December 11, 2024

Y-tool – Well Research Without Equipment Retrieval

Novomet presents a technology for conducting geophysical surveys while the ESP (Electric Submersible Pump) is operational – bypass systems (Y-Tool).

This technology addresses tasks such as investigating wells with multiple production zones while the ESP is in operation, studying objects under different operating modes of the ESP, examining horizontal sections of the reservoir (lowering instruments on continuous coiled tubing or using a well tractor), processing the near-wellbore zone through the bypass line, and deploying special tools for work with packer equipment.

The Y-Tool is deployed on tubing and consists of two pipelines. One pipeline is designed to displace the submersible centrifugal pump installation within the well, while the other runs parallel to the ESP and provides a direct path for the geophysical instrument or other device to access the zone below the submersible centrifugal pump installation without the need for its retrieval.

Thus, bypass systems enable research in vertical, inclined, and horizontal wellbores, capturing parameters such as pressure, flow rate of the lifting fluid, and temperature in real-time.

Novomet's Y-Tool product line consists of three products: a bypass system, a load-bearing bypass system designed for offshore production and unique in the Russian market, and an automatic bypass system currently undergoing final testing.

The load-bearing bypass system expands the application possibilities of the Y-Tool. One of its advantages is the ability to install additional equipment below the bypass system, including the installation of a backup ESP – a second (backup) unit can be launched to enhance total run time without retrieving all equipment.

In summary, the main advantages of this technology include access to the zone below the ESP without equipment retrieval, conducting geophysical surveys during the operation of the installation with the possibility of mode changes, protection of the installation during free-flowing or pressurized injection modes, and deployment in wells with production casing diameters starting from 146 mm.

“When developing bypass systems, we rely on our vast experience in oil machinery manufacturing and our achievements in applying advanced technologies,” explains Novomet's lead design engineer Evgeny Kozlov. “This makes our bypass systems reliable equipment that allows for conducting any geophysical surveys, which involve multiple stages and require an experienced approach, without compromising well operations.”