Bespoke Hydraulic Overshot Connector

May 8, 2012 - PRLog -- The impact of this could have been worse if the well served by the affected conductor had not been suspended. Nevertheless, the operator still had the problem of how to gain entry to the well to abandon it completely.

Claxton recommended first tensioning the conductor in an effort to reduce the severity of the kink. The company proposed then cutting the damaged pipe and its internal casing strings below the affected area, before using an overshot connector attached to a new section of conductor to re-establish access to the well.

Though relatively simple in theory, the project was not without challenges, as Blair McKnight, the design engineer on the project, explains: “To get back to straight pipe, the damaged conductor had to be cut in the splash zone; further, as part of this operation, a conductor guide in the area had to be removed. Consequently, our connector had to be unusually robust.  In addition, we soon discovered that the cut pipe was not perfectly round and finally, because we were in the splash zone, the new connection had to be completed remotely.”

The overshot connector (http://www.claxtonengineering.com/Products/Product/Oversh...) designed by Claxton had several features to cope with these various requirements. These included a self-centralising mechanism using weight-activated colletts; hydraulically operated slips to enable the connector to grip the cut pipe and lock onto it and a remotely controlled sealant injection system to make the two gallery seals between the connector and the cut pipe.

Mr McKnight reports that the attention to detail in the design of the connector paid dividends offshore when the operation to reconnect the conductor was accomplished without any undue difficulty.

“Projects like this are never going to make headline news,” says McKnight. “But there can be serious repercussions from getting things wrong. Customers return to Claxton for this kind of work because they trust us to come up with sound, practical solutions that, most importantly, can be reliably implemented offshore.”

For other bespoke engineering solutions (http://www.claxtonengineering.com/Products/Bespoke-Engine...) contact Claxton Engineering based in Great Yarmouth, Aberdeen and Dubai, who have a proven record of ensuring swift, safe resolutions in response to unforeseen operating challenges.  Claxton Engineering (http://www.claxtonengineering.com/) also holds a vast inventory of offshore rental tools, adaptors and equipment and with a large stock means many items can be supplied with 100% back up and immediate call-off.