General requirements for the preservation of petroleum wells in Vietnam from November 04, 2024

General requirements for the preservation of petroleum wells in Vietnam from November 04, 2024

The well preservation must meet the following requirements:

- The wellbore must always be in a safe condition, even if the wellhead equipment is damaged due to incidents or removed, the well will maintain the isolation between the formations and between the formations and the surface, except in cases where formations are exploited simultaneously;

- Ensure the reusability of the well for drilling, research, exploitation, repair, and other forms, or well abandonment at any time while ensuring safety;

- Minimize the obstruction of equipment to the surrounding environment;

- Mark with signal buoys for preserved subsea wells in waters shallower than 20 meters.

Classification of petroleum wells needing preservation in Vietnam

Based on the condition of the wells, the wells needing preservation are classified into 3 types:

- Type 1: Wells needing long-term preservation (3 years and above), including wells that research results show can be used for economically effective exploitation but do not yet have a usage plan;

- Type 2: Wells needing temporary preservation (from 1 to 3 years), including wells in the exploitation plan but are categorized as reserves;

- Type 3: Short-term maintenance wells (less than 1 year), including wells currently in use, temporarily halted for repair, or being prepared for use.

Well Preservation Fluids for petroleum wells in Vietnam

The operator must ensure that when part or all of the well needs to be preserved and falls under types 1 and 2, the well must always be filled with a fluid of sufficient density to control the formation pressure existing in the wellbore before proceeding with well preservation operations. The preservation fluid must be treated to prevent corrosion of the equipment.

More details can be found in Circular 16/2024/TT-BCT which takes effect in Vietnam from November 04, 2024, and replaces Circular 17/2020/TT-BCT.

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