Advancements in Openhole Completion Technology - Establishing and Sustaining Differentiating Sand Control Completion Performance

Abstract

Openhole completions are often selected as the preferred completion technique to maximize reservoir flow potential and provide reliable, high capacity, low skin completions. In many environments, these completions will also require some form of sand control. To meet development objectives, operators are continually challenged to select, design, and install fit-forpurpose completion strategies to optimize ultimate recovery for these fields. These challenges necessitated the creation of new practices, procedures, and hardware to ensure consistent delivery of reliable wellbores, across the entire organization, to achieve long-term, economic success.ExxonMobil embarked on a multi-year initiative to establish and sustain a disciplined, systematic approach to sand control completion design, job execution, and performance assessment. The effort included the development, qualification, and deployment of selective, enabling completion technologies. Additionally, comprehensive engineering and operational guidelines, as well as, in-depth training were delivered to the worldwide engineering and operations workforce. Most significantly, the initiative is now resulting in effective and rapid transfer of learnings and best practices across the global organization. This comprehensive effort continues to focus on ensuring the right people are deploying the right technology in the right well. This paper will discuss the guiding principles associated with our overall completion practices. It will also describe a number of enabling technologies pioneered by ExxonMobil including: • NAFPac SM , a gravel pack technique that allows the operator to run the gravel pack screens in non-aqueous fluid, gravel pack the well and displace the casing to brine, all in one trip • MazeFlo™, a self healing, redundant sand screen • Internal Shunt Alternate Path Technology (ISAPT) screens with openhole shunted packers, a completion technique that enables true and selective zonal isolation in openhole gravel pack applications