SLB launches ExaCT electrical downhole coiled tubing control system

SLB has launched the ExaCT electrical downhole coiled tubing (CT) control system, an advanced intervention platform that introduces real-time electrical control to coiled tubing operations

By replacing pressure-dependent hydraulic actuation with electrical communication, power delivery and telemetry, the ExaCT system gives operators greater visibility, precision and control, helping improve intervention execution and reservoir access.

Complex demands

Well intervention is becoming more complex as reservoirs mature and well designs evolve. Extended-reach wells, multilaterals, and integrated operations demand more accuracy than traditional methods can deliver. Pressure-based actuation and mechanical sequencing often introduce uncertainty — making it harder to execute tasks at the right depth and time.

Without real-time visibility and control, operations become less efficient and more prone to NPT and missed objectives. Conventional approaches often require multiple runs and manual adjustments, increasing risk, cost, and variability — and limiting the ability to complete complex interventions in a single trip.

As the industry focuses on efficiency, repeatability, and performance certainty, precision and control are now essential. Real-time measurement, command, and actuation reduce uncertainty and help ensure every intervention achieves its full potential.

Precision and control

The ExaCT electrical downhole CT control system combines electrical power, telemetry and downhole measurements to deliver real-time precision, actuation and control for complex CT interventions. By replacing passive, pressure-dependent hydraulic actuation with active real-time electrical control the system helps operators to make informed decisions supported by continuous downhole feedback, emablong them to optimise reservoir access, improve production performance and maximise recovery.

The ExaCT system supports multiple services in a single run, including logging, stimulation, isolation and shifting operations – critical for extended-reach, multilateral and high-complexity wells. The platform enables real-time monitoring of downhole conditions and allows interventions to be adapted as conditions change, reducing the need for multiple runs while providing a foundation for increasingly automated intervention workflows.

Designed for harsh downhole conditions, including sour corrosive and high temperature environments, such as those in the Middle East, the ExaCT system improves execution confidence, reduces NPT and delivers more predictable outcomes through standardised, repeatable push-button workflows.

Results:

Field deployments of the ExaCT system across multilateral, extended-reach, and offshore intervention programmes have delivered measurable gains in execution time, cost, and reliability compared with conventional hydraulic systems:

• 30–40% faster intervention - The direction and inclination (D&I) and electrical multilateral module (eMLT) within the ExaCT access service completed multilateral entry and stimulation operations 30–40% faster than conventional methods.
• 15–20% lower operational costs - Electrical control within the ExaCT access service reduced repeat CT trips, lowering operational costs by 15–20% across field deployments.
• 30% faster offshore cleanout - Aker BP reduced offshore cleanout time by about 30%, or approximately 12 hours, using the ExaCT cleanout service in a depleted well offshore Norway.
• 20% less liquid and nitrogen use - Real-time mode switching with the ExaCT cleanout service reduced liquid and nitrogen consumption by about 20% compared with fixed, depth-based programs.

In one six-lateral well intervention, the ExaCT system reduced intervention time by approximately 175 hours, enabling operators to enter each lateral in about 12 minutes compared with six to eight hours using conventional hydraulic systems. The operation stimulated more than 21,000 feet of reservoir contact while reducing fluid consumption by more than 3,000 barrels.

“Operators are asking intervention systems to do far more than simply actuate downhole tools," said Frederik Majkut, president, Reservoir Performance, SLB. "Completion and production teams need continuous visibility, precise control and the flexibility to perform multiple services in a single run. The ExaCT system represents a fundamental shift to electrically controlled intervention, helping operators improve execution certainty, reduce intervention time and maximise reservoir access.”