Whipstocks to support the recovery of individual well slots
We design and manufacture whipstocks to meet the requirements of individual well-slot recovery projects.
Our engineers consider how the previous well was abandoned, the new well design, the layout of the well bay, the surrounding platform architecture and the size of the existing and new conductors.
Whipstocks normally comprise a stabbing spear and a conductor slide, with a landing plate set between the two. The spear is designed to engage with the existing conductor or remaining internal casings (which will have been severed above or below the mudline) and has gusset wedges to secure the whipstock firmly in position and prevent its rotation.
We normally aim to run the whipstock attached by shear bolts to the drive shoe on the bottom of the new conductor. In cases where the whipstock is stabbed into a smaller-diameter internal casing, we recommend a guide string to help land the assembly. This guide is retrieved through the whipstock before the new conductor is driven.
Although we can design a whipstock to be recovered after the new conductor is installed, the most practical solution is usually to leave it in place.
