Mechanical difficulties with a seal assembly will delay flow tests of the Davy Jones-1 ultradeep well on the Gulf of Mexico shelf into August, said McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans.
Mechanical difficulties with a seal assembly will delay flow tests of the Davy Jones-1 ultradeep well on the Gulf of Mexico shelf into August, said McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans.
Before removing the blowout preventer to install a production tree, McMoRan ran a routine pressure test that indicated that the seal assembly at 16,400 ft needed to be replaced. The company believes the assembly was affected by the increased use of high-density mud used in operations designed to suppress flow in the well.
Once the well is stable, McMoRan plans to install a production packer above a new seal assembly that would enable a double seal completion. The company said it encountered flow in the well before setting all of the production tubing earlier this month. The well, on South Marsh Island Block 230, is perforated in 165 ft of Wilcox sands (OGJ Online, July 23, 2012).
About the Author
Alan Petzet
Chief Editor Exploration
Alan Petzet is Chief Editor-Exploration of Oil & Gas Journal in Houston. He is editor of the Weekly E&D Newsletter, emailed to OGJ subscribers, and a regular contributor to the OGJ Online subscriber website.
Petzet joined OGJ in 1981 after 13 years in the Tulsa World business-oil department. He was named OGJ Exploration Editor in 1990. A native of Tulsa, he has a BA in journalism from the University of Tulsa.
