Permanent downhole gauge connectors from ITT?Interconnect Solutions are being used in demanding exploration and production projects. Wells these days have to be drilled ever deeper, resulting in increasing demands on the equipment used, and ever increasing costs. According to the company, maximising production efficiency is critical for cost effectiveness.
Conventional gauge connectors, however, were no longer proving to be robust enough for such an application, so ITT ICS set out to engineer a solution: connectors and gauges that can operate at the maximum limits of metal clad cables, remaining operational at up to 200°C and up to 10,000 psi pressure.
A field-attachable connector needed to be designed and manufactured with sealing that could be checked on-site before operational deployment in the well. In addition, the connectors had to be able to be welded direct to the gauges and be no larger than the diameter of the gauges themselves, owing to very tight downhole well dimensions.
The result is the Permanent Downhole Gauge Connector which protects expensive gauges from damage arising from failure of metal clad cable sheathing and fits wells with small casing sizes.
Its replaceable metal-to-metal connector to cable seal is both field-attachable and verifiable on site. The design also includes an advanced elastomer back-up seal. Of further benefit, the connector is re-usable.
Applications include deep-set gauges to monitor ESP intake and discharge pressures in order to maintain optimum ESP efficiency; deep set gauges to detect water, steam or CO2 breakthrough; and deep set gauges to monitor the effect of hydraulic fracturing in real time.
