Advancements in Well Conformance Technologies Used in a Major Field in Saudi Arabia: Case Histories

Abstract

Water management practices are an integral part of effective well and reservoir management to avoid various water production problems. Water production problems are major challenges in the oil and gas industry. Many strategies have been used in the industry to control water production problems both in producers and injectors. There are many water control methods available in the industry, including mechanical and chemical methods; sometimes a combination of both methods is used.With the advent of horizontal drilling technology, unique opportunities have been captured to enable efficient and effective water management. More complex wells of various types and shapes have been drilled and completed. The benefits of drilling these wells not only include reduction in development and operating costs because of the lower number of wells but also improvement in the reservoir performance and management of fluid movements. These complex wells are drilled for various and many objectives, which may include but are not limited to increased production, enhanced reservoir characterization, improved sweep, maximized recovery, and efficient reservoir management.Water management practices implemented for effective water control, and to sustain oil production on two different areas in a major field are presented in this paper. One area exemplifies water management practices in a conventionally developed field, and the second area represents drilling conformance technology, utilizing smart MRC wells.

Water shutoff and conformance improvement: an introduction

“…Intelligent completions (smart wells) are another method for control in multilateral wells (Al-Zain et al 2016). Valves are located downhole where a lateral segment joins the main lateral.…”