Halliburton Launches Electromagnetic Pipe Inspection Tool

Halliburton announced the release of the Electromagnetic Pipe Xaminer® V (EPX™ V) service – a new technology designed to address well integrity issues, more accurately pinpoint casing defects and metal corrosion in up to five tubular strings throughout the well, and help reduce nonproductive time.

This is the first service that can determine the metal loss and condition for each individual tubular in up to five concentric strings. The tool uses High-Definition Frequency technology that emits electromagnetic waves continuously into the well tubulars. These waves are sent in multiple distinct frequencies to increase the tool’s performance and proprietary algorithms determine total thickness and metal loss in each pipe. It is fully combinable with other diagnostic services, such as the Halliburton Acoustic Conformation Xaminer® (ACX™) service, which identifies wellbore leaks, and other corrosion inspection tools.

The EPX V service can be used as a monitoring tool in mature fields for corrosion rates or as a diagnostic tool to find and define integrity issues as they arise. Operators can run the EPX V service in deviated and horizontal wells through multiple conveyance systems. The technology is available via mono-conductor wireline, the Halliburton RELAY™ digital slickline, or on memory using standard slickline or coiled tubing.

"We designed the EPX V service to efficiently diagnose wellbore integrity and provide a more accurate and reliable assessment of pipe condition, so that operators can collaborate with us to design and deliver a solution that specifically addresses their issues," said David Topping, Vice President of Halliburton Wireline & Perforating.

On a recent project, an operator experiencing a downhole well leak identified its location and extent using the ACX service. The EPX V service was used to determine how much metal loss existed at the leak. It was determined to have local corrosion. During the same analysis, another area of the pipe showed a similar amount of corrosion, indicating the potential for a leak in the near future. By fully determining the well’s pipe integrity, the engineer had the opportunity to repair all corrosion issues while doing a workover to fix the leak. The EPX V service may have saved this customer millions of dollars by doing one workover to fix all critical corrosion-related issues.

Source: Oilfield Technology