Completion Techniques Used in Horizontal Wells Drilled in Shallow Gas Sands in the Gulf of Mexico

Sand production is detrimental in oil and gas production. Sand-control measures include gravel-packing, drawdown control, sand consolidation, slotted liners, pre-packed screens, and frac-and-pack. Vertical wells can use any of these methods. Extended-reach, highly inclined wells, and horizontal wells close to water tables have very few cost-effective choices like slotted liners and open-holes. To predict the potential for sand production, a perforated completion was analyzed as an elastic-plastic spherical cavity while an open-hole horizontal well was analyzed assuming cylindrical symmetry. This analytical procedure was applied to investigate the feasibility of sand-free oil production from a friable sandstone formation in the North Sea. The calculated sand-free drawdown pressure of the horizontal well is more than twice that of the vertical-perforated well, depending on the drainage radius. Subsequently, in the North Sea single-well production test, a horizontal well was drilled and supported with a slotted liner only. The field test produced oil at high rates with no measurable amounts of formation sand.

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Horizontal Open Hole Well Displacement Practices: Effect of Various Techniques on Well Productivity, Operational Complexity, and Overall Project Economics

Mathis

McCarter²,

Schottle³

et al. 2000

SPE/AAPG Western Regional Meeting

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TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractOpen hole gravel pack completions can have many advantages over comparable cased hole completions. This is especially true for horizontal well applications. However, because no perforations are present to penetrate the filtercake, borehole conditioning prior to gravel packing is critical to ensure good well productivity. To address this issue various borehole cleanup techniques have been developed. These different techniques have been adopted to address specific reservoir and economic conditions. Various levels of success have been realized for these techniques, with their development leading to an improved understanding as to which steps are critical for success under any circumstance. This paper reports performance results from gravel packed horizontal wells completed in the East Wilmington Field. In addition, techniques applied elsewhere are reviewed. The conditions that must be met in all displacement techniques to ensure a successful completion are outlined, as will the benefits and drawbacks of each of the commonly applied methods. Guidelines for selecting a wellbore cleaning procedure to employ in specific situations are provided.

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Completion Techniques Used in Horizontal Wells Drilled in Shallow Gas Sands in the Gulf of Mexico

Cited by 3 publications

References 4 publications

An integrated approach for the planning and completion of horizontal and multilateral wells

An integrated approach for the planning and completion of horizontal and multilateral wells

Sand Production in Vertical and Horizontal Wells in a Friable Sandstone Formation, North Sea

Horizontal Open Hole Well Displacement Practices: Effect of Various Techniques on Well Productivity, Operational Complexity, and Overall Project Economics

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