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Completions Technology Companies Combine To Enhance Industry Presence                                 Swelling elastomers set to supersede cement in well completions                                 How did Swellfix come into existence, and what is the relationship with its former parent Shell?                                 Minister Opens Swellfix World Headquarters and Advocates Development of International Business Links in Aberdeen                                 Turning water into oil                                 Aberdeen based Swellfix growing in 2008                                 Appointment Underlines Swellfix's Development Plans                                 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who is SWELLFIX?

A. The technology behind SWELLFIX began at Royal Dutch Shell Research in mid-2000, becoming a wholly-owned venture company in January of 2006. In March of 2007, Royal Dutch Shell made the strategic step of putting their new technology companies into a fund (STV Fund 1), brought in external funding and created a company to manage the fund.

In April 2009 SWELLFIX, along with Sensornet and Well Technology of Norway, became a member of the Tendeka family of companies. Each of the Tendeka companies supplies specialised technology products that offer reliable, field-proven solutions to specific oilfield challenges.

The Tendeka family of companies employs over 100 people across a network of 18 regional bases, strategically located in key energy hubs including the North Sea, Middle East, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific. The backing of a strong parent company gives our customers the assurance of established processes and solid organisational support on a global scale, while we provide customised, ‘on the ground’ expertise.

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Q. Where are they located?

A. SWELLFIX has fully-staffed offices in every major oil-producing region, including; Aberdeen, Scotland ~ Bahrain ~ Calgary, Canada ~ Dubai, United Arab Emirates ~ Houston, Texas ~ Jakarta, Indonesia ~ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ~ Moscow, Russia ~ Port Harcourt, Nigeria ~ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The SWELLFIX global reach

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Q. How can I learn more about SWELLFIX?

A. If you have any further questions, please contact you closest region office. For a complete list, please click here.

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Q. What is a swelling elastomer?

A. SWELLFIX's extensive product offerings include both water- and oil-activated swellable elastomers. When these elastomers come into contact with the appropriate liquid, they swell to seal the available space. The SWELLFIX solution is ideal for simple and effective zonal isolation or for situations where cement may fail in the well.

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Q. How do swelling elastomers work?

A. Swelling is due to the absorption of the appropriate fluid, resulting in a volume increase. Swellable elastomers can be vulcanized as gaskets directly on to the steel pipe.

There are two main types of swellable elastomers:

  • Swelling in oil (solvent swelling)
  • Swelling in water (osmotic swelling)
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Q. Where are swelling elastomers used?

A. The number of applications is still expanding; swellable rubbers are presently used for:

  • to shut-off water producing zones
  • to segment the liner annulus, allowing future water shut-off
  • to replace liner cementation and perforation using slotted liners
  • to provide zonal inflow profiling, in combination with flow restrictor valves or with surface controlled valves (smart completions)
  • to provide selectivity in water injector wells
  • to provide a swelling micro-annulus seal in a cemented casing
  • to provide a back-up seal above top-of-cement in casing-casing annulus (or against open hole, as required)
  • to provide closure of the top channel in a horizontal gravel pack
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Q. What can swellable elastomers do better than existing technology?

A. SWELLFIX is engineering risks, costs and complexity out of the traditional well construction and production process. Companies can realize considerable savings per well using SWELLFIX technology- a dynamic, yet simple solution for zonal isolation and inflow control in horizontal and vertical wells. Factoring in a significant reduction in risk and a dramatic increase in drilling and production efficiencies, the cost savings become profound.

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Q. What products are available and what are their applications?

A. For a complete product listing, please click [here].

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Q. What is SWELLFIX's track record?

A. As of April 2008, SWELLFIX had nearly 5,000 installations -under a broad range of land and sea environments and no reported failures-its near failsafe reliability make it the natural choice for zonal isolation.

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Q. What pressure can they hold?

A. The actual pressure held depends on a number of factors such as temperature and the composition of the well fluids. Given suitable conditions 10,000 psi is achievable.

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Q. How long does it take to swell?

A. It largely depends on the application, first contact can occur in a couple of days with full pressure holding ability following in a little as 10 days, but generally SWELLFIX swellable elastomers are designed to reach 100 percent swell in approximately four to six weeks.

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Q. How long can they hold a seal?

A. Through testing at laboratory downhole conditions, the Company believes in excess of 20 years.

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Q. What contingency planning is required for the event that sticking in the wrong location occurs?

A. If there is concern regarding early swelling during running-in, immediately circulate a non swelling liquid around the seal (salt saturated water, or oil for water-swellable rubber, water for oil-swellable rubber and salt saturated water for units with mixed rubber seals). This will provide time for evaluation and for running-in or pulling-out.

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Q. Can you supply both the pipe and the elastomer?

A. Our products are based on API pipe, preferably the same that the customer uses in the rest of the string, ensuring full compatibility and avoiding expensive crossovers. For other applications, please contact a technical or product representative.

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Q. What is the typical cost of a swelling packer?

A. The typical SWELLFIX packer is very competitive when compared to mechanical or inflatable packers, allowing lower cost wells to be drilled and completed. In addition they can be used to replace cement in many applications further driving down total well costs.

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Q. What differentiates SWELLFIX from the competition?

A. Many things...

  • With more than 3,000 different rubber compounds, SWELLFIX offers highly compatibility applications for most wells SWELLFIX is a market leader in water swellables, with strong patent protection, eliminating water intrusion and increasing output With short packer elements, rather than long sections-performance is boosted by retaining flexibility for run in, increasing the fluid contact areas and initial sealing points Factoring in a significant reduction in risk and a dramatic increase in drilling and production efficiencies, cost savings become profound A dynamic, yet simple solution for zonal isolation and inflow control in horizontal and vertical wells. The Company assists its customers significantly improve their production efficiency-increasing output and decreasing water intrusion. With more than 5,000 installations to date-under a broad range of land and sea environments and no reported failures-its near failsafe reliability make it the natural choice for zonal isolation.
  • SWELLFIX is a market leader in water swellables, with strong patent protection, eliminating water intrusion and increasing output
  • With short packer elements, rather than long sections-performance is boosted by retaining flexibility for run in, increasing the fluid contact areas and initial sealing points
  • Factoring in a significant reduction in risk and a dramatic increase in drilling and production efficiencies, cost savings become profound
  • A dynamic, yet simple solution for zonal isolation and inflow control in horizontal and vertical wells. The Company assists its customers significantly improve their production efficiency-increasing output and decreasing water intrusion. With more than 4,000 installations to date-under a broad range of land and sea environments and no reported failures-its near failsafe reliability make it the natural choice for zonal isolation.
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