Passive well monitoring systems and carbon, capture and storage (CCS) application

Abstract

With an increasing number of ageing subsea wells and a tightening of global regulations for well management, assuring well integrity is a key feature of risk management for oil and gas operators. Baker Hughes, in collaboration with Sentinel Subsea, has successfully deployed patented passive well monitoring systems able to detect a range of subsea emissions and alert well owners. This early detection and warning technology harnesses the natural forces and processes of chemistry and physics but does not use any electrical power for the monitoring and detection of fluids. Static mechanical structures and the natural buoyancy of escaping fluids of interest are used to gather fluids in the subsea environment where they are detected chemically using specially developed Triggers. By using fluid-specific Triggers, systems respond only to the fluid(s) of interest, not to other fluids typically encountered around subsea assets. When the target fluid has been detected passively, a coded signal beacon (previously dormant) is mechanically released to the ocean surface using self-buoyancy where an alarm is transmitted via satellite and the responsible party alerted. Systems are currently supporting multiple major and independent operators mitigate the risks associated with subsea wells globally. Based on these experiences, this paper discusses the development process of a passive well integrity monitoring system with application for carbon, capture and storage (CCS) sites.