SLB has launched a new coiled tubing system that uses real-time electrical control to give oil and gas operators greater precision and visibility during well intervention operations.
The ExaCT™ electrical downhole coiled tubing (CT) control system was unveiled by SLB on August 24. The Houston-based energy technology company said the platform replaces pressure-dependent hydraulic actuation with electrical communication, power delivery and telemetry.
The system combines electrical power, telemetry and downhole measurements to allow operators to communicate with, activate and verify downhole tools throughout an intervention. This can support operations in extended-reach and multilateral wells, where precise control can be critical.
“Operators are asking intervention systems to do far more than simply actuate downhole tools. Completion and production teams need continuous visibility, precise control and the flexibility to perform multiple services in a single run,” said Frederik Majkut, president of Reservoir Performance at SLB.
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ExaCT can support logging, stimulation, isolation and shifting operations in a single run. SLB said real-time monitoring also allows operators to adjust interventions as downhole conditions change, reducing the need for additional runs.
The company reported measurable gains from field deployments. In one six-lateral well intervention, the system cut intervention time by about 175 hours. Operators were able to enter each lateral in about 12 minutes, compared with six to eight hours using conventional hydraulic systems.
The operation also stimulated more than 21,000 feet of reservoir contact while reducing fluid consumption by more than 3,000 barrels.
In cleanout and scale-removal operations, SLB said ExaCT reduced intervention time by up to 30% and fluid consumption by 20%. The system also sustained 81 hours of continuous downhole operation.
SLB is a key contractor to ExxonMobil in Guyana, where the U.S. oil major and its co-venturers are advancing multiple deepwater projects in the prolific Stabroek Block.
The company established a long-term presence in Guyana in 2017 when it invested US$75 million in an oil services facility in Houston, Guyana.
