Water Jet Systems Ideal for Mining Operations

Jet Edge is helping mines around the world increase productivity with ultra-high pressure water jet cutting technology.

Both Jet Edge precision waterjet cutting and mobile waterjet cutting product lines have applications in the mining industry. Precision CNC waterjets are used to cut parts for mine processing equipment, and mobile waterjets can be used for a wide range of field cutting applications, including cutting grouted casings.

Jet Edge's mining industry customers value Jet Edge equipment for its reliability and ease of maintenance and its heavy duty construction that can withstand years of use in harsh remote locations.

Jet Edge 5-Axis Water Jet System Helps DRC Copper Mine Double Productivity

A remote copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo insisted on a Jet Edge EDGE X-5 5-axis waterjet system when it came time for them to buy their second water jet. They had powered their first waterjet with a Jet Edge X-Stream intensifier pump and were confident in the reliability of Jet Edge equipment. They knew they could depend on Jet Edge to get them waterjet parts quickly and on-time despite their incredibly remote location which is at least a three week’s drive from Johannesburg, South Africa.  Read More

Centura Oil Helps Uranium Mine Maximize Ore Recovery with Jet Edge-Powered Ultra-High Pressure Water Jet

When a uranium mine needed to extract hundreds of pipes and casings that were blocking millions of dollars’ worth of uranium ore, they called Jet Edge customer Centura Oil Inc. of Minnesota. 

Centura spent two and a half years deep underground cutting hundreds of pipes and casings of various diameters, many as small as 2” ID, and cutting off casings just below the surface casing to allow for the overcoring bit to be reduced so the entire string of pipe could be retrieved. To add to the challenge, the pipes had been installed at a 70° angle and Centura had to make the cuts sight unseen at distances as far as 300 feet. Read More

Jet Edge Waterjets Can Help Increase Productivity at Your Mining Operation

Contact us today at sales@jetedge.com, +1 763-497-8700 or 1-800-538-3343.

Information Request Form

Centura Oil Introduces Downhole Casing and Pipe Cutting System Featuring Jet Edge Ultra-High Pressure Waterjet Technology

Centura Oil Inc., a Minnesota-based waterjet service contractor to the oil, gas and mining industries, has developed a unique downhole casing and pipe cutting system that can fit inside pipes as small as 2” ID (51 mm) and cut multiple layers of grouted casing in a single pass with a 55K PSI (3800 bar) abrasive waterjet.

Operable in hazardous environments, Centura Oil’s CenJet 90® casing and pipe cutting system is designed especially for oil, gas and mining applications, including plug and abandon operations.  Its cutting process does not exceed 140°F (60°C), minimizing the chance of ignition. 

The CenJet 90 is powered by a 55K PSI, 200hp Jet Edge waterjet intensifier pump and features a modified Jet Edge Permalign abrasivejet cutting head that is coupled to coiled steel tubing or conventional threaded rods. The system, which is capable of cutting 16” (406 mm) thick steel, is deployed into the pipe or casing and cuts from the inside.  It can perform cuts up to 300 feet (91 m) from the surface and can cut at any angle, horizontal, vertical and even overhead. 

The CenJet 90 uses only four gallons (15 l) of water and one pound (.45 kg) of garnet abrasive per minute. Garnet is a natural stone that can normally be disposed of in a landfill. The effluent created by the waterjet cutting process is circulated to the surface using formation water, treated water in strata prone to swelling, or nitrogen for an explosion-proof environment. The returns and cuttings are handled in accordance with industry standards.   

Centura Oil originally developed the CenJet 90 as an environmentally friendly downhole waterjet cutting system for stimulating oil and gas well production at depths of 4000+ feet (1219 m).  It modified the system for casing and pipe cutting for a recently completed project at a uranium mine.  During this 2.5 year project, Centura Oil staff worked 2,100 feet (640 m) underground and successfully cut hundreds of pipes and grouted casings at distances up to 300 feet, many at a 70° angle.

Centura Oil’s worldwide services include waterjet well recompletion and production enhancement, well plug and abandonment, and mobile waterjet cutting. The company also sells its CenJet 90 systems under a licensing agreement.

Find Out More

For more information about Centura Oil, visit www.centuraoil.com or call 952-545-6431. 
For more information about Jet Edge, visit www.jetedge.com or call 1-800-JET-EDGE (538-3343) or 763-497-8700. 

Waterjets Increase Methane Well Productivity

Centura Oil Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn., is dramatically increasing oil and gas well productivity with its CenJet 90® 90º downhole waterjet cutting system.

Powered by a portable Jet Edge diesel-powered water jet intensifier pump, the CenJet 90® uses a 55,000psi waterjet cutter to quickly pierce through the well casing and cut multiple 8' to 10' long lateral perforations up to 10" in diameter into the surrounding coalseam. This unique waterjetting process can increase a coalbed methane well's production up to 300% by expanding its area of influence by 16' to 20' in diameter at multiple depths, said Centura Oil President Michael Uthe, who noted that the process typically pays for itself within a year.

According to Uthe, the CenJet 90® has successfully stimulated coalbed methane wells more than 3,400' deep in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico. The system is capable of cutting at depths greater than 4,000'. Centura Oil's CenJet 90® waterjet system can be used to stimulate any type of cased or uncased well, including coalbed methane, natural gas and oil. It works especially well in coalbed methane wells because it can cut through the coal seam much more effectively than traditional well stimulation methods. The process typically requires less than two days of site work.

The CenJet 90® consists of a modified Jet Edge Permalign II® abrasivejet cutting head that is coupled to coiled steel tubing and lowered down the wellbore. The cutting head is oriented at 90 degrees to the well casing and is brought up to pressure at precise depths to perforate the casing and surrounding formation. The powerful abrasive waterjet, which is capable of cutting 15" titanium, cuts a single perforation in San Juan Basin coal in about 15 minutes at 55,000 psi. During operation, the tool never leaves the wellbore.

Uthe said he decided to equip the CenJet 90® with a Jet Edge intensifier pump and to use a modified version of Jet Edge's waterjet cutting head because he needed dependable equipment that could stand up to a harsh remote environment.

"If I have 3,000 feet of hose downhole, and something breaks, I stand to lose a lot of money. I bought the Jet Edge waterjet intensifier pump after meeting [then Jet Edge President] Jerry Lague and getting several referrals from people who told me that Jet Edge was the most reliable pump on the market. The Jet Edge waterjet pump has been extremely dependable and Jet Edge's support has been excellent. I know that when I need to call Jet Edge, someone will answer. Even on Saturdays, I can get through to someone on Jet Edge's 24-hour emergency cell phone."

Centura Oil's waterjet well stimulation process is far more cost effective and environmentally friendly than conventional coalbed methane well completion and rehabilitation methods, Uthe noted.

"Conventional perforation operations are typically performed using a shaped charge," he explained. "The formation can experience damage due to the violent nature of the explosive charge. The CenJet 90®, on the other hand, washes and cleans as it is cutting, eliminating near well bore damage and increasing perforation depth by as much as three times that of conventional perforations.

"Conventional well completion and rehabilitation projects also typically require costly hydraulic fracturing to keep fractures open. The hydraulic fracturing process involves pumping chemical fluids and proppants, such as sand or ceramic beads, into the formation. To date, none of the coalbed methane wells stimulated by Centura Oil's waterjetting system have needed to be fracture stimulated."

Centura Oil's waterjet well stimulation process has numerous environmental benefits. Stimulating existing wells extends their lives and increases their productivity, reducing the need for energy companies to drill new wells. Since wells stimulated by the CenJet 90® have not required hydraulic fracturing, their owners have avoided those costs and potential damage to the formation. The CenJet 90® uses only four gallons of water and one pound of garnet abrasive per minute. Garnet is a natural stone that can be disposed of in a landfill. The effluent created by the waterjet cutting process consists of coal cuttings, garnet and water. It is flushed out of the well and discharged into a lined holding pond.

Centura Oil offers its waterjet well recompletion and production enhancement services worldwide and plans to expand into new well completions. In addition to providing well stimulation service, Centura Oil also sells its CenJet 90® waterjetting systems under a licensing agreement.

Information

For more information about Centura Oil and the CenJet 90® downhole 90º waterjet cutting process, visit www.centuraoil.com, e-mail info@centuraoil.com or call 952-545-6431.

For more information about Jet Edge waterjets and ultra-high pressure waterjet intensifier pumps, visit www.jetedge.com, e-mail sales@jetedge.com or call 1-800-JET-EDGE.

Request Info About Jet Edge Waterjets