Flexible Coiled Tubing Implementation for Subsea Hydrate Remediation – Campos Basin Field Application

Abstract This paper presents a successful deployment, and results obtained of the Flexible Coiled Tubing technology applied to an oil producer well of Frade field, located 120 kilometers offshore in Campos Basin – Brazil. The purpose of such technology concerns to hydrates breakage, as a form of operational remediation in flow assurance solids formation, in deepwater production lines. After unplanned shutdown, well operational conditions entered in the hydrates envelope and the blockage was confirmed, making production unfeasible. Several attempts to hydrate dissociation were performed, however without success. Then, as a mechanical solution to face this critical flow assurance issue, a Flexible Coiled Tubing technology was successful implemented in FPSO's own facilities. The methodology of the project consisted, first, of executing the Find Block operation to define blockage position, and second, deploying all components and systems of the Flexible Coiled Tubing. Once the blockage breakage was accomplished, ethanol was injected at X-tree position to topsides to verify subsea communication. The success of such technology allowed to reestablish the well production approximately 4300 barrels of oil per day (bopd), representing an increase of 9.0% in the production of Frade field at time, proving to be an effective solution to be implemented in Mature Fields.