Fishing Success in the Landfall Well for the Nordlink Project

Used a 8,3” Fishing Magnum Magnet® to recover 2 rock bit cones in a 12 ¼” hole
Location: Flekkefjord, Norway
Project
The Nordlink project is the laying of a large subsea electrical cable from Norway to Germany, for the export of green hydroelectric power from Norway to Europe. The cable will be 623 km long, with 516 km in the sea. The total cost of the project is estimated to 13-17 billion Nok. A critical section of this new power cable is the landfall at the rocky Norwegian coast close to the city of Flekkefjord.
20170301 104743

Photo credit: Innovar Solutions AS

Drilling operation
The utility drilling contractor Entreprenørservice AS had drilled a 375 m long 6 ½” pilot hole, with entry point in the mountain, and exit point 25 m below the sea in a fjord. The hole inclination was 20 to 10 degrees. The pilot hole was thereafter opened up to 12 ¼” using a hole-opener with 3 cones. After a bearing failure, 2 of the cones fell off the hole-opener at 264 m, and the operations came to a stop.
 
nordlink-project%2c-flekkefjord-march-2017-6
Fishing operation
Innovar Solutions was requested for assistance and the supply of strong fishing magnets. A large 8,3” Magnum Fishing Magnet® with 700 kg lifting capacity was mobilized quickly to Flekkefjord. The magnet was run in hole on 3 ½” drill pipe and came out with both hole-opener cones attached on the first attempt.
20170301 104945
nordlink
Benefits
This quick fishing operation prevented long delays and reduced the risk for this large project. The traditional approach would be to attempt using non-magnetic fishing tools with uncertain success, and in the worst case to use a mill to grind up the lost cones. This would however create a large amount of steel cuttings that would not disappear in a granite formation hole, and that eventually would cause more trouble for the next drill bit/hole opener.

“Innovar supplied a fishing magnet and retrieved all junk from the well on the first attempt. With our conventional tools and methods, this would have taken more time and taken several attempts. This saved us money by avoiding lost production. Thank you Innovar”.

Jan Rømo
Project leader
Entreprenørservice AS

Case study:

Challenge

  • Lost 2 out of 3 rock bit cones from hole-opener in hole
  • Halted project progress
 

Solution

  • Mobilized quickly a 8,3” Magnum Fishing Magnet® by car to drill site
  • Ran in hole with magnet on 3 ½” drill pipe, provided cross over for easy make up
  • Supplied fishing personnel to supervise the operation
 

Benefit

  • Fished out lost bit cones effectively in one run
  • Prevented delay of large complex project
  • No steel cuttings or swarf left in hole, hole good to go for remaining drilling