Multilateral Technology Innovations Ready to Maximize Field Development

Abstract

For a quarter of a century sustained technological advances in multilateral technology have enhanced economics and extended the production life of fields in the Middle East. Multilateral well construction, once considered to be complex, costly and a higher risk when compared to the drilling of a single wellbore, has been widely adopted in the Middle East as a robust, reliable and value adding method of field development or field rejuvenation. Having established confidence in existing multilateral technology and methods, operators in the region have challenged multilateral technology providers to expand and evolve to address more challenging reservoir needs and enable more advanced multilateral wells delivering even greater value. Multilateral applications have evolved in capabilities from simple dual laterals to the addition of allowing intervention capabilities, along with improved junction integrity, and the integration of lateral flow control and monitoring. The use of multilateral technology can deliver a significant increase in reservoir contact compared to single horizontal wells. A dual lateral well can deliver twice the reservoir contact while eliminating the drilling, casing, and cementing of an additional vertical wellbore section. Operators are implementing multilateral field strategies to reduce overall development cost, cycle times, and carbon footprint and providing a new lease of life to existing fields. Further benefits include delivery of wells with more production with less surface facility systems requiring less in-field construction hours and maintenance at a lower baseline cost and risk over the life of the field. This paper discusses the latest multilateral technology developed for operators in the Middle East. It highlights the continuous improvement of multilateral technology used in the region by demonstrating how application of multilateral well strategy is a proven and reliable method to reduce time-intensive operations by eliminating additional vertical wellbore sections and utilizing existing surface infrastructure. Case studies will include discussion of workover intervention operations, completions, infill drilling and lateral creation systems. This paper will focus on how the latest multilateral technology options enable operators in the Middle East to consistently meet challenges and maximize asset value. Wells originally planned as a single wellbore or a simple dual lateral are now drilled and completed using intelligent flow control and, in some cases, installations with pressure-controlled junctions. The paper focuses on a region and the technology used to increase efficiencies, enabling the reliable delivery of increased reservoir contact in less operational days. The paper also provides insights as to the methodology adopted to continually improving reliability of multilateral installations and to maximize efficiencies.