A Critical Review of Chirag Field Completions Performance--Offshore Azerbaijan

Abstract

Chirag field was the first of three fields put into production in the Azeri -Chirag -Guneshli (ACG) megastructure, located in the Azeri sector of the Caspian Sea and operated by BP on behalf of Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC). Production commenced in late 1997 after completion of the Chirag A01T1 well. A number of different sandface completion types have been installed in Chirag injectors and producers during the Chirag Early Oil Project (EOP), and significant data have been collected to evaluate the performance of each completion type. Completion types include cased and perforated, open hole gravel packs (OHGP) using wire-wrapped, pre-packed and alternate path (shunttube) screen technology, stand-alone porous metal fiber premium screens, and expandable screens. To date, 29 completions have been installed in 19 of 24 available well slots in primary and sidetrack wells.Many of the producing wells are equipped with permanent downhole pressure-temperature gauges, the flowlines are equipped with acoustic sand detection devices, and an active separator production test and surveillance program has resulted in a quality data set to evaluate completion performance under initial "dry oil" (water free) conditions, and upon the onset of produced water. This quality data set has greatly assisted the completions performance analysis, which has helped shape completion decisions and technology requirements for full field development.The paper will review the completion evolution in Chirag field, the relative performance of completion types over a broad range of indicators, and will include a discussion about measures taken to improve open-hole gravel pack performance from a reservoir damage perspective, with a focus on producers.