Enabling Rigless Platform Conductor Cutting in the North Sea

Project Overview

IPI Packers supported our client on a complex conductor removal campaign in the North Sea. The project required a customized inflatable packer solution capable of passing through challenging internal restrictions while providing reliable sealing, anchoring, and centralization for conductor cutting operations below the mudline. The system also provided environmental isolation, preventing any hydrocarbon discharge to the surrounding seabed during the operation.

Region: North Sea
Application: P&A, Conductor recovery

The Challenge

The project scope required the removal of 24 conductors including six tie-back wells which were installed in a subsea template. The 18 platform wells had a 20” x 26” profile, with the tie backs being 20 ”x 30” and with one single 26”. All wells were to be severed 2 meters below the mudline.

The tie-back wells introduced several significant technical challenges:

• The cutting manipulator had to pass through a 15-inch internal restriction within the tie-back connector before expanding into a 19-inch ID.
• A second cut was required above the tie-back connector to enable recovery of the casing and conductors together with the subsea template.
• For operational efficiency, the client required both cuts to be completed during a single deployment.
• On the standalone 26-inch conductor, the cutting manipulator still had to pass through the 15-inch restriction while retaining the ability to seat and seal securely within the larger conductor.

Additional project complexities included:

• Deployment from a custom Conductor Guide Frame (CGF) positioned 48 meters above sea level.
• Water depth of 175 meters.
• A conductor stick-up of 29 meters, resulting in a total cut depth of 206 meters from the wellhead to the cut elevation.

During annulus venting, traces of a hydrocarbon-like substance were observed. Before cutting operations could commence, the entire 206-meter annulus column had to be verified as hydrocarbon-free to eliminate any environmental risk.

IPI Custom Solution

To support our client’s redesigned cutting system, IPI Packers engineered and supplied a purpose-built 14.5-inch inflatable packer element that became an integral component of the cutting assembly.

Key features of the solution included:

• A high expansion ratio, enabling a single packer element to accommodate a wide range of casing internal diameters.
• Multi-cycle inflation and deflation capability, allowing multiple casing cuts to be completed in a single deployment using the same packer element.
• Reliable sealing performance, ensuring effective diversion of water flow and maintaining optimal cutting conditions.
• Integrated centralization and anchoring across varying conductor sizes, providing stable positioning and promoting uniform cut distribution around the conductor circumference.
• The ability to pass through a 15-inch internal diameter restriction before expanding to larger conductor diameters.
• Unmatched recoverability, full OD retraction following deflation, enabling retrieval through the 15-inch restriction after each cutting operation.
• A large-bore internal diameter, allowing the passage of umbilical hoses and other system components through the packer assembly.

The Result

The customized 14.5-inch inflatable packer element played a critical role in the successful execution of the campaign. Its high expansion ratio and multi-cycle capability enabled our client to complete cutting operations across multiple conductor sizes in a single deployment while maintaining effective sealing, anchoring, and centralization throughout.

Key achievements included:

• 24 wells safely cut and recovered
• 24 cuts completed below mudline
• 6 additional cuts completed above the template
• Hydrocarbon risk fully assessed and mitigated
• Zero environmental impact and no hydrocarbon discharge
• Zero Non-Productive Time (NPT)
• Deepest platform wells ever cut using abrasive cutting technology (206 m total cut depth)

This project demonstrates how close collaboration between our client and IPI Packers delivered a purpose-built solution for a highly challenging conductor removal campaign. By combining cutting expertise with IPI Packers’ unique inflatable packer technology, the operation achieved outstanding safety, efficiency, and environmental performance in one of the most technically demanding conductor-cutting applications undertaken in the North Sea, fully meeting end-user requirements.

Our client’s case study can be referenced here: https://claxtonengineering.com/company/resources/case-studies/rigless-platform-conductor-cutting/