Probe | Cased Hole | Wireline | Logging | Evaluation | Monitoring | Oil Well Tools

Justin Galloway

Probe Chief Scientist Receives Distinguished Speaker Honor

HOUSTON – Probe is proud to announce that The Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analyst (SPWLA) have selected Jun Zhang, Probe Chief Scientist, as a Distinguished Speaker for the 2021-2022 series. Distinguished speakers were selected from the top papers submitted to SPWLA at the 62nd annual SPWLA Annual Symposium, hosted in Boston in May. These speakers are considered prominent contributors in the industry and the nomination is a coveted honor. Beginning August 30th, the Distinguished Speakers will actively participate in the SPWLA local chapters meetings and in the SPWLA monthly webinar program.

Aberdeen , Scotland, Thursday, 14 November 2019 ICoTA Conference 2019 Picture by Abermedia / Michal Wachucik

Zhang will be presenting the paper, “Case Studies on Multi-String Isolation Evaluation in P&A Operations.” The paper discusses the importance of cement sheath quality in plug and abandonment operations, as well in gas well decommissioning. Probe’s Multi-String Isolation Logging (MSIL) technology addresses the industry’s need to acquire data through multiple strings thus saving time and money by improving P&A efficiency.

“It is a true honor to be selected amongst the best papers submitted to SPWLA in 2021,” said Zhang. “This recognition is a testament to Probe’s technology leadership in well isolation logging.”

The paper presents various case histories of applying omnidirectional and segmented multi-string isolation evaluation technology in field trials in the North Sea.  

View the 2021-2022 Distinguished Speaker Series on the SPWLA website, click here.

Does Your Downhole Monitoring Provide Long-term Data Accuracy and Reliability?

The K Perm Permanent Gauge by Probe.

With Probe Permanent Gauges You Can Gather Data for Years to Increase Reservoir Management Efficiency.

When it comes to measuring and recording well performance and reservoir behavior, downhole permanent gauges continue to stand the test of time, especially in terms of reliability and long-term performance that are key to achieving the customer’s reservoir monitoring requirements.

Permanent gauges are installed downhole to monitor and deliver accurate pressure and temperature readings in real time, round-the-clock. Data is transmitted to surface via a downhole TEC cable. The data is immediately displayed on a local surface panel where operators view it in real time.  It is also communicated simultaneously by radio, satellite and secure network to designated engineers to view remotely.  Consequently, operators are achieving better reservoir management standards, optimizing producing wells, improving production and obtaining critical reservoir build-up data without intervention. Permanent gauges make it possible to monitor pressure and temperature accurately and remotely year after year, throughout the life of the reservoir.

Outstanding performance reliability

Probe specializes in downhole monitoring technology and offers a range of field-proven permanent gauges with a performance reliability rating of 96.7%.  Much of this high level of reliability can be attributed to the introduction of ebeam welding. Probe was first to seal its gauges internally and externally. This was in line with developing a cable head that features dual metal-to-metal seals. Every downhole gauge and accessory is made in the USA, and designed to withstand maximum shock and vibration.

A gauge for every operational need

Probe gauges are extensively used to monitor conditions in artificial lift wells, including gas lift, progressive cavity pump (PCP), naturally flowing, observation, and gas storage wells. The versatility of the gauge allows Probe to adapt the design to meet various applications.

Probe offers the industry three types of permanent gauges:

• The K-Perm™ Piezo-resistive Gauge delivers continuous pressure and temperature data, and is designed to withstand maximum shock and vibration.  Because it is four times more accurate than the other piezo/strain gauges on the market, it is very popular. The longest-running installation at time of publishing was in excess of 2,500 days.

• The K-Perm™ Hi-Accuracy Quartz Gauge, is permanently installed downhole and supported via a solid gauge mandrel, provides accurate pressure and temperature data. The longest-running installation at time of publishing was in excess of 2,100 days.

• The K-Perm™ Multi-drop Gauge is based on Probe’s piezo gauge technology. It’s designed to accommodate up to six gauges a single TEC cable conductor. With multiple gauges, the Multi-drop Gauge has recorded a reliability and success rate of 97.3% in Asia.  During the past seven years, the company has successfully supplied these gauges worldwide.  The longest-running installation at time of publishing was in excess of 2,200 days.

Probe’s permanent gauges are pivotal to its advanced well monitoring solutions portfolio. Our focus is on continually improving reliability and providing customers with data accuracy and reliability.

“We strive to improve monitoring technologies to help customers boost production and optimize wells, and our permanent gauges are no exception,” said David Smith, North American Director of Sales for Probe. 

“For example, to improve this line, we increased gauge accuracy from 0.1% full scale to today’s 0.024% full scale. This offers customers even greater confidence that they have a truly accurate assessment of well conditions, at all times,” he added.

With permanent gauges operating in the USA and overseas markets, Probe is confident that this reliable line of well monitoring technology will continue to flourish.  “By helping operators reduce operating costs, optimize production, and prioritize well site visits, this field-proven monitoring system will continue to ‘stand the test of time’ for years to come,” added Smith.

Field-proven Electro-hydraulic Setting Tool Serves Well Intervention & Abandonment Operations

The iSet™ Electro-hydraulic Setting Tool uses touchscreen technology to provide a safe, reliable way to set bridge plugs, packers, gauge hangers and straddles downhole.

When managing well intervention and abandonment operations, safety and reliability are top priorities, particularly when setting devices downhole.  Traditionally, this involves using explosive setting charges or hydrostatic pressure-activated devices. To perform in shallower wells hydrostatic assisted devices frequently require pressurized nitrogen modules to reach the requisite setting forces. Re-setting the tool between runs poses serious safety issues, as well as being time-consuming and costly.

But there’s good news. Probe has developed setting tool technology that resolves these issues, dramatically minimizing risks and costs, and improving efficiency. 

When Probe introduced the iSet™ electro-hydraulic setting tool in 2015, it rapidly became the industry’s favored non-explosive setting tool. By removing the need to use explosives, it is not only much safer and less complicated, users do not have to obtain special use or transport permits, saving time and money.

iSet™ Electro-hydraulic Setting Tool

The global market responds

Since entering the market five years ago, the iSet continues to perform reliably, whether being used to set bridge plugs, gauge hangers, and other downhole devices.

“We’ve deployed nearly 90 iSet™ tools for use in well intervention and abandonment operations around the world, with many customers using the tool repeatedly. The highest concentration is in the Middle East and Asia, followed by Europe, Latin America, Africa and China,” said Mike Rennie, Region Sales Manager – ESSA for Probe.  “Given concerns for safety in a hazardous area, we’re witnessing a trend among users to run jobs offline from a rig in Memory mode on slickline.”

The iSet™ is not only safer, it can be run up to 50 times without redressing between runs. Coupled with the fact that after the tool reaches the surface, it can be re-set very quickly and re-run in a matter of minutes, it is cost effective and efficient.

The iSet offers an alternative to explosive and hydrostatic pressure setting tools with benefits unique to its electro-mechanical design:

  • Runs on e-line or slickline and performs in pressures as high as 15,000 psi and temperatures to 150oC. 
  • Generates requisite setting force, which is critical when working in a lower pressure well.
  • The combination of Cyclops Touch touchscreen technology with alkaline battery power in memory mode and the tool’s rapid reset feature means that technicians can learn to run it in just half an hour.
  • Diagnostic parameters are recorded, including setting force, 3-axis acceleration, pressure, temperature, displacement, battery voltage, and motor current.  Armed with this data, the operator has a complete picture of the setting cycle, which confirms whether the downhole device is properly set.    

Memory and Surface Read-out Modes Offer Flexibility, Safety

When operating the iSet™ Electro-hydraulic Setting Tool, there are two options: Memory or Surface Read-out Mode. When in Memory mode, the system relies upon the Cyclops Touch, a touchscreen interface that provides two-way communication, making it possible to easily program and confirm the iSet’s setting in the well without disassembling it or a computer. This is a distinct advantage, especially when operating in potentially dangerous conditions.

Two sizes equally popular

Each of the two sizes – 3.6 inch and 2.165 inch O.D. – have proven to be equally popular, with operators using them in both well intervention and abandonment operations. The larger size provides a setting force capability of 60,000 lbs, while the smaller tool achieves 30,000 lbs, each over a 10-in. stroke.  To provide flexibility, it can operate on two different power sources.  When slickline-deployed in Memory mode, AA alkaline batteries drive the tool, while a panel at surface powers the iSet when used on e-line in surface readout mode.

For more information contact us or look for the iSet™ on display at OTC and ADIPEC in 2021.

Probe CEO Response Regarding COVID-19

Federico Casavantes, CEO

Dear Friends, Valued Clients and Vendors,

The full impact and implications of COVID-19 are still unknown. In the meantime, at Probe, we are committed to the safety and well-being of our team, their families, and the communities where we live and work. We genuinely believe that the actions we are taking will ultimately result in the most favorable outcome for everyone that works with us.

We are living through some of the most dynamic times in recent history. Things are changing daily, but we are proactively implementing social distancing practices per World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 guidelines at all our facilities. We are encouraging virtual interactions amongst our team, as well as with clients and vendors, whenever possible. If a person-to-person meeting is critical, limiting participants and maintaining a distance of 6 ft between each other is recommended.

International and domestic travel for Probe employees will be restricted. Although, for the most part, we are not shifting to telecommuting (work from home), we will remain flexible to accommodate individual requirements and local authority directives.

Our overall objective is to reduce the net COVID-19 exposure for all Probe employees, clients, and vendors. We wish to provide you with the assurance that we will strive to maintain the highest possible standard of service during these difficult times and will work with you to limit any disruption to your operations. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Federico Casavantes
President & CEO

HD: The Best Way to Gather More Data Faster in a Well

ProMAC™ Multi-arm Caliper Tool, which makes it possible to identify integrity problems, such as mineral deposition, corrosion, wear or mechanical deformation, inside a completion.

The HD Platform is an increasingly wider range of high-speed, highly configurable digital sensors play critical – and unique -roles in helping operators to log data much more efficiently. In addition to its range of Standard and Array Production logging tools, Probe has been focusing on cased-hole formation evaluation solutions:

  • The ProMAC™ Multi-arm Caliper Tool, which makes it possible to identify integrity problems, such as mineral deposition, corrosion, wear or mechanical deformation, inside a completion.
  • The RADii™ Segmented Bond Tool, which measures and maps the quality of cement behind casing in oil and gas wells.
  • The RAS™ Reservoir Analysis Sonde, a three-detector pulsed-neutron logging tool for measuring reservoir saturation using Sigma and Carbon-Oxygen techniques.
  • The Spectral Gamma-ray Tool, an evaluation tool that offers insight into the radioactivity and mineral composition of cased-hole formations.

More data gathered per well intervention

“For years, the demand for logging tools that are highly configurable and capable of gathering high quality data more efficiently has continued to rise unabated, so we believe that continuing to expand our truly intelligent, effective formation evaluation solutions is critical to our customers’ success,” said Martin Barratt, VP Global Sales of Probe.

“The HD Platform is the result of a concerted initiative to enhance our field-proven tools with the highest quality measurements in the industry. By enabling fully combinable configurations, we are confident that Probe delivers on every front. By employing HD Platform compatible logging tools, service providers can now acquire more data per run in every well intervention. This enables operators to meet key objectives with a minimal number of well entries, improving efficiency and reducing cost.”

The HD Platform: what it is and how it gathers data more efficiently

The new HD Platform consists of two parts: an inter-tool communications bus and mono-conductor telemetry which is managed by the Telemetry Control Unit (TCU). The inter-tool communications bus is a single wire bi-directional system that operates at 500kpbs, which is ample speed to accommodate many different combinations of logging tools. The controlling telemetry – or alternative memory tool – samples sensors at a rate of 50 times per second, allowing high data rate tools and, for example, multi-arm calipers to provide high vertical resolution. Commands and instructions are also sent to the sensors on the same single wire bus.

The TCU handles all communications to surface. This device controls the data collected by the tools below, and packages it for transmission to the surface system. It receives commands from the surface system via the fast downlink, and responds back to the surface, as necessary.

The TCU can be replaced by the Memory Logging Tool (MLT) allowing all HD sensors to be deployed on slickline and coil tubing, among others. The HD Platform is a modular design offering simple mechanical maintenance and supported by plug0in electronic boards. It is well suited to both conventional and remote environment operations. Looking ahead, as part of its continuing commitment to developing technologies that gather comprehensive data, Probe plans to integrate HD telemetry technology into all current and future cased-hole logging tools.

Solving Industry Challenges Drives Probe to Innovate and Improve Logging Technologies

New cost-effective solutions provide increased reliability, faster sampling rates and more accurate data

Probe's ProMac 40 under a calibration testing
Probe’s ProMac 40 under calibration testing.

During the past six months, Probe has introduced new patented sensors and tools that dramatically improve data logging efficiency and accuracy. 

“We are absolutely driven by market demand for faster, more cost-effective solutions to log accurate data, so we set out to deliver that by innovating traditional logging technologies,” said Federico Casavantes, CEO of Probe. “For example, our new ProMAC™ Series of multi-arm caliper tools are fully combinable with all Probe HD Platform tools, and operate in Surface Readout or Memory modes. There are multiple improvements that increase reliability, maintainability and accuracy. One such improvement, for example, is that the tool’s sensors’ outstanding linearity and stability has allowed us to reduce calibration time to half a day. Consequently, our customers are able to increase asset utilization by minimizing downtime. It also means that electronics and sensors aren’t exposed to high temperatures more than absolutely necessary, reducing the risk of tool failure due to temperature fatigue.”

MAC24™:  New Technology Showcase 2019 Winner

Just last month, the MAC24™, which is the first in the ProMAC Series, was selected as a winner in the New Technology Showcase at LAGCOE 2019 in Louisiana.  The new MAC24 incorporates innovations in metrology and manufacturing, greatly improving log data quality, accuracy and reliability when logging tubing and casing mineral deposition, corrosion, wear and mechanical deformation.  Relying upon a modular constant current sensor design that Probe developed specifically for the ProMAC Series, the tool provides high-stability and accuracy over its full operating temperature range up to 175°C.

The MAC24 calibration process has also been dramatically reduced from days to a few hours. 

Designed with the utmost attention to measurement quality, the tool has been proven through extensive engineering and field-testing. At recommended logging speeds of 30 ft per minute (9 meters per minute), MAC24 meets industry standards with a vertical resolution of 0.12” (3mm). Considering future super high-resolution requirements, the tool will also be capable of sampling at up to 100 frames per second achieving a vertical resolution of 0.06” (1.5mm) at current industry-accepted logging speeds.

First XY caliper for geothermal well operations

In September, Probe introduced the UHT Dimension™ XY Caliper, the first XY Caliper Tool designed to operate in ultra-high temperature environments.  The tool, which builds upon the Kuster® geothermal logging tool portfolio, performs in hostile environments up to 325°C (617°F) and provides two continuous independent perpendicular measurements (X and Y) of the internal diameter of the casing.  It also generates a high-resolution temperature profile of the well via an external fast-response resistance temperature detector (RTD).  It is the first caliper tool available to log in ultra-high temperature environments, such as those typically encountered in geothermal well operations.

Assessing well conditions increases efficiency of costly plug & abandonment operations

In other development news, Probe is hard at work on its Multi-String Isolation Logging (MSIL) tool, which offers a unique and cost-effective solution for assessing the isolation behind casing without pulling production tubing from the well.  The aim is to provide operators with a ground-breaking technology to evaluate and determine cement bond quality and isolation without pulling the completion, thus greatly increasing the efficiencies and lowering the cost of plug and abandonment operations. By collaborating with a major operator, the tool is progressing on schedule, and has performed successfully in rigorous field trials in the North Sea. Probe plans to continue to collaborate further during 2020 with E&P operators in an extended field trial phase in order to fully prove the technology before going to market.