Offshore deepwater fields usually require a semisubmersible rig to drill and complete their wells. Additionally, if any intervention is required in the well, a costly workover rig will need to be moved to the site. Hence, solving problems remotely using a method requiring less intervention can provide substantial savings in the overall cost of the well. Such an opportunity emerged when working on a project in the offshore oilfields of Brazil, where use of water injection as a reservoir energy maintenance method is common. However, the mixture of water injection wells and oil producing wells can lead to the formation of barium sulfate on downhole equipment, which can precipitate under pressure change during production. Barium sulfate's insolubility makes its removal difficult; usually requiring the use of special tools for mechanically cleaning the gravel pack screens’ interior. This type of intervention method requires an offshore rig. It demands a considerable amount of time and resources to complete the cleanup procedure, especially in the case of long openhole horizontal gravel packs. However, by pumping inhibitors directly to the gravel pack screens’ interior, production suspension is avoided, along with any intervention-related time and cost. This paper will describe the world's first installation of a horizontal openhole gravel pack system specifically designed to allow continuous pumping of scale inhibitors. The chemicals were injected through a single flowline down to the interior of the sand-control screens at two distinct parts of the well pay zone, without interrupting oil production in offshore Brazil. This pay zone management system incorporates a hydraulic wet connector, an openhole zonal isolation packer, and two chemical injection mandrels with flow regulator valves. The mandrel valves evenly distribute the barium sulfate inhibitor, preventing its deposit inside the screen. Potential applications of this system in offshore Brazil are being considered on the basis of this successful first installation. Results of this project, as well as other compelling data, suggest that operators may benefit from its incorporation in their field development plan, maximizing their return on investment.

Offshore wells, especially deepwater completions, are usually completed with semisubmersible rigs. These use subsea trees, and workovers require moving a costly rig to the location. Solving problems remotely—with an interventionless method—provides huge savings and fewer risks. This paper focuses on the first global installation of a gravel pack system that allowed continuous pay zone chemical treatment pumping without interrupting production. For wells with issues such as barium and calcium sulfates causing obstruction at the sand control screen base pipe holes, this system allowed pumping of scale inhibitors (or any other chemical treatment) to the end of the horizontal well (toe) or to other parts of open- or cased-hole sections without needing to stop production. For this first installation, the system incorporated zonal isolation with feedthrough capabilities using reactive element packer and multiple injection nipples technology, taking advantage of a long shale segment to divide the well in two parts. In general, the number of injection nodes with the same pumping line could vary from well to well. However, at this deepwater installation offshore Brazil, the system was designed to allow continuous pumping of chemicals through only one small-diameter down into a horizontal open hole, to inside the sand control screens at two separate sections of the well, one at the toe and another above the reactive element packer. The system allowed for screen assembly installation and gravel pack pumping in one trip. A reconnect anchor seal assembly was designed and used to deliver a continuality of the flowline conduit from the gravel pack assembly to the upper string assembly. It also incorporated a cost-effective, high-flow liner system for the conduit/injection mandrel protection and a special feedthrough quick connector to simplify certain steps in the assembly. This allowed for torque and traction transmission in open-hole deployment. This paper will describe the implementation and installation of this new system.