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Recent trends in unconventional oil and gas developments have seen longer horizontal wells drilled to achieve greater reservoir contact while minimizing cost and surface impact. Challenges for completing longer laterals include achieving effective fracture stimulation and performing clean out of the well bore after stimulation is complete. A case study was performed in Shell Groundbirch, an unconventional gas development in British Colombia, Canada, focusing on stimulation and extended reach cleanouts. Five long lateral wells +3600m lateral length with measured depth to true vertical depth ratio of 2.5, were drilled and completed; the resulting wells are 60% longer than the standard development well. Based on operational efficiency, coiled tubing (CT) was determined to be the preferred method for performing the millouts and well cleanup. 73.0 mm CT with an aggressive taper can reach the required set-down depths with enough weight on bit available to mill-out all completion plugs. Operational plans and milling tools were developed to maximize the probability of success. This paper outlines the technical details which contribute to an important case study that can help define and push the limits of extended reach CT interventions in industry.
Recent trends in unconventional oil and gas developments have seen longer horizontal wells drilled to achieve greater reservoir contact while minimizing cost and surface impact. Challenges for completing longer laterals include achieving effective fracture stimulation and performing clean out of the well bore after stimulation is complete. A case study was performed in Shell Groundbirch, an unconventional gas development in British Colombia, Canada, focusing on stimulation and extended reach cleanouts. Five long lateral wells +3600m lateral length with measured depth to true vertical depth ratio of 2.5, were drilled and completed; the resulting wells are 60% longer than the standard development well. Based on operational efficiency, coiled tubing (CT) was determined to be the preferred method for performing the millouts and well cleanup. 73.0 mm CT with an aggressive taper can reach the required set-down depths with enough weight on bit available to mill-out all completion plugs. Operational plans and milling tools were developed to maximize the probability of success. This paper outlines the technical details which contribute to an important case study that can help define and push the limits of extended reach CT interventions in industry.
Several improvements were necessary in the Manifa giant oil field development to secure a superior or favorable business position through the deployment of value-adding technological solutions in rigless interventions. Developing a field is often like solving a typical problem of constrained optimization, in this case, to maximize field development outcomes from well intervention (leading to improved production) subject to certain constraints. The constraints in the giant Manifa field maturation project case include the state of technical knowledge to access its extended reach wells, allocated budget for intervention, or to protect the environment. Thus, the optimization problem is to determine the bundle of technologies which maximizes the field's well intervention strategy subject to technology, budget, or environmental constraints. The improvements are necessary to intervention outcomes dividends and to overcome several technical difficulties in the field. The scope of the paper is to examine technology improvements in coiled tubing (CT) reach and stimulation treatments specifically. CT reach technologies have improved to include elaborate physics or design aided simulations, which includes a consideration of friction coefficients, prediction or estimation of the lock-up points, selection of the amount, concentration, and volumes of friction reducers. The simulation offers guides to engineers with available methods for additional CT reach including the use of flowing fluid, downhole tractors and agitators, straightening, pipe size, and optimal taper of CT, drag/friction reducers, and buoyancy reduction. The advent of robust tractors that provide external pulling force on CT has increased CT reach especially on power water injectors. However, uncertainties remain in determining tractor performance, quantifying the tractor actual pulling force, fine-tuning friction coefficients, early detection of CT tags, and differentiating between CT tag and excessive drag. Stimulation treatments have improved from bull heading stimulation fluids into the wells with limited zone control. The use of CT for matrix stimulation treatments to optimize acid placements seemed to have helped to enhance diversion and acid placements through a combination of distributed temperature sensing, pressure, temperature, and casing collar locator real time measurements. Self-diverting viscoelastic diverting acid (VDA), designed to viscosify in situ as the fluid spends on the reacted formation for chemical diversion in carbonates have been optimized from 20 % HCl to 15 % HCl. Technologies which allow the measurement of bottom-hole parameters in real time enabled the conduct of deeper reach CT for enhanced stimulation practices. The improvements are significant because real-time capabilities can significantly improve the quality of well interventions and decision making in the field.
Completion of the Manifa field development mega-project marked the world's largest hydrocarbon production increment in a single phase. Just as significant as its considerably large production scale, the project involved several green initiatives, including broad-spectrum environment conservation and protection, air pollution controls, and coastal/marine protection. Manifa's coastal and ecologically sensitive location is a source of livelihood for local farmers and contains habitat for fish, shrimp, coral reefs, and endangered species. Consequent upon the richness of species in the zone, the field warranted a development solution that was a balance between environmental stewardship and operational excellence. During Manifa's field development, a critically important environmental strategy was also developed for the construction of the causeway, central processing facility, gas and oil separation, water injection, and cogeneration plants, and 15 offshore platforms for oil production and water injection, with associated subsea pipelines and power communication cables. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) was completed and a continuous environmental monitoring program (EMP) was implemented during dredging and disposal of dredged materials, prior to and during the construction location of 27 man-made islands to achieve the EIA's mitigation criteria and guidelines. Four (4) studies were also commissioned by the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in collaboration with the Spanish research institute AZTI-Technalia. The successful grassroots development of Manifa, without sacrificing a responsibility to protect the environment, is a testimony to the careful integration of interdisciplinary approaches from project onception to completion; and from exploration to delivery of hydrocarbons to end users. Innovative solutions led to contractor partnering, a strong health, safety and environment (HSE) culture and an exemplary environmental awareness and conservation approach, which resulted in a successful project with a positive influence on Saudi Arabia, the region and other parts of the world.
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