Weatherford International reported Thursday that it has signed an exclusive four-year contract with Eni S.p.A. for radio frequency identification-equipped downhole casing isolation valves.
The contract calls for at least 30 Non-Umbilical Downhole Deployment Valves (NU-DDV) that will be deployed in critical Eni wells, Weatherford noted in a written statement emailed to Rigzone.
“This contract aligns with both the Weatherford and Eni pursuit of continuous improvement in operational safety and environmental performance across the start-to-finish drilling and completion process,” remarked Dean Bell, Weatherford’s president for drilling, evaluation and intervention.
Deployed during managed pressure drilling (MPD) and underbalanced drilling (UBD) applications, the radio frequency identification device (RFID)-enabled valve enhances process safety by mechanically isolating the surface from the reservoir during tripping and eliminates the need to kill the well, Weatherford stated. Also, the company contends the valve boosts system reliability by eliminating external control line and clamping operations, cuts installation time, removes personnel from the red zone, eliminates swabbing effects and reduces tripping time.
“This award is the result of two years of research and development collaboration with Eni to launch a downhole casing isolation valve with RFID,” continued Bell. “The goal was to develop an innovative solution capable of providing an independent downhole safety barrier to supplement the conventional barriers already in place, assuring control of unwarranted formation influx while tripping.”
To contact the author, email mveazey@rigzone.com.
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