With the evolving sensor technologies and advances in integrated solutions, routine surveys and interventions in oil and gas fields are going through a major revamp. The most recent developments in autonomous and untethered devices set a new paradigm shift in such crucial and frequent well operations. In this paper, field implementation and deployment of the novel Sensor-Ball technology is discussed to highlight success, challenges and lessons learned. Sensor-Ball is a small device, almost a tennis-ball size that enables autonomous and untethered logging of pressure, temperature, and tri-axial magnetic field amplitude. This intelligent device is self-powered using a battery pack with a battery life that suffices logging a dozen wells in a raw including logging time and data transfer time. The internal memory is designed for large and high definition data rates for high resolution and extended recording. Sensor-Ball is encapsulated in a ruggedized housing that can withstand downhole conditions as the device travels on a free-fall down to the programmed depth, as well as while floating back to the surface. This housing is light enough to enable efficient and flawless return of the Sensor-Ball exclusively under bouncy effect once the attached weight is dropped off. For the deployment of this innovative technology, new procedures and guidelines are developed to ensure successful journey of the Sensor-Ball. Despite the failsafe features, prejob plan, and risk assessment procedures complement this user-friendly technology and make it reliable, efficient, and easy to use. The results of the field trial of Sensor-Ball in water supply wells revealed a superior data quality of both log-down and log-up. In fact, during the mission time of three hours only, thousands of feet of high-resolution data were collected. This operation would have taken double the time and a much more wellsite footprint, in addition to increased HSE risk, if a standard wireline/slickline unit was mobilized for this routine operation. Sensor-Ball is a reliable and more advanced alternative to traditional well surveillance methods considering the operational efficiency and comparison with benchmark data. In fact, the footprint, cost and time savings are substantial, especially in an offshore environment where barges are mobilized and operations depend on weather conditions. This technology is a major breakthrough in the surveillance and logging world as it enables a fully autonomous and untethered acquisition of high-resolution data. Sensor-Ball offered more with less and will ultimately replace traditional surveillance and intervention methods.
The stimulation of multilateral wells with Coiled Tubing (CT) has always imposed significant challenges to the oilfield. Starting with lateral's access, extended reach coverage, and finishing off with an adequate stimulation fluid placement to ensure treating all targeted zones. This paper presents an engineering approach that enables access to a multilateral open-hole completion and evaluates fluid placement using the Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS). The through-tubing multilateral access tool has been designed and deployed on a CT string, including a hybrid fiber optic and an electric cable connected to an intelligent Bottom-Hole Assembly (BHA) with multiple downhole sensors. The casing windows or open-hole junctions can be located with a precise real-time measurement of the differential pressure drop across the two downhole bottom-hole pressure sensors inside and outside the intelligent BHA. Moreover, the casing shoe and windows access will be immediately confirmed with the real-time Casing Collar Locator (CCL) signal loss. In contrast, the junction's access can be established just after a few tens of running footage thanks to the real-time inclination measurement from the accelerometer sub added to the BHA for the first time. The identification of access into the mother-bore was intuitively identified with the immediate loss of CCL signal at a depth of the casing shoe. The window localization was confirmed with a low drop in the downhole differential pressure at the intelligent bottom-hole assembly, which was not noticed at the surface. The deviation survey measured by the accelerometer sub showed a matching signature with the drilling deviation survey for both; the mother-bore and the lateral, which were successfully treated. Acquired DTS profile logs showed thought-provoking outputs. After applying the advanced interpretation algorithms, communication between the lateral and various heterogeneities in the formation was detected. The CT intelligent BHA deployment enabled the real-time downhole measurement of pressure drop, CCL, and inclination, allowing a quick confirmation of each lateral with confidence. It supersedes the previously used techniques by eliminating all limitations related to pressure monitoring at the surface and the requirement to tag different measured depths for each lateral. Various conclusions were driven, which allowed re-building operational procedures to improve the matrix stimulation treatments in offset wells. Several domains were integrated to create a fit-for-purpose solution for a complex operation. Joint efforts including stratigraphy, fluids science, and well intervention technologies could yield a proven algorithm to be applied.
Summary Working in the oil industry comes with unique challenges and risks, and so extra precautions and safety measures coupled with strict environmental compliance must be applied. Contrary to the common belief that strict safety enforcement could hinder smooth operations, the deployment of new technologies and enhanced solutions of processes has enabled operational excellence (OE) and improved safety performance. In this paper, we demonstrate health, safety, and environment performance improvement through implementing two main initiatives: The first category has initiatives that require less intervention or personnel; for example, the deployment of cableless pressure sensors or permanent monitoring systems in key wells to ensure continuous real-time pressure data to monitor reservoir pressure. The second category has initiatives that mitigate traditional health, safety, and environment risks; for example, through use of multiphase flow meters (MPFMs) to collect accurate and continuous flow measurements instead of traditional well testing. Optimizing operations costs while maintaining a high-level of safety is achieved through a dedicated team working in a state-of-the-art Production Operations Surveillance Hub (POSH), which enables the monitoring of wells in real time, making production optimization decisions, and ensuring a high level of well integrity via close monitoring of wells and assets.
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