Connecting the wellbore and reservoir rock systems through perforating is the primary mechanism to provide a flow path for hydrocarbons. In stimulation, this pathway becomes two dimensional (in functionality) because it is required to facilitate injection of fracturing fluids and production of reservoir fluids. Ineffective perforation can add of near-wellbore complexities. In this study, we looked at different perforation techniques from classical to recent contemporary. We investigated both stimulation and intervention aspects to provide pros and cons for these techniques and evaluate their effectiveness. Six challenging scenarios in stimulation were detailed with lessons learnt, best practices, and guidelines. These included deviated wells, soft rock formations, double pipe completions, fracture diversion requirement, horizontal wells with plug-and-perforate completions, and a mature asset. The workflows included perspectives such as perforating, fracture pressure analysis, and diagnostic injections. Efficient workflows for the well engineering cycle were also developed for the case when the injection rate cannot be established due to the inefficient wellbore−rock connection. Contingency interventions and bottomhole assembly (BHA) configurations were investigated with the goal of enabling a flexible strategy in a single intervention run to enhance injectivity. Currently, operational efficiency and business needs are paramount. This work presents integrated understanding, established practices, and resulting workflows to manage tradeoff and optimize the net present value of integrated projects.

Last year, the oil and gas industry was hit with one of the biggest challenges in the history of the industry — COVID-19. This has been a pandemic no one imagined would cripple the whole world and threaten our very existence. It caused an imbalance to the oil supply and demand where the global oil market had more than it could use or store, which drove oil prices to a record low. Despite this, projects in development have to be completed to accommodate the future rise in demand that is expected to occur after the pandemic. This paper will showcase how the rigless operations in Saudi Arabia in the oil and gas fields managed to continue with their activities toward tackling this challenge by capitalizing on two main principles. The first principle was business continuity management; preparing a strategic and operational framework to actively increase resilience to prevent suspension of the rigless operations or services, and thereby fulfilling the industry demand and preventing a cash flow interruption to the stakeholders. The second principle was the risk management process (RMP); identifying, monitoring, and managing all risks related to COVID-19, which minimized, and in some cases eliminated, its impact on the rigless operations. Both principles were the main pillars to first preserve lives and second to assure business continuity, which resulted in the continuation of the rigless operation and the profitability under the COVID-19 challenge for the company. COVID-19 was a risk no one accounted for. It was a true test to business continuity management and the risk management process. The integration of both processes in the oil industry, and specifically in rigless operations for the first time due to this pandemic, was essential to overcome the COVID-19 crises in addition to tailoring specific steps to address this challenge. Therefore, the rigless operations continued with planned activities while preserving people's lives.

Temperature logging is an old technique that quantifies fracture height based on cooldown anomalies. Warm anomalies are very frequently observed in post-fracturing measurements. One of the reasons for these anomalies is misalignment of the wellbore with the fracture, which depends on the geometry of wellbore and preferential fracture plane. A systematic study is presented here to avoid misinterpretation of fracture height. Two mathematical tools were coupled: (1) a geometrical resolution of the 3D space around the wellbore and (2) a numerical scheme solving the heat transfer partial differential equation (PDE) in dimensionless form to simulate temperature evolution around the wellbore. Finally, the findings were tested and corroborated with a few field cases in deep, hot, clastic reservoirs. The temperature log was conducted with three passes and was used for interpretation in deviated wellbores. The first tool utilized the wellbore deviation, wellbore azimuth, and fracture azimuth to resolve the relative positions and detailed geometry in 3D space. The tool yielded the fraction of total fracture height that will be coincident with the wellbore for a given set of inputs. The outputs were then coupled with the numerical tool with an explicit finite difference code to solve the relevant PDE with appropriate boundary conditions for the given geometrical space for the angled/separated fracture. The results showed that the further the fracture separates from wellbore, the more difficult it is to observe cooldown if the temperature logging is conducted soon after fracturing. Delaying the temperature passes allows the cold front from fracture to move towards wellbore and is a viable solution to capture cooldown, as seen from field measurements and validated by the model. The field cases demonstrated some complicated temperature behaviors, and the understanding developed from the modeling tools aided in interpreting the anomalous trends. The possibility of constructing pseduo temperature logs, lowering the number of passes, and extending the approach for multiple applications is discussed. The innovative approach avoids pitfalls of false indications of fracture containment in deviated wells. It can be used to improve the utility of high-resolution temperature logging data to enhance efficiency.