Case Study: a leading producing well company retrieves a dummy valve for wax prevention with SLB LIVE digital slickline services

LIVE Act mechanical services help locate side pocket mandrel and monitor valve retrieval

SLB worked with a leading producing well company in the Republic of the Congo that needed to locate a side pocket mandrel and retrieve a dummy insert valve so chemical injection could begin for wax prevention. Previous attempts with a kickover tool and conventional slickline operations had failed to find the mandrel, in part because of wax buildup and uncertainty about the completion depth.

SLB deployed LIVE Act digital slickline mechanical services, including a real-time casing collar locator, digital pressure gauge, and monitoring of pressure, temperature, and shock during jarring. The mandrel was found at 689 ft instead of the 3,940 ft shown on the completion sketch, the dummy valve was successfully retrieved, and the job was completed in 4 hours, avoiding a potential workover.