A Robotic System Development for Rigless Light Intervention

Abstract A major concern in offshore production is the well intervention cost and the time taken to perform the operations. These issues relate to the need for a rig or a similar unit to perform those operations. This paper presents the current stage of the development of an autonomous robot for rigless well interventions. The robot enters the well through the Christmas Tree using a special tool. This proposal will allow significant cost reduction by avoiding the need for a rig to do light workover operations in offshore locations. This strategy reduces intervention time since a simpler unit may deploy the robot. Examples of operation performed by the robot are production logging, gas lift valve replacement, sliding sleeve opening and closing and plug insertion or removal. A Simplified Robot allowed evaluating the technical feasibility of this proposal, both theoretically and experimentally. This Simplified Robot allowed evaluating the Traction System, the Energy Storage, and the Positioning Algorithm. After that, the design of the Real Robot started. This system will be modular and adjustable according to the needed operation.