Reduction of the horizontal well's heel–toe effect with inflow control devices

Birchenko, V.M.; Muradov, Khafiz; Davies, David Roland

doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2010.11.013

Cited by 42 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The increased resistance is achieved using nozzles, orifices, and helical channels on the base pipe. For more information on ICD, please refer to Al-Khelaiwi et al (2010) and Birchenko et al (2010). Figure 14 shows the boxplot of the dimensionless production temperature distribution of the two fracture system when L/(2R) = 0.4, ζ = 0.8, and σ h /�w� = 0.25 for three cases: no flow control (untreated), 50/50 flow split, and the optimal flow split.…”

Section: Flow Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of spatial aperture variations on the thermal performance of discretely fractured geothermal reservoirs

2015

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Section: Flow Controlmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of spatial aperture variations on the thermal performance of discretely fractured geothermal reservoirs

2015

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“…For long horizontal wells with high flow rates, frictional and acceleration effects can cause significant pressure drop and therefore reduce the effective wellbore conductivity. This implies that the fluid influx can be greater at the heel and gradually lower towards the toe as fluids experience frictional pressure drop as they move from the toe to the heel (Birchenko et al, 2010). In homogenous reservoirs, water and gas cone towards the heel is frequent, resulting in premature water/gas breakthrough (Figure 1 Left).…”

Section: Heel-toe Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These challenges are usually attributed to reservoir heterogeneity, permeability anisotropy, presence of fractures and/or faults and also the frictional losses causing unintentional thermal fracturing during water injection (Minulina et al, 2012). In long horizontal injection wells, even if permeability heterogeneity is less significant, the heel-toe effect caused by severe frictional pressure loss may flood the heel zone early in the injection period and cause early water breakthrough in the nearby producers, leaving behind large recoverable reserve in the toe section (Birchenko et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Downhole flow controllers in mitigating challenges of long reach horizontal wells: A practical outlook with case studies

Chammout¹,

Ghosh²,

Alklih³

2017

J. Petroleum Gas Eng.

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Production and injection in long reach horizontal wells pose several challenges in production optimization, flow assurance and reservoir management. Horizontal wells are known to be superior to vertical wells in terms of productivity, however, they are also susceptible to early water and/or gas cut production due to the heel-toe effect and/or permeability contrasts. Uniform distribution of water injection into all zones can also be a challenge in case of high-permeability streaks and fractures. To negate some of the adverse reservoir properties and to control the flow profile of production and injection fluids, downhole flow control devices are increasingly in use and beneficial in regulating flow, improved overall reservoir sweep, improved productivity from the tail section of the well and reduced water coning or gas cusping. Wellbore hydraulics for a long reach well completed with downhole valves have great influence on the reservoir performance and recovery in the long run. This paper presents a discussion aimed at better understanding of the critical challenges that long reach horizontal wells are prone to in terms of completion, as well as the developments so-far that have been applied to capture the physics across the long horizontal section. Three case studies are also discussed with some details emphasizing practical experiences of such wells.

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“…pressure difference between the well bore and reservoir) starts to change differently with higher values in heel compared to toe part of the well shown in Figure 2. The considerable changes in the drawdown along the well are leading to early water or gas breakthrough and are reducing the well performance in terms of oil production and recovery [7]. ∆ ℎ is the drawdown in the heel and ∆ is the draw down in the toe part of the well.…”

Section: Heel-toe Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…∆ ℎ is the drawdown in the heel and ∆ is the draw down in the toe part of the well. Increase in frictional pressure losses due to the heel-toe effect [7].…”

Section: Heel-toe Effectmentioning

confidence: 99%

Near well simulations of heavy oil production with ICD completion

Moghaddam¹,

Aryal²,

Aakre³

et al. 2013

Computational Methods in Multiphase Flow VII

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Heavy oil reservoirs have been proven to be remarkable energy resources due to the high demand in today's oil market. Therefore, increased oil recovery is an essential requirement in fulfilling global energy demand. Oil viscosity is a key factor in determining the rate of production from heavy oil reservoirs. Long horizontal wells are used to obtain maximum reservoir contact. Due to frictional pressure drop along the long well, the driving forces are different from one location to another in the well -this is called the heel-toe effect. In a homogeneous reservoir the oil production rate will be significantly higher in the heel than in the toe, and this will lead to early water or gas breakthrough in the heel. In heterogeneous reservoirs, early breakthrough will occur in the high permeability zones due to low flow resistance in the reservoir. Horizontal wells with passive Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) have shown improved performance in terms of oil production from lateral thin reservoirs. Different types of ICDs are developed to delay the early breakthrough by restricting the flow. The focus area of this paper is the production of heavy oil from a reservoir with water drive and standard nozzle ICD completion. Heavy oil production from a homogeneous reservoir with different viscosities is simulated. Breakthrough time and cumulative oil production is compared. In addition, the effect of ICDs in a heterogeneous reservoir is studied. The results show that standard nozzle ICDs delay the water breakthrough, but are not able to choke the water after breakthrough. The near well simulations are performed with the reservoir model Rocx in combination with OLGA. Tecplot is used to show the flow behaviour in the reservoir.

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Reduction of the horizontal well's heel–toe effect with inflow control devices

Cited by 42 publications

References 4 publications

The effect of spatial aperture variations on the thermal performance of discretely fractured geothermal reservoirs

The effect of spatial aperture variations on the thermal performance of discretely fractured geothermal reservoirs

Downhole flow controllers in mitigating challenges of long reach horizontal wells: A practical outlook with case studies

Near well simulations of heavy oil production with ICD completion

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