Conformance technology is the application of processes to reservoirs and boreholes to reduce water production, enhance recovery efficiency, or satisfy a broad range of reservoir management and environmental objectives. An operator desired to isolate aquifer zones and reduce water production in a horizontal section. First discussed is problem identification in the oil producing well; following, the application of reservoir simulation to determine the amount of and the most appropriate treatment application is discussed. Depending on fluid density differences and wellbore deviation, conventional conformance treatments can tend to slump/rise along horizontal or highly deviated sections, compromising the placement accuracy and overall treatment success. The stress-dependent (thixotropic) rheological properties of the conformance technology service used in this project provides rapid viscosity increase during placement, allowing the treatment to remain in place until in-situ crosslinking occurs at a predicted time, helping to provide a competent seal across the targeted area. A reservoir simulator was used to optimize the design of a conformance treatment and to evaluate the efficiency of the conformance solution. During pumping of the conformance system for the isolation of the lower zone because of water problems, it was observed that the entrance of the two sealing systems to the formation increased the pumping pressure, showing the sealing effect. Additionally, the thixotropic characteristic of the conformance sealant could help keep the systems in place until they acquired the consistency to complete the isolation of the water zone. Water production after conformance treatment was reduced by almost 65%, aligned to the expected results from diagnostics. A successful conformance operation was completed in a horizontal section, overcoming the natural tendency of standard fluids to slump/rise along horizontal or highly deviated sections. The proper conformance diagnostics with a reservoir simulator was vital to the success of this project.

As well completions and operating objectives grow more complex, it is reassuring that certain physical parameters can be measured and predicted with extremely high precision. Precision during operational execution using real-time measurements from a customized bottomhole assembly (BHA) is a benefit offered by coiled tubing (CT) fiber-optic technology. Today marks an important milestone and basis for a new era with the development of a real-time hybrid CT service that integrates fiber-optic and electric communication and power. This paper discusses an efficient milling operation using real-time fiber optics with continuous power from the surface, referenced as the first operation performed globally. The following three potential risks are typically associated with milling operations: CT failure attributed to cyclic fatigue loading under extreme conditions and/or exceeding the torque capacity as a consequence of the transmission of the rotational force of the motor.Premature damage to the components of the motor while exceeding the torque capabilities of the motor because of the lack of parameters at surface while milling.Motor stall that can converge into a bit-stuck scenario, or misinterpreting torque output through the motor when pumping fluid commingled with an incompressible gas. The sum of all these conditions generated a challenging scenario. These conditions were also ideal to validate the accuracy and reliability of this technology wherein, because of downhole sensors (torque, load, and differential pressure), it was possible to monitor the milling process in real time, even when there was no detected variation in these operational parameters at the surface. The real-time fiber-optic integrated system enables efficient, reliable execution during CT milling operations. Additional downhole insight is available with the new generation of hybrid technology for CT services, which combines fiber-optic and electric downhole powering communication. This system was designed with an open architecture to accommodate virtually any wireline or mechanical tool in the industry to address operator challenges, such as a milling operations, allowing the operator to monitor the weight on the bit, torque, and differential pressure through the bit. With the ability to constantly monitor bottomhole conditions, it was possible for the engineer to make decisions in real time, even when there was no evidence of any milling constraint at surface. Because the variables did not vary during operation, efficiency increased because of adequate optimization of the motor capabilities. This paper explores one of the many possibilities operators have with hybrid technology for CT services, radically increasing reliability on location. This technology allowed the operator to significantly diminish operational time during milling in a single run without limitations to power or operational duration.

Underbalanced perforating with conventional cable operations involves several risks associated with well tortuosity, cable tension capacity, gun lifting, and the capability of achieving the optimum underbalance for effective tunnel cleanup (Graeme et al. 2008). Because of these risks, an operator in Colombia elected to perform a perforating operation using a coiled tubing (CT) real-time fiber optic (RTFO) integrated system in a newly drilled development well. CT-conveyed perforating is ideal for this type of wellbore. To achieve the proper underbalance and depth correlation to perforate the target interval, an RTFO CT system provides the most accurate and reliable depth correlation process, in addition to real-time pressure and temperature monitoring inside the CT and the outer annulus. Using the RTFO CT system, only two runs were necessary to complete the perforating program, in accordance with the operator design, rather than performing an additional run needed for pickling and to generate underbalanced conditions. The use of the RTFO CT system can help to prevent correlation errors resulting from CT elongation. A CT structure was not necessary to deploy the guns based on the finite model analysis that calculates maximum stress and flange bending, including a safety factor. A hydraulic firing head can be used with an RTFO CT system to activate the guns without affecting the integrity of the fiber optics or the downhole sensor tool after detonation. The RTFO CT system enabled the operator to evaluate the reservoir potential. The evaluation results indicated that one of the zones is a low producer, which avoided the pumping of unnecessary nitrogen to induce the specific zone. The use of a downhole pressure sensor enabled the identification of the time at which the guns were detonated. Improvement to the rigup was evidenced and enabled time optimization without affecting the operation. The casing collar locator (CCL), used for depth correlation, was a crucial factor in reducing operational costs because it helped to optimize placement accuracy and gun detonation and to prevent misfiring (Newman 2003). The guns were successfully activated without nonproductive time (NPT) or health, safety, or environmental (HSE) incidents during operations. A successful perforating operation was completed with 4,000 psi underbalance in a new formation using hydraulic detonation with continuous real-time downhole condition monitoring before and after detonation, enabling the operating company to make decisions in real time. This new approach of using an RTFO CT system combined with the hydraulic firing head can be used to perforate new formations in these crucial scenarios (wells with production greater than 20 MMscf/D and zones with continued sand production).

Pumping sand through coiled tubing (CT) with real-time capabilities is not a common practice because of potential risks associated with cable integrity. A successful sand plug settling procedure supported by a real-time fiber-optic integrated system under critical well conditions was of high importance during a recompletion intervention, allowing optimization of time and costs. Multiple methods are used to isolate a well during recompletion activities; nevertheless, a cost-effective method to divert involves setting sand plugs with CT and a real-time fiber-optic integrated system, which is essential to achieving precise settlement of the sand, not just for depth but also for volume of sand pumped. Without this complete system, the operator would need to make extra runs for correlations with electric line (e-line) or CT units, which increases both cost and operational time. A real-time fiber-optic integrated system allows adjustment to the sand plug stages in real time to help ensure top of sand (TS) necessary to isolate the producer formation and keep out the wireline entry guide without additional runs and increased costs. A casing collar locator (CCL) tool permitted the correlation depth to be measured in each tag, ensuring knowledge of where the sand was placed and helping prevent incorrect depths resulting from uncontrollable factors, such as elongation. More than 6,500 lbm of sand was pumped through CT using a real-time fiber-optic integrated system without losing communication with the downhole tools and without affecting cable integrity, which could lead to bird nesting the cable because of high friction and excessive slack inside the pipe. This real-time fiber-optic integrated system begins a new generation of sand plug operations by helping prevent additional runs or having other units correlate, particularly if a recompletion activity is programmed and space accommodation is a challenge because of the workover unit.

To measure and analyze reservoir pressure, conductivity, gas/oil ratio (GOR), and skin value, it is necessary to run a pressure buildup (PBU) test to the corresponding zone of interest in the well. This paper describes how the implementation of a coiled tubing (CT) real-time fiber-optic (RTFO) integrated system and a retrievable packer were determining factors to successfully develop both PBU in an upper formation and a pressure evaluation in the lower formation in the same run. To help ensure isolation and evaluation of each high potential zone in the well, conventional methods involve multiple procedures requiring multiple runs. Using the CT RTFO (Vera et al. 2018) integrated system with a retrievable packer, only one run was necessary to complete the PBU program, which involves the isolation and corresponding log of two reservoirs. This new technology helped the operator overcome challenges and deliver improved service quality. Real-time data acquisition during the packer setting helps ensure correct inflation, and continuous monitoring of the isolated zone during the PBU process helps ensure data accuracy and defines the end of data acquisition time once radial flow has been observed in the pressure transient analysis; therefore, the points previously discussed strongly impact production by optimizing operation time. Avoiding the use of materials such as cement to isolate the mentioned zones made this operation environmentally friendly. The greatest value of this technology is that it makes real-time monitoring of both the upper and lower zones possible at the same time. The PBU test was successfully developed by determining reservoir pressure, skin, and flow regime of the near zone formation with precision and confidence, which helps the operator make decisions about future stimulations. High-pressure stimulation was achieved, which resulted in 460 BOPD over the initial production. Finally, a downhole ball-drop tool was effectively used to help ensure that packer setup was accurate and to reduce intervention time.