Freeze Services

Freeze services are used to place a temporary pressure barrier (ice) in a well casing, annular space, tubing, drill pipe, spool, valve, or other wellhead pressure containing component when the use of conventional barrier options is not possible. In its simplest form, a freeze involves bringing a wellhead component to a very low temperature in order to transform the existing fluid within the wellbore component into ice, and this ice is utilized as a testable pressure barrier.

In order to establish a freeze barrier, there must be a freezable medium (brine, water, mud, etc.) in the ID of the component. If there is flow, any void, or gas or hydrocarbon-based fluid present in the freeze area, a freezable medium must be injected into the ID of the component. This can be through a hot tap to a tubular or possibly through the tree assembly. When liquid hydrocarbons are present, Wild Well’s newly developed FreezeLITE, a special water-based fluid, can be injected into the freeze zone. FreezeLITE will displace hydrocarbon-based fluids and stay suspended in the freeze zone above the hydrocarbon-based fluid. This allows a freeze to be put into effect without having to remove the hydrocarbon-based fluids in the well – saving thousands of dollars in terms of product and time. FreezeLITE is non-hazardous and safe for onshore and offshore applications. Cryogenic Freezing is proven to be a quick, cost-effective, and safe solution when a temporary barrier in the wellbore/component is needed for completing remedial work at the surface. Wild Well offers three proprietary freeze application systems: Flex Wrap, Coil Line, and Aluminum Canister Freeze.