Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) is a complex process and often requires more control relative to conventional applications during production operations. Flow Control Devices (FCDs) have been identified as a technology that offers improved efficiency of the process while simplifying the operations. The first FCD completions were installed in SAGD wells in Canada over a decade ago with the intention of improving the steam chamber conformance and reducing the steam-oil ratio (SOR). While it is widely understood that FCD completions, for the most part, have helped achieve the desired uplift for SAGD producers, further optimization could be made on future completion designs and operation strategy by looking at actual performance data from previous installations. The objective of the study was to obtain key design parameters and considerations for future FCD completion designs. The majority of FCD completions in MacKay River were tubing deployed, installed in previously producing wellbores (retrofit). This study looks at 11 wells that were completed with a Baker Hughes FCDs. The analysis was broken down into 2 segments: production analysis and modelling. Production strategy implemented for each well was taken into account to eliminate variances. The modelling used a combination of steady state simulation (presented in this paper) and numerical simulation (to be presented in part II). The study showed that TD FCDs improve the performance of SAGD well pairs when implemented in the appropriate candidate wells. An important outcome was the development of a candidate wells’ selection criteria, to ensure the retrofit completion improved performance and did not exacerbate other problems. Furthermore, design consideration were identified to improve the performances of future TD FCD installations.

Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) have been adopted for commercial steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) production for nearly ten years and yet the function they serve is not well understood, and field data evaluating their performance remains scant. Thus, the purpose of the current study is twofold: Firstly, the study derives a simplified analytical model demonstrating how increasing the dP across ICDs acts to improve conformance along a producing lateral. The resulting equation of the analysis acts as a simple rule of thumb for determining an appropriate pressure drop across ICDs to achieve conformance. Secondly, the study evaluates the performance of ICDs that had been installed in four wells, two of which had ICDs installed prior to circulation and two that adopted ICDs later in their lifecycle. The field data shows that ICDs increase production rates and improve conformance along the lateral. These improvements are achieved by an increased drawdown facilitated by the ICDs. This part of the study highlights how early-life results may differ between ICD bearing wells compared to their conventionally completed (slotted liner) offsets: ICD bearing wells exhibit improved conformance and an ability to develop more challenging reservoir resulting in different oil production profiles and composite SORs.