Electronic-Set Openhole Packer Installation in Campos Basin, Offshore Brazil: A Case History

Abstract

Interest in hydrocarbon-bearing carbonates as well as emerging extended-reach horizontal well technology for sandstone reservoirs has caused the need for reliable zonal isolation to receive substantial attention. Solutions for isolating more permeable sections of the reservoir from those less prone to produce in an economically favorable flow rate in a horizontal well often employ swell packers, whose major drawback is a long inflation period. This paper presents the successful installation of thirteen remote set packers in an offshore well for a major IOC in Brazil.Twelve of the packers were set in openhole and one was set near the 9 5/8-in casing shoe. The device encompasses a programmable electronically controlled setting mechanism that includes a pressure sensor, temperature sensor and a countdown clock. Utilization of the new technology enabled the operator to set the packers faster than swell packers, saving 2 days of rig time.The completion design comprised setting the packers sequentially from heel to toe, only a few minutes apart, by holding pressure inside the string against the openhole wall. Using actual drilling data, the packers were programmed with the desired pressure and temperature parameters prior to running in the hole. Upon reaching the setting depth, the work string pressure was increased and monitored through the cement unit. In less than one and a half hours, all thirteen devices were successfully set and observed through real-time monitoring of the cement unit's pressure transducer.The paper presents the device concept, describes the complete sequence of pre-job preparation and reveals the installation outcomes.