TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractPermanent downhole monitoring can provide valuable information for production decisions without the need to perform an intervention to gather data. This type of technology has been excluded from sand control completions because of the complexity of placing measuring devices in the production interval.This paper describes the completion design of an openhole, horizontal, gravel-packed completion with permanent monitoring equipment in the production interval. As is typical for gravel-packed wells, the completion is run in two trips: the sandface completion is run in the first trip, and the upper completion is run in the second trip. The sandface completion includes two hydraulic lines in a U-tube configuration with a hydraulic wet connector at the top of the completion string. The completion is gravel packed using an alternate path technology that decreases the risk of a failed gravel pack placement due to hole collapse or losses. It also allows placement at lower flow rates, thus reducing the risk of damaging the hydraulic control lines. The upper completion is run and stabbed into the hydraulic wet connect. The hydraulic lines provide a continuous, environmentally protected conduit for the fiber-optic line. Once the upper completion is run and the wet connect is tested, the hydraulic lines are flushed and the fiber-optic (distributed temperature sensor) is installed.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractEarly results from intelligent completion installations show great promise for production optimization and control. The intelligent completion flow control valve is typically installed between isolation packers within the production zone. There have been installations with as many as four zones containing intelligent flow control devices. Several installations of intelligent flow control equipment have been in wells that require sand control, but these installations did not allow placement of the flow control devices within the production zone. The zones are completed with traditional sand control techniques, with each zone gravel packed or frac packed. After the sand face completion is in place, an upper completion is run into the well with a siphon string stabbed into the lower zone. A valve in line with the siphon string controls production from the lower zone. Production from the upper zones flows through the annulus between the siphon string and the upper completion into the casing annulus above the uppermost gravel-pack packer. A flow control valve is used to control the flow from that casing annulus into the production tubing. In this type of configuration, the practical limit for zones that can be controlled is two. An alternative technique has been developed that allows the placement of the flow control device within the production zone, so that more than two zones can be completed with intelligent flow control devices. As is the case for an intelligent completion in a cased and perforated well without sand control, the entire completion is run in one trip. Once the completion is in place, all of the intelligent completion devices are tested and then the packers are set. A through-tubing sand control tool is then run into the completion to perform the gravel packing operation in each zone. The paper discusses the completion design and presents an example of a field installation.