Field development costs have risen with oil price. A resulting challenge with Arab heavy oil development remains how to generate competitive advantages through deploying efficient technological innovations and making cost-effective solutions a crucial part of a firm's strategy for rigless interventions. With strict commitments to environmental protection, the need for operational excellence and several process improvements necessary to yield dividends in the form of safe project delivery and to overcome several technical difficulties is vital. The scope of the paper is to examine coiled tubing (CT) stimulation and logging technologies used in the timely project execution of one of Saudi Arabia's largest field developments to cost effectively enhance matrix stimulation success. Some of these solutions include technologies for CT reach, CT access for dual laterals, acid placement optimization, and treatment effectiveness monitoring. CT extended reach solutions comprised tapered CT strings designed for ultradeep wells, drag reducers, tractors, and vibrators. Technologies for CT access for dual laterals include a flow activated multilateral tool for CT matrix stimulation employing pressure variation telemetry with bottom hole pressure (BHP) and casing collar locator / gamma ray (CCL/GR) for high success lateral identification. To optimize acid placements, distributed temperature survey and pressure measurements are used to enhance diversion and acid placements. A blend of tools assisted to monitor, analyze, and adjust in real-time the reservoir and stimulation fluids interaction. Viscoelastic diverting acid is designed to viscosify in situ as the fluid spends on the reacted formation for chemical diversion in carbonates. The concentration of the diverter was optimized from 20% HCl to 15% HCl. A unique solution for monitoring treatment effectiveness evolved to include real time production logging using single strings for CT stimulation and real time profiling instead of memory logging. This solution required less equipment mobilization and no wireline unit. Intervention from 99 producers and injectors reveals operational and cost benefits from deploying technological solutions and justifies the degree to which each technology solution fits the overall field development strategy. The implications of deploying these solutions include reduction of well counts from the original estimates in this field development to offer manageable total field development costs.
In the oil and gas industry, safety systems are put in place to prevent the release of hydrocarbons and protect assets against any undesirable events. This can be accomplished by installing protective measures that monitor the process components, and can also control the process in case of undesirable events. The Surface Controlled Subsurface Safety Valve (SCSSSV) is one major component, which is mainly installed in wells that are located offshore or close to populations and environmentally sensitive areas. These SCSSSV can be categorized into two types depending on the deployment/retrieval methodology. The first type is referred to as the Wire Line Retrievable Subsurface Safety Valve (WLRSSSV), which is installed and retrieved by rigless well intervention and installed inside the production tubing. The other type is the Tubing Retrievable Subsurface Safety Valve (TRSSSV) and these valves are part of the tubing completion. Due to its numerous advantages, like full bore access, and not to retrieve the valve before any intervention, TRSSSV are gaining more popularity. Saudi Aramco uses these types of valves and most of the new completions are designed with TRSSSV. Unfortunately, as these types of valves are part of the completion, any failure to close these valves results in a disturbance in the safety system of the well, which will lead to performing an expensive workover, which is not only costly but the process means killing the well, and therefore inducing damage to the reservoir. This paper presents in detail the procedure applied to these inoperable TRSSSVs to regain the safety of the wells and put them back on production without the need to de-complete the well. The direct business impacts are restoring the well safety system, wells’ productivity in addition to cost avoidance of (onshore and offshore) workover operation to replace the malfunctioning TRSSSVs. The paper will also cover common mitigation measures to mitigate TRSSSV failure and avoid their conversion.
Crude oil delivery expectations under timeline constraints sometimes necessitate simultaneous operations (SIMOPS) for completing field development requirements. During one such SIMOPS exercise on Field X, a major sour oilfield in causeway sites close to the Arabian Gulf in Saudi Arabia, different sub-organizations coordinated potentially different, yet complimentary operations or activities in the same location together. Challenges from the exercise included instituting an interface criteria for promoting safe operations and good technical standards for all parties. After considering work requirements, a SIMOPS team facilitated an assessment review, devised a response framework with rescue, evacuation, or emergency response plans in the event of accidental release of H2S, besides making certain other modifications to satisfy multiple stakeholders. An auditable matrix was instituted for regulating and supporting permissible simultaneous rigless and construction activities while upholding health, safety, and the environment. The scope of this paper is to show how SIMOPS was successfully planned, executed, and managed for the first time in causeway drill sites in Saudi Aramco to prevent safety and environment incidents while ensuring to meet well tie-ins and field production targets. The approach involved delineating clear reporting lines or control hierarchy for various stages of operation, avoiding schedule clashes by outlining clear scenarios for each organization. Guidelines were binding for all team members because of collaboration among multidisciplinary team members to develop suitable hazards identification and risk management plans thus formulating the foundations for the SIMOPS and ensuring safety of workers. SIMOPS facilitated the unlocking of the giant field's potential while optimizing potentially conflicting but complimentary activities on the same drill site to meet crude demand reliably and safely. Success with SIMOPS has allowed oil production delivery from the field and safe working environment for crews.
A new generation of ultradeep wells has significantly increased in Saudi Arabia in green and brown field developments. One ongoing complex field development is the Manifa field, which is located in northeast Saudi Arabia. Manifa is probably the largest extended reach hydrocarbon producer project globally, with more than two-thirds of its 350 wells being extended or mega reach wells. The offshore portion of the field contains 83 developed wells in 13 platforms with openhole sections within the range of 3,000 to 9,000 ft, where acid stimulation intervention is necessary to remove reservoir damage and to help improve well performance after drilling operations. Although the openhole completions provide superior deliverability, a primary challenge remains with respect to rigless intervention.The offshore platforms have limited deck load capacity and available deck space necessary for performing coiled tubing (CT) stimulation operations. To overcome these constraints, applicable CT operations from a jackup barge combined with a support pumping vessel were introduced and subsequently developed to allow well interventions using large treatment fluid volumes.This paper describes CT stimulation campaigns performed on extended reach horizontal wells in the Manifa field. A summary of the steps involved during an improved CT intervention technique successfully implemented within this field to access some of the longest openhole horizontal wells is presented. The importance of a combined application of jackup and stimulation vessel units to help ensure safe project execution on offshore platforms is reviewed.
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