Laser Technology Accelerating the Path to Net Zero Upstream Operations

Abstract Lasers have revolutionized numerous fields with their precise and versatile applications. Expanding their use in upstream oil and gas applications can reshape the industry and accelerate the efforts toward carbon net zero operations. This work sheds light on how the inclusion of lasers improved various upstream applications, notably descaling and perforation, in terms of sustainability, and how this technology can be extended to other upstream applications to improve their sustainability aspects. High-power laser is an environmentally-friendly technology that harnesses the power of light to offer waterless, non-damaging, and versatile applications. Capitalizing on the unique characteristics of high-power lasers such as coherence and high intensity, in addition to being safe, efficient, and reliable, have led to their deployment in oil and gas fields mainly for two applications, one on the surface and another subsurface. The success of these laser applications in the harsh oil field environment advocates their use in every aspect of the well's life cycle, from drilling to decommissioning, to tackle upstream challenges utilizing more sustainable approaches. The two major industry applications that utilized high-power lasers are flowline descaling and well perforation. In flowline descaling, the laser head was mounted inside the scaled pipe where lasing occurred. The continuous laser heating induced thermally mechanical stresses that removed the scales off the pipe. Post-treatment mechanical tests confirmed the pipe integrity was preserved. This application eliminated the use of chemicals and water for descaling, thus contributing to water conservation sustainability efforts. Also, material conservation was accomplished since this application allows the reuse of the descaled flowline pipe as there was no mechanical damage induced. Furthermore, the descaling time decreased by 85% compared to the conventional hydro jetting descaling method, and the number of operators required was also lower. In the second application, where high-power lasers were utilized for perforation, the loss time associated with escorting the shaped charges in the conventional perforation technique was eliminated. Overall, high-power lasers provided more sustainable alternatives in descaling and perforation applications compared to the conventional means that utilized chemical treatments or shaped charges. As lasers can be extended to more upstream applications, the distinction lies in performing all of these applications with the same laser engine and system in the field with a more significantly reduced footprint than conventional practices.