Advanced Sand Control Completion With Permanent Monitoring

Abstract

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.

Installation and Application of Permanent Downhole Optical Pressure/Temperature Gauges and Distributed Temperature Sensing in Producing Deepwater Wells at Marco Polo

“…Optical P/T gauge installation procedures have been discussed in a number of papers in the past few years [4][5][6][7] . The installation section here is included not to rehash these procedures, but to address steps taken during the Marco Polo pre-job preparation and on site installation phases to minimize rig time, personnel, and space requirements during installation.…”

Identification of Steam-Breakthrough Intervals With DTS Technology

“…Discrete temperature measurements are determined every meter along the entire length of the fiber, with "Ramon" signal returns in specific time-gated windows. [5][6][7][8] Obviously, this offers considerable advantages, even for short-duration testing, vs. conventional wireline temperature logging in which a single-point sensor must be moved up and down the hole. Conventional temperature logging does not allow simultaneous temperature acquisition from different depths, as occurs with fiber-optic DTS technology.…”