The latest well completions developments for extended-reach wells include advanced techniques to improve the effectiveness of production and optimization solutions to achieve sustainable well production. Monitoring systems installed during the completion use real-time distributed temperature sensing (DTS), distributed acoustic sensing (DAS), and downhole gauge data to obtain better reservoir insight throughout the life of the well. This enables informed decision making to achieve optimal well production and gas injection. Permanent downhole gauges (PDGs) with dual sensors (tubing + tubing) are installed, along with hybrid cable as part of the upper completion string. The hybrid cable has an electrical conductor and two fiber-optic lines for DTS and DAS measurements. The cable is clamped onto the tubing at each coupling and passes through the upper completion subassemblies, which include gas lift mandrels (GLMs) and tubing-retrievable safety valves (TRSVs). An intermediate completion is run before the upper completion, which comprises a two-trip permanent packer and remote actuated barrier device (multicycle). Completions monitoring with hybrid cables provides an advantage over conventional gauge-only systems, with only a slight increase in completion costs. Using a single cable provides more run-in-hole (RIH) efficiency, fewer lines to manage, and a smaller equipment footprint. PDG data are used by production engineers, field development personnel, and subsurface personnel to determine pressure drawdown and optimize surface production choke size. Distributed fiber-sensing technology determines the effectiveness of gas lift operations to optimize injection rates, which effectively optimizes pumping rates and flow from surface. Fiber-sensing technology also helps identify tubing and annulus leaks, monitor the health of the completion during the life of the well, and minimize wellbore damage. This type of completion has been installed successfully in 64 wells (60 production and 4 injection), and all systems are operational with data accessible from all wells. This approach benefits the industry by highlighting best practices, providing advanced technology options for evaluating data and reservoir productivity, and providing completion and drilling effectiveness for extended deep-reach wells.
A well operator wanted to maximize operational efficiency for extended-reach drilling (ERD) wells of more than 45,000 ft measured depth (MD) by converting from a two-trip to a single-trip completion solution. A safety valve, field-adjustable polished bore assembly (PBA), and production packer were developed for the single-trip completion design used in both the producer and injector well environments. Strong collaboration between the well operator and completion technology supplier resulted in a tailored technology development and validation program that reduced operational risk as much as reasonably practical. The technology developer achieved several significant technical milestones during the process, which are discussed in more detail. A pre-run computational modelling strategy was developed to manage deployment risks and ensure the technology operated as designed. The analysis performed using this strategy, along with details on how this data is used to configure the technology is also discussed. Track record details are provided to demonstrate successful deployment of the new technology in a live well environment. To date, the operator has successfully deployed three systems in wells between 30,000 and 45,700 ft MD. The well operator and technology supplier continue to collaborate on ongoing and future wells, where the developed system adds significant value.
Pressure maintenance support in mature fields where permeability heterogeneity is present requires proper distribution of injected water into the respective zones of interest. This process can be extremely challenging, if no method for allocating the proper amount of water into each zone is available. An operator in the South China Sea, who had initiated a water injection project using legacy single-string two-zone completion technology, found himself in this predicament since no selective control for pressure maintenance had been considered for the project.During the past few years, the application of intelligent completion (IC) technology has increased rapidly. This acceptance has been due primarily to its proven capabilities for reservoir monitoring and corresponding optimization of well performance without well interventions. Historically, the majority of IC applications have been in production wells; however, an increasing number of operators have started adopting IC technology for their injector wells.This paper presents a case study in which IC technology was successfully applied in an offshore field in the South China Sea to provide an efficient water-injection method for optimizing pressure support as well as sweep. The operator selected this technology, as it presented a solution for optimizing the water injection. In addition to eliminating problems experienced with the incapability of the legacy completion technology to monitor water allocation and pressure maintenance for each zone, the IC technology would allow selective well testing for each zone. By evaluating the reservoir properties and characteristics of each zone independently, an intelligent completion would provide another key benefit to the operator, since it would comply with the platform size restrictions for the pumping equipment.The paper will discuss field objectives, the conceptual design, the design obstacles, and the operational challenges experienced during the job execution.
Pressure maintenance support in mature fields where permeability heterogeneity is present requires proper distribution of injected water into the respective zones of interest. This process can be extremely challenging, if no method for allocating the proper amount of water into each zone is available. An operator in the South China Sea, who had initiated a water injection project using legacy single-string two-zone completion technologies, found himself in this predicament, since no selective control for pressure maintenance had been considered for the project. During the past few years, the application of intelligent completion (IC) technology has increased rapidly. This acceptance has been due primarily to its proven capabilities for reservoir monitoring and corresponding optimization of well performance without well interventions. Historically, the majority of IC applications have been in production wells; however, an increasing number of operators have started adopting IC technology for their injector wells. This paper presents a case study in which IC technology was successfully applied in an offshore field in the South China Sea to provide an efficient water-injection method for optimizing pressure support as well as sweep. The operator selected this technology, as it presented a solution for optimizing the water injection. In addition to eliminating problems experienced with the incapability of the legacy completion technology to monitor water allocation and pressure maintenance for each zone, the IC technology would allow selective well testing for each zone. By evaluating the reservoir properties and characteristics of each zone independently, an intelligent completion would provide another key benefit to the operator, since it would comply with the platform size restrictions for the pumping equipment. The paper will discuss field objectives, the conceptual design, the design obstacles, and the operational challenges experienced during the job execution.
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