4:14 The challenge
- →A well spudded in 1949 left a stuck BHA fish from ~1,725 ft to ~4,575 ft when abandoned.
- →An urban site, the wellhead was buried under a welded steel plate with no surface access.
- →Re-abandonment required re-entering the original trajectory and cementing to surface.
Our solution
Gunnar's DeadEnd™ surface-locate found the buried wellbore non-invasively, then a mud-motor + wireline-gyro program re-drilled the original 1949 trajectory to the top of the fish at ~1,725 ft. Passive ranging located the fish stump and active ranging mapped the pipe to steer a direct intersection, with a drill-collar severing / cavity-shot tool establishing hydraulic communication for a full TD-to-surface cement abandonment.
Stuck-since-1949 orphan well re-entered and permanently re-abandoned
The result
1949
orphan well closed, stuck fish re-entered & cemented to surface
- ·DeadEnd™ non-invasive surface locate pinpointed the buried wellbore in an urban lot
- ·Mud motor + wireline gyro re-drilled the original 1949 trajectory to the fish
- ·Passive ranging located the fish stump; active ranging mapped the pipe for the intersection
- ·Cemented TD-to-surface, permanent re-abandonment achieved
Ranging
PMR + AMR
Deployment
Mud Motor + Wireline Gyro
Re-entry
Yes
Location
Los Angeles, California, USA
Year
2021
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