This paper describes a Gulf of Mexico case history that successfully demonstrates a horizontal well can be drilled with synthetic oil based mud (SOBM), and gravel packed with aqueous fluids while still offering excellent well productivity and sand control integrity. The result significantly expands the application of open hole gravel packs to encompass a range of reservoir types and well trajectories thought to date to be unachievable. Key aspects of delivering this technology are discussed in this paper: what major technical risks were identified, how these were managed through an intensive laboratory testing program, engineering, global resourcing, and teamwork put into this project. In particular the following key achievements will be discussed in detail: the successful horizontal balanced displacement from SOBM to kill weight brine, back production of barite laden SOBM filter cake through the gravel pack with minimal productivity impairment, and some important data acquisition results designed to increase our insight into this well type. P. 121
This paper describes a Gulf of Mexico case history that successfully demonstrates a horizontal well can be drilled with synthetic oil based mud (SOBM), and gravel packed with aqueous fluids while still offering excellent well productivity and sand control integrity. The result significantly expands the application of open hole gravel packs to encompass a range of reservoir types and well trajectories thought to date to be unachievable.Key aspects of delivering this technology are discussed in this paper: what major technical risks were identified, how these were managed through an intensive laboratory testing program, engineering, global resourcing, and teamwork put into this project.In particular the following key achievements will be discussed in detail: the successful horizontal balanced displacement from SOBM to kill weight brine, back production of barite laden SOBM filter cake through the gravel pack with minimal productivity impairment and some important data acquisition results designed to increase our insight into this well type.
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