Weatherford Completes 400th Expandable System Installation

The 400th installation was performed for BP in the Schiehallion Field, Deepwater West of Shetlands, and employed Weatherford's modular single-trip expandable completion system.

The system integrates Weatherford's Expandable Sand Screen (ESS®) technology with any conventional zonal isolation devices, including Weatherford's proprietary MetalSkin® solid expandable tubular system. The result is a modular reservoir management system that provides multiple zonal isolation in openhole completion, fluid loss control, and single-trip functionality.

Other benefits of the system include reduced well costs by eliminating the need for cementing and perforating, decreased rig time through ease of installation, and increased oil and gas recovery.

For the Schiehallion job, a swell packer was used in conjunction with Weatherford's Expandable Completion System to achieve zonal isolation of up- dip gas within the reservoir, and completion was delivered five days ahead of plan. First oil is expected within the next few weeks.

Weatherford will install another single-trip expandable completion system in the Schiehallion Field during the third quarter of this year and other candidate wells are currently being evaluated.

Weatherford has been accelerating the implementation of all expandable technologies, related tools and accessories since the mid-1990s. This track record includes breaking a number of new expandable technology barriers and setting several industry records, including the longest ESS installation to date.

In addition to its expandable completion system, Weatherford's innovative expandable technologies include:

     *  ESS systems, which have been changing the face of sand control for
        more than five years, improving well productivity and significantly
        reducing costs.
     *  Expandable solid tubular technologies, including unique metal-to-metal
        casing repair and remediation methods and well-construction
        alternatives, such as expandable liner systems.

"Weatherford has driven the uptake of expandable sand screens for more than five years. Building on this experience, we are now focused on a greater prize: using expandables to deliver high productivity, openhole completion that provide the same functionality as cased holes," said Stuart Ferguson, Weatherford's Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. "This installation reinforces our leadership in the application of expandable technology."

Weatherford's Expandable Completion Systems provide the organization capabilities, expandable technology understanding, system reliability and installation experience for effectively overcoming conventional completion design limitations.