TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractSince the first intelligent completion was installed in August 1997, over 200 such systems have been installed globally. The systems installed encompass a wide range of downhole and surface equipment, though some aspects are similar for all installations. This paper will address the lessons learned and best practices developed since the installation of the first system seven years ago.Detailed project and operational planning is critical to the success of any project, but is of paramount importance to complex projects such as intelligent completions. Operational planning and execution begins before the equipment is manufactured and carries through to equipment testing, shipping, and surface checks prior to picking up the assemblies.Installation and proper execution is critical for all projectsthough specifically important in many of the intelligent completion installations which take place in applications with very high rig rates. To complement success, post-job reviews allow for lessons learned and best practices to be disseminated throughout the intelligent completion provider organization as well as the operating company.The tangible results of this detailed planning and execution are realized as rig time savings without jeopardizing safety. Though more difficult to quantify, reliability improvements and an increase in customer satisfaction and confidence can be achieved by the incorporation of standardized, downhole components and installation equipment.

fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractIntelligent well completions have introduced a step-change technology that improves project economics by permitting the operator to actively manage the reservoir. This aspect of asset management is especially important in those wells requiring sand control, often located in remote geographic locations or extreme operating environments, such as deepwater and ultra-deepwater, where the reserves base is high and the subsurface complex. Combining sand control technology with intelligent well technology can be a significant challenge, particularly when producing fluids from multiple, unconsolidated, high productivity zones.To-date, the successful intelligent well completions that have been completed with sand control have been limited to a maximum of two productive intervals with full time monitoring and control. The limitation has been a result of the architecture of a gravel packed completion, requiring that the interval control valves (ICVs) and pressure and temperature gauges be placed above the zones of interest. While valuable to the asset where employed, some operators have expressed a need to have the control and monitoring equipment placed at or in the completion itself, or to have the capability of adding additional sand control completions to the wellbore.Design solutions exist that may permit the operator to stack three or more gravel packs in a single wellbore and achieve full intelligent completion functionality. This paper will discuss those solutions and present several examples and case histories.

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractAs part of the Canyon Express project, four intelligent completions were installed in the Total Aconcagua Field and two in the Marathon Oil Camden Hills Field, Mississippi Canyon Blocks 305 and 348 respectively, in ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico. As a result of production optimization objectives and reservoir conditions, the intelligent completions have been utilized extensively to enhance field performance since installation and host platform commissioning in 2002.With the use of direct hydraulic open/close valves, various zones have been shut-in and cycled open to optimize production. The objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of using intelligent completions to improve well performance, to discuss the reliability of the intelligent completion equipment three years after installation, and to qualitatively present the value proposition of reservoir management of intelligent completions.Faced with reservoir depletion, suspected sand production, and water influx, the intelligent completions have proven themselves useful in the management of these assets.