Assessing Offshore Multilateral Well Potential from the Early Life of the Well

Abstract

Operators are continuously striving to improve oil and gas field development strategies. One of the major improvements in field development strategies is enhancement of well completion designs that maximize profitability while maintaining high standards of reservoir management. Completion strategies have been transforming over the years from conventional wells to the recently drilled multilateral (ML) wells and smart wells that combine inflow control devices (ICDs) and electrical submersible pump (ESP) equipment. The new era of intelligent wells is focused on over-performing the old completion practices in terms of well productivity and reservoir sweep efficiency. Well-A was trial tested for the first time in an offshore field by deploying a hydraulic line wet mate (HLWM) connect system with the intelligent completion (IC). This tool allows de-completing the upper completion, which includes an encapsulated (pod) ESP portion, without the need to de-complete the lower intelligent completion. The completion operation of this well consists of two stages: the first stage consists of completing the well with the intelligent completion, HLWM connect tool and a production packer. The second stage is performed by pulling the production packer by disconnecting at the HLWM point and consequently running the ESP completion while maintaining the integrity of the lower intelligent well completion in place. The completion operation in Well-A was run in two stages only to trial test the reliability of the HLWM connect system in this field, since it was utilized for the first time. In subsequent wells, the intelligent completion can be run in one stage with the ESP integrated as part of the final completion design. A production optimization sequence utilizing a simulation model was used to analyze the potential of the well and selecting the right inflow control valve (ICV) settings from the two laterals for optimum reservoir drainage.

An autonomously self-gel-breaking, highly reservoir protective completion fluid tailored for gel-free processing in multi-lateral well construction

“…Multi-lateral well, one special kind of well profile, has been paid widespread attention from both theoretical and applied points of view due to its fundamental role in enhancing production capability of oil and gas in some unique reservoirs such as those of heavy oil, marginal oil, tight oil, and fault-block oil. Indeed, the fact that the production capability of multi-lateral well increases by 2~8 times relative to that of traditional vertical and horizontal wells in the same zone was well-documented (Dennis et al, 2006;Zorbalas et al, 2013;AbdeIMawla et al, 2018).…”