Mac-Seal
Two Part Product. Time Activated. Solid yet Flexible Once/When Cured. Various Viscosities.
Mac-Seal SDS
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Mac-Seal Technical Data
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Wellhead Seal Isolations Explained through a Client Case Study
KCI Sealant Technology saves the client approximately USD 60 million
One of the Middle East’s biggest exploration and production companies has a huge well stock. The combination of ageing wells, harsh desert environment and corrosive well fluids present the operator with a big challenge in terms of maintaining life cycle Well Integrity. Therefore, there is a need to seek solutions that can increase safety, reduce well integrity deviations and production deferments.
Why are Wellhead Seal Solutions required?
One of the most common Well Integrity failures experienced in the field relates to annuli communication through the Wellhead Hanger Seals
These failures are typically detected during Planned Maintenance Routines (PMR’s)
These leaks had been traditionally addressed by either pumping hard plastic packing type material into the voids which can be unreliable
In most cases, it would require a costly hoist or rig workover operation to change out the Christmas Tree and/or the applicable Wellhead Spool Piece
How does KCI’s innovative leak sealing technology work?
A time activated sealant is deployed in its liquid phase into the voids of wellhead sealing areas
Once in place, the sealant converts to a resilient, self-bonding and pressure-energized solid material that acts as a static pressure-retaining barrier to re-establish full Well Integrity of the Wellhead
The product is left to cure under pressure creating a pre-energised isolation. The sealant remains stable from -54°C to 204°C and up to 260°C for short periods so there is no expansion or shrinkage of the product
A safe, quick and cost-effective solution for onsite Rigless Wellhead Integrity Repairs
Why choose KCI for Wellhead Seal Isolations?
KCI services have been successfully deployed in this region since 2013
Over 500 jobs have been completed to date with over a 99% success rate
To date the KCI Service supplied to this customer has resulted in at least USD 60 million in cost savings on production deferments and associated rig costs on workovers
Mac-Seal Success Stories
MS-Sealant
Two Part Product. Time Activated. Solid yet Flexible Once/When Cured. Various Viscosities. Formulated for Hotter Climates.
MS-Sealant SDS
Contact KCI to request the most up to date version
Mac-Seal Technical Data
Contact KCI to request the most up to date version
Video - KCI Wellhead Isolation
MS-Sealant Success Stories
MS-Sealant/Mac-Seal FAQs
Click each question below to reveal the answer:
- Is the sealant resin?
No, the resin will be cured into a high-strength solid, but MS-Sealant will be cured into a flexible solid rubber material, like an eraser.
- What is the composition and activation principle?
The sealant is provided in two, including: base compound, and activator; Mixing for 5 minutes before deployment, it is a time activated sealant.
- What is the effect of temperature on sealants?
Temperature will affect the curing time, the higher temperature, the faster curing. After mixing, there are 1 to 1.5 hours for deployment, Standard curing time is normally between 6-8hrs but24hrs will ensure it is fully matured.
- What is the effective sealing life of this sealant?
The sealant itself can remain the same for at least 25 years , so the sealing life is actually depended on client’s requirement, it can be used for temporary or long-term use.
- What is the usage for each operation?
Approximate 3-5 litres, depending on casing hanger void capacity.
- What is the purpose of confirming the leak rate before deploying the sealant?
To choose the viscosity of sealant. Also, to ensure the leak path is still open. If there is no leak path, no sealant can be deployed on a one Port system. If there are two ports then we can fill the void much more easily.
- How is it verified that the sealant has successfully sealed the hanger?
A pressure guage is connected to the test port, and the PBU is observed, no PBU in the hanger Void. Normal practice is to use Well pressure or introduce pressure above or below the isolation while stinging and carrying out a Pressure Build Up (PBU).
In certain cases we can carry out a pressure test when the test port is directly above or below the cured sealant. We never pressure test from the side as that will push and flex the sealant which may result in losing the isolation.
Part of the pressure test takes place when we inject the sealant into the Void or Pack-Off.
- After curing, how much reverse differential pressure can it possibly withstand?
MS-Sealant must have the ability to hold the pressure to isolate the gas/oil from invading into casing hanger Void. Each application is different however in general, after the sealant has cured the isolation can withstand full pressure in each direction from above or below as it is contained in place within the Void or Pack-Off and is energised if it is exposed to pressure in either direction.
- During the whole repair and test process, does client need to provide other tools or equipment?
No, we will provide the sealant, pumping equipment and hydraulic hoses required for the entire process.
The client may have to supply any special tools required for their Wellheads like stingers/pressure relief tools or crossovers. We/you should not be expected to carry every crossover and specific stinger tool on the market.
We normally use the customer owned/specified hydraulic oil for testing and deploying the sealant.
- How much sealant do you supply for each operation? Any contingency?
We have included a contingency volume of sealant so there are two opportunities to deploy the sealant on site. This is to cover any unknown activities or unplanned events, like a GPA sounding just after we have activated and mixed the sealant ready to deploy. By the time we got back to the well site after a muster or similar, the sealant may have cured to a point which we can’t inject.
Having a contingency sealant volume on-site would allow a second attempt without delay. This hasn’t actually happened as yet but it was identified as part of a Risk Assessment a few years ago so this is what we now recommend.
We have supplied a backup sealant volume to a customer for the last few years.
- Will the test port be blocked by this sealant, making further pressure tests impossible during this seal life cycle?
In general, KCI recommends testing the isolation in direction of flow (leak-off testing) using Well pressure (or artificially building pressure below the isolation and stinging fitting above) as this is the primary objective (i.e. to prevent Well pressure or hydrocarbons from moving closer to the environment).
It all depends on the application and Wellhead construction. This is engineered in Aberdeen after receiving all the relevant Well data from the customer. For example, if the operation only requires a part-fill of sealant then pressure testing can go ahead once the ports are cleared with heavy-duty grease as you noted above. Pressure testing can also be performed on a full-fill application if the test ports are directly above the cured sealant as this would compress and energise the isolation but caution is needed to ensure the new seal is not disturbed.
On the whole, we do not recommend pressure testing against the cured sealant especially from the side as this can disturb the isolation which may be lost, especially in small volume cavities between P-Seals for example. It is a bit like pressurising an o-ring from the side rather than directly above or below. For clarity, KCI does not supply Pressure Activated sealants.
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