Field development for brownfields nearing their economic thresholds is always challenging, especially in offshore environments. As an operator, innovative approaches are necessary to reduce capital expenditures (CAPEX) and create attractive projects. A marginal cluster consisting of three fields, namely PN, NL, and PR, is expected to reach its economic limit in the next 2 years. This paper elaborates on single-trip completion technology as a catalyst for drilling one infill well in the PR field development project. In 2017, one appraisal well was drilled in a western area of PR field to validate the presence of oil. The scope of work included evaluating reservoir productivity and acquiring bottomhole fluid samples. A drillstem test with four multirate tests was executed for this reservoir. A horizontal development well named PA-02 was proposed and categorized as an extended-reach drilling well because of the drilling complexity. Most offshore wells in shallow-water environments are completed with a conventional well completion run that takes two or more trips, which normally takes more than between 5 and 8 days. Given expensive daily rig rates, the ability to reduce completion installation time was deemed vital to the economics of the project. If the installation incurs additional unnecessary project costs, it can cause the project to be economically unattractive. Using a collaborative approach, an interventionless, single-trip sand control system was designed and selected as the optimal completion solution to meet project demands. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology is one of the key enablers for the single-trip completion as it offers the utmost flexibility in both activation and contingency methods to deliver the necessary project cost reduction. At a time of uncertain global crude oil prices, the RFID-enabled single-trip completion concept discussed in this paper has become a beacon of light for operators in an otherwise dark period by allowing previously marginal or sub-economic projects to become viable. This technology has resulted in operational time savings of at least 27% compared to typical conventional two-trip completions in Malaysia offshore environments. Minimizing operational risk is also foreseen by reducing installation to a single integrated upper and lower completion trip. Selecting this RFID-enabled completion facilitated full deployment in one trip in the high-angle well, which eliminated the deployment of a tractor service for a 67% cost savings in this aspect alone. This method represented a paradigm shift in operational efficiency and will now be the operator’s strategic completion methodology when developing marginal fields. The deployment represents the first application of a single-trip completion in an economically challenging brownfield in the Malaysian offshore environment. The reduction in operational time and resultant savings in CAPEX proves that a single-trip completion offers an exceptional alternative to conventional methods in the shallow-water offshore environment.

Drilling keeper wells with an open-sea concept by suspending a 36″ conductor to a jackup drilling rig as a temporary structure induced several criticalities in plugging and abandoning the wells. The severity amplified with the two (2) wells are cemented inside the conductor and completed with a splitter wellhead. As per the Malaysia local regulatory, any abandoned wells are to be free from any structure protruding from seabed. This is paramount in confirming the drilled location is free from potential hazards. This splitter design confirmed that conventional cut-and-pull approach is not feasible and multistring cutter is the only solution available. This paper covers the approach and result in performing eccentric cut of fully cemented 2 × 9-5/8″, 2 × 13-3/8″ and a 1.0″ wall thickness 36″ conductor including decommission of a splitter wellhead. In achieving the objective to P&A the keeper wells, an Abrasive Water Jet Cutter (AWJC) is deployed to perform an internal eccentric cut that able to penetrate five (5) cemented casing simultaneously. The cutter is paired up with Drilling Wire Saw (DWS) and Dual Drilling Machine (DDM) as a surface cutter and a "hole-borer" in cutting the retrieved multistring into shorter sections that eliminated the needs to dismantle the splitter wellhead into individual component. Meanwhile, for surface lifting and suspending, an engineered pad eyes, H-beam and lifting frame with pins were required to guarantee a successful operation. AWJC is designed to penetrate structures with extreme pressure, coupled with optimized pre-planned nozzle rotation speed to establish a complete 360° clean cut downhole. The jetting mechanism using the right mixture of water and garnet is crucial in providing sufficient capability to penetrate the conductor size in an eccentric condition considering the worst-case position of the cutter downhole. The significant finding from this P&A operation is understanding the type of garnet and fluid less environment around nozzle cutter head as main contributors for an efficient cutting process. Actual pick-up weight to pull free the pipe was 37% higher than the calculated weight for a complete cut. Hence, the surface capability shall be designed with some marginal tolerance to provide additional lifting capability in case an unsmoothed cut is experienced. Overall, the operation managed to overcome the challenges and uncertainties experienced and mark as a great milestone for the first ever decommission splitter well design in Malaysia.

A 500m open hole horizontal well with 2 segmented sections was completed with Single Trip Completion with RFID technology in July 2021. This is the first application in Petronas asset which resulted into 21% of cost saving in well completion element against conventional two trips completion. Despite successful of well completion, well unloading phase is distressing to meet the expected production target. This paper elaborates on single-trip completion operation with RFID application and challenges faced during well unloading job to deliver one of the highest oil producers in Malaysia Petronas Carigali asset. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology offers interventionless in both activation and contingency in well completion activity. The technology utilized the optimal completion activation solution in minimizing the well cost and reducing operational risk, thus, resulted into significant rig time saving. The RFID has facilitated well completion deployment in high angle well in one trip. As conventional new infill well completion phase, well unloading is the vital stage to demonstrate the well completion is upright placed at desired depth and the well completion accessories are fully operated. KX reservoir in PR field was discovered via exploration well and essential downhole tests were deployed namely DST, PBU, Downhole and Surface sampling to obtain as much as reservoir & crude oil data due to its green field reservoir. The FDP team forecasted the production rate as per proven acquired data. Unfortunately, one of the reservoir parameters was predicted undervalued which constrained 3 kbopd additional oil production to be commercially produced. RFID tool of completion accessories has the actuation mechanism which enables for single trip completion, and it eliminates well intervention job, negates the needs of tractor service, and reduces the risk of stuck of tools. The RFID suite of tools offers three activation mechanism which provide utmost flexibility in both downhole equipment activation and contingency methods to optimize the cost further particularly in marginal PR field development. Though getting the achievement of first application of single trip completion with RFID, this project has suffered irresolute GOR during well unloading phase. Higher actual GOR against tested data during DST and PVT sampling caused high flowing pressure at surface which exceeded the PSV (Pressure Safety Valve) setting pressure, thus, hindered the actual technical potential of the promised oil producer in Petronas Carigali asset. RFID is technology enabler for single-trip completion project in PR field which indirectly improves economics of marginal field development. Decent downhole and surface data acquisition during exploration doesn't assure guaranteed reservoir & crude property data to be used during field development plan.