Wellhead Load Relief Systems

Overview

Wellhead Load Relief Systems (WLR).

ICON is a pioneer of Wellhead Load Relief (WLR) systems, also referred to as BOP Tethering, in Australian waters. Our systems are used to manage wellhead strength and fatigue during drilling, plug and abandonment (P&A) and well intervention operations.

WLR systems are particularly useful in the following circumstances:

• Where legacy wellheads and increasingly heavy BOP stacks introduce elevated risk
• Floating drill rigs and drill ships in shallow water where watch circle offset has increased impact on wellhead loading
• Severe metocean conditions where environmental loading can cause excessive fatigue damage, or lead to increased watch circle offsets
• Extended well operations where fatigue damage can accumulate
• Ageing wellheads that have significant accumulated fatigue damage prior to commencement of the campaign

The Problem

Challenges in maintaining wellhead integrity.

As BOP weights and stack heights have increased, operators are facing growing challenges in maintaining wellhead integrity during operations. These challenges are most pronounced during P&A and workover activities, where fatigue limits or strength exceedance are often identified through analysis. ICON’s WLR systems are designed to address these risks by controlling BOP motion and reducing loads transferred to the wellhead.

ICON delivers WLR systems as an integrated solution, working in partnership with leading global equipment suppliers and specialist analysis houses. This approach ensures each system is configured, analysed and deployed to suit the specific BOP, riser, wellhead and operating environment.