 mm), and cuts multiple layers of grouted casing in a single pass with a 55K-PSI (3,800-bar) abrasive water-jet.
Operating in hazardous environments, Centura Oil’s CenJet 90® casing and pipe cutting system is designed especially for oil, gasm and mining operations, including plug and abandon operations. Its cutting process does not exceed 140°F (60°C), minimizing the chance of ignition.
The CenJet 90 is powered by a 55K-PSI, 200-hp Jet Edge water-jet intensifier pump and features a modified Jet Edge Permalign abrasive jet cutting head that is coupled to coiled steel tubing or conventional threaded rods. The system, which is capable of cutting 16-in. (406-mm) thick steel, is deployed into the pipe or casing and cuts from the inside. It can perform cuts up to 300 feet (91 m) from the surface and can cut at any angle, horizontal, vertical and even overhead.
The CenJet 90 uses only four gallons (15 liters) of water and one pound (0.45 kg) of garnet abrasive per minute. Garnet is a natural stone that can normally be disposed of in a landfill. The effluent created by the water-jet cutting process is circulated to the surface using formation water, treated water in strata prone to swelling, or nitrogen for an explosion-proof environment. The returns and cuttings are handled according to industry standards.
Centura Oil originally developed the CenJet 90 as an environmentally friendly, downhole water-jet cutting system for stimulating oil and gas well production at depths of 4,000+ feet (1,219 m.) It modified the system for casing and pipe cutting for a recently completed project at a uranium mine. During this 2.5-year project, Centura Oil staff worked 2,100 ft (640 m) underground and successfully cut hundreds of pipes and grouted casings at distances up to 300 feet, many at a 70° angle.
Centura Oil’s worldwide services include water-jet well recompletion and production enhancement, well plug and abandonment, and mobile water-jet cutting. The company also sells its CenJet 90 systems under a licensing agreement.
