4:14 The challenge
- →Clear legacy wells beneath a planned residential site by intercepting a buried target below ~260 ft.
- →The target was a 10-3/4" casing stump beneath partially-intact 16" casing, a cluttered magnetic picture.
- →Regulatory proof of interception was required, with casing runs avoided until confirmed.
Our solution
A sidetrack was kicked off a cement plug and steered to the target (bearing ~63° True at ~260 ft). An MRT + gyro tool string, run on wireline inside the drill pipe with UBHO orientation, collected passive magnetic ranging data; the pass-by was read where the vertical field crossed from maximum to minimum, and casing-collar signatures mapped the 16" above the stump. A downhole camera confirmed the stump for regulatory sign-off.
Buried casing stump located and intercept proven for abandonment
The result
~258 ft
pass-by depth, 10-3/4" stump located beneath partial 16" casing
- ·Sidetrack steered to the target on a ~63° True bearing toward ~260 ft
- ·Passive MRT + gyro ranging fixed the pass-by at ~258 ft
- ·Casing-collar signatures showed 16" partially intact above the 10-3/4" stump
- ·Downhole camera confirmed the stump, interception proven for regulatory abandonment
Ranging
PMR
Deployment
Wireline (MRT + Gyro) / Sidetrack
Re-entry
Yes
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA
Year
2020
Regulatory approval Permanent abandonment witnessed and approved under California's energy regulator, the California Department of Conservation's Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM). Watch, related footage
Full video library → 4:14 
7:02 Intersecting Two Abandoned Wells Under Los Angeles (Part 1) | P&A Case Study
4:22