Oil and gas production in environmentally sensitive areas present unique challenges and require innovative solutions. The scope of the Project involved six shallow gas wells drilled on environmentally sensitive wetlands in the Hay Zama Lakes Wildland Provincial Park. Located just south of the 59th parallel in northwestern Alberta, the gas wells could only be accessed during winter months when the frozen wetlands offered a solid foundation for land vehicle travel.

Government regulations on wetland areas imposed specific rules on both surface and subsurface well configurations. The use of a surface controlled Subsurface Safety Valve (SSV) was mandatory by law to control the accidental flow of produced gas or liquid in the event of a loss of well control at the surface.

The SSV completion was initially planned to be installed on 60.3mm (2-3/8”) jointed tubing using a conventional service rig. However, due to the high demand for oilfield equipment the operator was unable to secure a service rig for the project. The customer approached Select Energy Systems to see if the wells could be completed with coiled tubing and, after completion design evaluation by Selects’ Engineering Team, confirmed that it could be done. In less than a week’s time the SSV completion and wellhead equipment was prepared for delivery.

In March of 2006, all the coiled tubing completions were successfully installed resulting in substantial customer cost savings and, more importantly, eliminating any potential gas production delays due to the shortage of oilfield equipment.