In line with an escalation of drilling operations in East Africa, operators and service contractors are increasing their focus on how to make operations more efficient in challenging market. One operation for which a robust, safe, and effective tool was utilized to increase efficiency is the plug and abandonment of deepwater exploration wells in Tanzania and Kenya. Traditional abandonment of a well is accomplished by stacking multiple cement plugs to achieve zonal isolation. The plugs covering reservoir sections are normally independently verified in keeping with best practices applicable to well barriers. By setting longer plugs to cover multiple zones, rig time and operating costs can be significantly reduced. However, there are limitations to cement plug length when set conventionally without significantly increasing the risk of stuck pipe. The Hydraulic Tubing Release Tool (HTRT) was introduced during a deep-water exploration campaign in East Africa. It has been used successfully during the abandonment of five different wells where seven plug and abandonment operations placed long abandonment plugs, ranging from 405m to 1787m, in a single operation. The utilization of the tubing release tool system in well abandonment operations has proved to lower the risks and operational costs through the reduction of necessary cementing operations. With the sacrificial tubing being left in the cement, there is less risk of plug contamination which occurs as a result of pulling out of the plug. It also allows for longer plugs to be set in a single operation as opposed to stacking several cement plugs to get the required length, saving additional time. It has been used successfully on five deepwater wells in East Africa to set long abandonment plugs in open holes ranging from 700m to 1800m MD. The main objective of the disconnect system is to shorten the time taken to perform a well abandonment program as well as reducing the associated risks, thereby saving rig time and money.
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