Wireless Well Solutions

CaTS™ technology for wireless reservoir monitoring and control
CaTS™ technology for wireless reservoir monitoring and control

CaTS™ technology for wireless reservoir monitoring and control

Delivering value throughout the well lifecycle

Pioneering technology through innovation

Pioneering technology through innovation

Expro’s CaTS™ technology has successfully delivered the world’s first electromagnetic wireless transmission of reservoir pressure data to surface, from a recently abandoned subsea appraisal well, through a rock-to-rock cement plug.

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Resulting from over 20 years of research and development activity and based on electromagnetic (EM) data communications technology, the CaTS™ system transmits low frequency EM signals from downhole to surface, or surface to downhole, using the well’s tubing or casing as the transmission medium. The system can be retrofitted into existing wells using either wireline or coil tubing, or alternatively, may be completion deployed. CaTS transmits high-quality pressure and temperature information and has gained broad industry acceptance as a cost-effective, high value solution to many of the long-standing problems of acquiring downhole data.

The retrofit instrumentation of the existing well stock provides a real-time data to desk capability that enables the reservoir engineer to proactively manage the reservoir effectively whilst also optimizing production. Having access to real-time data also enables the early diagnosis of well production or integrity issues thus allowing remedial action to be taken promptly.

The addition of duplex functionality to CaTS means that it can receive as well as transmit data. This means that the telemetry can also be used for downhole control applications. The ability to communicate with and control downhole hardware without the need for a cable or control line is a significant enabling component of retrofit flow control and offers real value in minimizing the number of control lines and penetrations typically required for today’s advanced completions.

Key features:

  • Uses standard completion hardware
  • Extended periods of in well operation up to 36 months are achievable
  • Retrofit capability using wireline or coiled tubing, retrievable for battery replacement
  • Multi-drop, multi-sensor, addressable in well
  • Provides real-time BHP/BHT data to desk
  • Readily deployed in complex well architectures – long-reach horizontal wells, abandoned subsea wells or zones, behind screens etc
  • Signal transmission is unaffected by the presence of cement or bridge plugs
  • Does not require a tubing string in the well to communicate along
  • A completion-deployed CaTS mandrel variant enables full-bore well access and maximum flow rates to be achieved
Case studies

Instrumenting water injector wells to improve field development decisions

Assessing static assumptions of a deep gas platform appraisal well

Extreme service Permanent Downhole Monitoring solution for a HP-HT gas condensate asset

CaTS retrofit wireless monitoring system delivers real-time data-to-desk to optimize water injection

Maximizing value of an appraisal DST using CaTS™ wireless gauges

Barrier monitoring in a temporarily abandoned well

Downhole monitoring for unconventional gas field development

CaTS gauges deployed for asset integrity monitoring

Evaluating onshore reservoir connectivity in Algeria

Reinstating instrumentation in a production well on an unmanned installation

Reinstating instrumentation in production observation wells

Instrumenting dual string completions at the sandface

Wireless downhole monitoring system provides long term aquifer surveillance

Open-hole barrier data transmissions

Quantifying connected reservoir volume as part of an extended well test

World first wireless annular barrier monitoring of a non-cemented liner in a subsea well

Real-time wireless PCP monitoring

CaTS™ Gauges provide early indication of condensate banking

Wireless barrier verification during well suspension and P&A

Reducing reservoir uncertainties during field appraisal

Reducing uncertainty in connected volumes during Barents Sea appraisal

Wireless monitoring provides critical data during early stage DFD

Wireless sandface monitoring delivers production optimisation in big bore high-rate gas wells

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