technology | In What Way Is Well Intervention Different From Workover?

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Anil Kumar
posted one year ago

technology

well-intervention

well-servicing

workover

In What Way Is Well Intervention

Different From Workover?
In What Way Is Well Intervention Different From Workover?
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6 Answers
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Roger Hodgson answered one year ago

In my experience "Well Intervention" is where you re-enter a well for whatever

reason, e.g. to run wireline gauges, bail out sand, do a corrosion log or
reperforator, run production logs, etc etc etc. "Workover" is more intrusive to
the well bore integrity, i.e. changing out the tubing or other mechanical
equipment in the well, rather than entering for information purposes etc.
However, the terminology is often used interchangeably. Note a workover rig
can be used for both work over or intervention, but intervention work can also
be sometimes done freestanding, i.e. just via a wireline unit etc. whereas work
overs normally require some heavy lifting.
Roger Hodgson
answered one year ago

Scott Platzer 1y ago Reply Like

This sounds right to me. I'm not a technical expert, but in conversation the concept
of a work-over has seemed to me to apply to any activity which requires the
contracting of a rig to resolve problems related to a producing well. E.g. - the
replacement of a burned out ESP.
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Simon Kettle answered one year ago

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I have always thought that Well Intervention is a general term for "end-of-life"
operations that alter the state of a well, Workover is a type of well intervention
that specifically uses invasive techniuques however I hear them being used
interchangeably.
I grabbed and edited these off the aapg wiki and wikipedia sites on them and
think it does enough to suggest Workover can be catagoriesed as a subset of
Wel intervention.
"Well Intervention is an operation carried out during or towards the end of its
productive life, which alters the state of the well and/or well geometry,
provides well diagnostics, or manages the production of the well."
And

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technology | In What Way Is Well Intervention Different From Workover? - Oilpro

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"Workover is a specific operation that uses invasive techniques, such as

wireline, coiled tubing or snubbing. More specifically though, it will refer to
the expensive process of pulling and replacing a completion."
However I'm interested to know if they are really just synonyms of each other.
Simon Kettle
answered one year ago

William Corcoran, Phd, PE 1y ago Reply Like

Please enter these terms in the glossary and/or correct the existing entries.
http://www.iadclexicon.org/glossary/w/page/4/
Haibah Khlid 1y ago Reply Like
Workover is a maintenance on the well completion, intervention is an intervene the
reservoir or an process or equipment to help on intervene such like plugs or packers
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Jolyon Welham answered one year ago

Although covered well in the responses below, the simplest explanation in my

experience is that a 'Workover', is to remove and replace the incumbent
completion or part there of. All other well entries (some as covered by Roger) of
a well that is not going to be 'Worked-over', are 'Well Interventions'. However,
some investigative work by 'Well Interventions', may be required prior to a
'Workover'. The mechanics of how this work is conducted isn't relative - drilling
rig, work over rig, or stand alone platform based operations. 'Workover' = pull
and replace completion, 'Well Intervention' = all other well entries.
Jolyon Welham
answered one year ago

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Lawrence Coles answered one year ago

In Coil Tubing terms 'Workover' means the well is killed for the job to be done
(change out production tubing for example). 'Intervention' the well is still live
when the work is done.
Lawrence Coles
answered one year ago

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Christie Unaegbu answered one year ago

In my experience as a well service engineer, i will say there is no much

difference between well intervention and Workover rather they are very similar
because such operation is carried out in the well-bore. Well intervention simply
put is an intervention on a abandoned well that is not active or producing
example by introducing N2 or chemicals via the pumping line that is rigup to the
kill line then into the well . Workover is an operation that is been carried out
directly on a live completion well either for tubing repairs/replacement, fishing,
zone transfer e.t.c and as such need the different equipment like the snubbing
equipment, pumping equipment, slick-line equipment, coil tubing equipment,
wireline equipment e.t.c to carry out the changes and repairs.
Christie Unaegbu
answered one year ago

Christie Unaegbu 1y ago Reply Like

both operation can work simultaneously depends which comes first.
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Jonathan Azozie answered one year ago

My understanding is that well intervention refers to any activity that requires a

well re-entry (outside routine production operation of the well). It could be as
simple as running in a gauge via wire line or as complex as retrieving the entire
tubing string and re-completing the well. Work-over however is a specific kind

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technology | In What Way Is Well Intervention Different From Workover? - Oilpro

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of intervention which involves retrieving the tubing string (or part of it) and recompletion.
Jonathan Azozie
answered one year ago

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