As the scope of development continues to expand, more instances are being noted in which traditional technologies cannot satisfy job parameters. In deepwater projects, for example, high-rate production and completion reliability present major challenges to operators, and traditional methods of sand control often have not been able to address the changing conditions. In this paper, a solution that combines gravel packing, enhanced downhole tool capability, and advanced fluid technology is used in an offshore environment in which the completion was performed in a horiontal openhole extended-interval wellbore from a deepwater tension leg platform (TLP). New gravel pack tools and procedures were developed to meet the stringent requirements of the proposed scenario and will be discussed. The successful application of the first extended horizontal openhole gravel packs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico has proven that gravel packing can be successfully applied to extended horizontal wellbores.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractAs the scope of development continues to expand, more instances are being noted in which traditional technologies cannot satisfy job parameters. In deepwater projects, for example, high-rate production and completion reliability present major challenges to operators, and traditional methods of sand control often have not been able to address the changing conditions. In this paper, a solution that combines gravel packing, enhanced downhole tool capability, and advanced fluid technology is used in an offshore environment in which the completion was performed in a horiontal openhole extended-interval wellbore from a deepwater tension leg platform (TLP). New gravel pack tools and procedures were developed to meet the stringent requirements of the proposed scenario and will be discussed. The successful application of the first extended horizontal openhole gravel packs in the Northern Gulf of Mexico has proven that gravel packing can be successfully applied to extended horizontal wellbores.

Deepwater wells using fracpack stimulation are progressively moving to ultradeep water depths and total depths; the bottomhole pressures (BHPs) and temperatures of future reservoirs could exceed 20,000 psi and 250°F. To safely perform deepwater fracpack treatments, the following pressure and tubular limitations should be considered:• Maximum surface tubing pressure because of pipe limitations and gravel pack assembly component ratings.• Maximum surface annulus pressure because of blowout preventer (BOP) ratings.• Maximum allowable tubing movement while pumping to help prevent premature job cessation.• Maximum allowable downhole slackoff and overpull because of well path, pipe, pipe connections, and downhole component ratings.Depending on the well depth, pressure, temperatures, and BOP type (subsea or dry-tree), various pipe, connection, or equipment limitations might be exceeded during multistage fracpack stimulation operations. Initial pipe loading as well as pre-fracpack stages, such as the pickle, acid treatment, or minifrac calibration treatment, will alter the pipe failure and movement conditions and must be accounted for in the final completion design.Because of these concerns, a workflow process has been delineated to evaluate the maximum allowable treating pressures, tubing movement, and tubular limits for deepwater subsea and dry-tree fracpacks across four components:• Input component to consolidate well and stimulation data for further workflow analysis.• Surface treating pressure evaluation component to analyze certain treating pressure limitations.• Commercial wellbore, casing, and tubing simulator to evaluate work string safety factors, tubing movement, and downhole forces. • Commercial torque and drag simulator to evaluate surface slackoff requirements and allowable work string overpull.A description of the variables, range of values, and other considerations for each of these four components is discussed, and the benefits of using this process to evaluate fracpack stimulation are shown. Well case histories are also used to support this process.