A variety of techniques for well construction and production are utilized in the oil and gas field, depending on the type of formation, the location of the rig, the desired product to be extracted, etc. During formation of the wellbore and subsequent production endeavors, various tools and equipment, such as cables and pumping equipment, may be lost due to equipment failure or human error. Loss of tools and equipment, such as electric submersible pumps secured with cables, into a wellbore can lead to costly “fishing” expeditions, in which tools are used to recover the lost items.
Fishing expeditions can last for multiple days, depending on the item being retrieved and the retrieval process. In some situations, if the well has been sufficiently damaged, a new drilling operation may need to be commenced in a nearby location. Production losses resulting from a fishing expedition and new drilling operations can be incredibly costly and time consuming.
In addition, equipment failure or human error can lead to serious injury and even loss of life. For example, if a cable breaks or becomes unsecured during the reinstallation or removal of an electric submersible pump, this can lead to rapid migration of attached equipment, increasing the likelihood of injury to workers in the surrounding area. Maintaining control of tools and equipment for producing can help avoid costly production loss and prevent human injury.