Publications

This paper describes the processes involved in reducing non-productive time for squeeze and plug cementing operations offshore Kalimantan. These cementing operations are of high frequency and are operationally demanding.One of the biggest challenges seen before the study was that job execution could come very quickly even before the Operator or Service Company was prepared. Thus time was wasted trying to get ready, or performing a job that did not have sufficient planning. In either case, this could lead to excess Non Productive Time (NPT).Not only is NPT costly, but it also could lead to job failures. In 1998, 180 hours of NPT could be attributed to these cementing operations, and the illdefined processes for the design and post-job evaluation of cement plug and squeeze jobs.A detailed evaluation initially focussed on identifying problems and processes. After identification, the Operator and Service Company worked together to examine the root cause of each problem in detail. Corrective action plans were prepared and regularly monitored by the team. For example, rigorous procedures for the Quality Control of all rig products including confirmation and sensitivity testing of the slurry at the rig site were implemented immediately prior to the job.This paper describes how the root cause of the problem was discovered, the results of 'brainstorming the problem' and the results of the evaluation. The output of the evaluation has become the standardized operational guidelines for the Operator and Service Company. The guidelines include: a job information check list to gather field data, a cement system matrix for plug and squeeze jobs to aid in determining the correct slurry to pump, and a set of standard job calculations and procedures.Therefore, we demonstrate how NPT can be reduced, or eliminated, by quality improvement teams consisting of Operator and Service Company representatives thoroughly investigating the problems of NPT.