Casing Extension And Wellhead Replacement Project For Re-Abandonment Of Oil Well

Following is a set of photos and descriptions pertaining to onsite work completed by Hot-Hed S.A. in NeuquénArgentina for REPSOL.

REPSOL requested that Hot-Hed recondition an oil well that was abandoned many years ago using the method that was widely available and accepted at that time. Abandonment of the oil well was originally completed by pumping cement over the cellar until the top of the casing was covered.

Hot-Hed has now gone back in to repair the problematic wells by cementing them in the currently accepted manner of well abandonment - from the inside out. In order to fulfill current standards of oil well abandonment, old cement was removed and new casing was added to the older casing to extend its length sufficiently for the cementing equipment and tools that were used. REPSOL also requested that Hot-Hed clean the existing oil well, extend the casing, install a wellhead and tighten (nipple-up) the union between the 9 5/8" wellhead and the 9 5/8" to 7" reducer. All of the tasks were done with a 'cherry picker' style crane and ultra-portable equipment (i.e. Diesel Welding Machines and Air Compressors, etc.) that make these types of projects possible without the use of a derrick.

Hot-Hed S.A. will be called out when the project is completed to nipple-down the sections that were installed and to recuperate the wellhead for future use.