Complex Unconventional Wells Addressing Difficult Reservoir Development : A Case Study of West Kuwait Jurassic Reservoirs

Verma, Naveen; Al-Medhadi, Fahed; Shamali, Adnan Aiesh Al; Dakshinamurthy, Natarajan; Matar, Saad; Reji, E.C.

doi:10.2523/iptc-11716-ms

All Days 2007

DOI: 10.2523/iptc-11716-ms

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Complex Unconventional Wells Addressing Difficult Reservoir Development : A Case Study of West Kuwait Jurassic Reservoirs

Naveen Verma

Fahed Al-Medhadi

Adnan Aiesh Al Shamali

et al.

Abstract: TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractNajmah-Sargelu (NJ-SR) unconventional fractured carbonate and Middle Marrat (MMR) tight carbonate Jurassic reservoirs are spread across many fields in West Kuwait where new Jurassic oilfields are still being discovered. Oil is being produced since late eighties mainly from MN, UG, AB and DF structures. Drilling through over pressured and fractured NJ-SR reservoir, lying below thick high pressure Gotnia Evaporites is challenging due to well control issues such… Show more

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Control of Severe Loss and Kick Situations - A Case History of West Kuwait Wells DF-15 and MN-159

et al. 2011

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Kuwait has been drilling and producing from the deep, sour Jurassic reservoirs in the West Kuwait area during the past 25 years. The wells, which are mainly vertical, penetrate heavily fractured, highly pressured reservoirs and produce high quality light oil. New wells are planned to be added with more complex deviated and horizontal well profiles, in an attempt to intersect multiple fractures and fracture swarms. Selective production has contributed to the depletion of certain reservoir intervals, which in addition to the pressure reversals in the lower reservoirs and their fractured nature presents increased complications and challenges to the drilling of these wells. The difficulty of drilling such depleted / fractured formations has presented the operator with new and complex challenges, especially in deviated and horizontal wellbores. These include partial / total losses, gas kicks, and mechanical / differential sticking, resulting in some instances in having to sidetrack the wellbore. A case history of two recent West Kuwait directional wells, DF-15 and MN-159, is presented to explain the nature of the problems that have been encountered and the solutions that were successfully developed to handle them. The challenges of drilling in these environments were analyzed, with practices and materials being developed and adapted to enable drilling to continue through these troublesome zones. The new solutions and methodologies provide a basis for future optimization in subsequent wells.

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Control of Severe Loss and Kick Situations - A Case History of West Kuwait Wells DF-15 and MN-159

et al. 2011

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Drilling of HPHT High Angle Well in a Fractured Reservoir-A Case Study

Al-Mohailan

Sounderrajan

Al-Azmi

et al. 2017

SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil &Amp; Gas Conference and Exhibition

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Kuwait has been drilling and producing from the deep, sour Jurassic reservoirs during the past 30 years. Drilling high angle wells / horizontal wells can provide a means to intersect possible oil bearing fractures besides extending the drain hole length for increasing productivity. The wells drilled to these prospects are challenging because of HPHT conditions, narrow mud weight window and sour gas. The Jurassic reservoirs itself exists below a deep high pressure formation G bearing multi Salt-Anhydrite sequences. The Jurassic wells are typically based on big bore well design with the final hole size ending in 6 ½"/6" hole size. The well constructions typically comprise of seven casing policy and requires 15 K well control equipment. It is imperative that surface/intermediate casing strings are run to the maximum depths possible in order to reach well TD in the planned workable hole size. The isolation of formation G with the planned 10 ¾″ casing is essential to drill and complete the wells efficiently. In well A-14, due to complex geology, the required formation top could not be ascertained. The well construction was altered to case off the unexpected recurrent high pressure section which led to downsizing of the available hole sizes to drill upper and lower Jurassic reservoirs in slim hole. As the planned horizontal of required length was deemed infeasible in 4 ½" hole size, the well was converted to an high angle well. The unusual presence of fracture corridor with high pressure hydrocarbons below formation G posed a series of challenges. The drilling window was extremely narrow between 18.4-18.6 ppg where drilling had to be continued either with ECD or under losses with high density fluid of 18.5 ppg. The requirement to achieve the well profile with known limitation of directional drilling tools to use LCM pills was planned with due controls. On many occasions, the removal of ECD resulted in gains and many well control operations had to be resorted to including bull heading during trips. The well was drilled to TD and the upper Jurassic reservoir tested successfully. The paper will present lessons learnt, practices employed to drill with losses and gains, tripping considerations, fishing complications, slim hole drilling challenges, improvisation of drilling and cementing practices in near total loss situation and directional drilling techniques adopted. This would then provide the basis for future optimization in these types of wells.

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Complex Unconventional Wells Addressing Difficult Reservoir Development : A Case Study of West Kuwait Jurassic Reservoirs

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

Control of Severe Loss and Kick Situations - A Case History of West Kuwait Wells DF-15 and MN-159

Control of Severe Loss and Kick Situations - A Case History of West Kuwait Wells DF-15 and MN-159

Drilling of HPHT High Angle Well in a Fractured Reservoir-A Case Study

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