New Inflow Control Device Reduces Fluid Viscosity Sensitivity and Maintains Erosion Resistance

Coronado, Martin P.; Garcı́a, Luis; Russell, Ronnie M.; Garcı́a, Gonzalo; Peterson, Elmer

doi:10.4043/otc-19811-ms

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The PICD modeling techniques and applications are described by Garcia et al 4,6 . From the mechanical shutoff solution point of view there are two cases should be considered:…”

Section: Picd With Sliding Sleeve Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Well Completion Applications for the Latest-Generation Low-Viscosity Sensitive Passive Inflow Control Device

et al. 2010

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In long horizontal wells, oil production rate is typically affected by the reservoir heterogenities, heel to toe effect and mobility ratio. The resulting imbalanced production profile may cause early water or gas breakthrough into the wellbore. Once coning occurs, well fluid production may be severely decreased due to limited flow contribution from the toe or from reservoir areas with high flow resistance in the porous media. To eliminate this imbalance, passive inflow control devices (PICDs) are placed in each screen joint or inflow point to balance the production influx profile across the entire lateral length and compensate for permeability variation.PICD performance in producer (oil, gas, and high gas/oil ratio environments) wells under different operational conditions will be presented to show the technical benefits of this technique as well as their improved recovery efficiencies when compared to non-PICD completions. Fluid viscosity insensitivity of the PICD is critical to minimize preferential water flow whenever water breaks through into the well. The quantification of the benefits of this completion technique was performed using a fully integrated reservoir simulator where the PICD flow performance characteristic (as a function of fluid properties and geometry), well completion description (packers, blank pipe, gravel pack, annulus flow, etc.) and reservoir simulation are considered. Shutting off whole sections that have unacceptably high water and/or gas production using the latest PICD feature is also modeled to show improved recovery performance. This paper details the development of the latest-generation PICD design concept. Because these PICDs are permanent downhole components, their long-term reliability is imperative, and these new developments will improve their resistance to erosion and their ability to effectively balance inflow. Computational flow dynamics (CFD) analysis was used extensively to characterize the new design, under liquid and gas conditions, along with actual full-scale flow testing.

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“…The PICD modeling techniques and applications are described by Garcia et al 4,6 . From the mechanical shutoff solution point of view there are two cases should be considered:…”

Section: Picd With Sliding Sleeve Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Well Completion Applications for the Latest-Generation Low-Viscosity Sensitive Passive Inflow Control Device

et al. 2010

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“…There are different ICD types offered in the industry today which use either friction or restriction as their mechanism for creating pressure drop (Coronado et al, 2009). The two most commonly used ICDs are channel-type or nozzle-type.…”

Section: Review Of Icd Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This hybrid design uses multiple bulkheads which form chambers and flow slots 180° apart. Fluid flows through each successive chamber and incurs a pressure drop (Coronado et al, 2009). This means that the pressure drop is distributed along the ICD as compared to an orifice and the flow area through the slots can be larger than the nozzle or orifice diameter thereby reducing the possibility of erosion and plugging.…”

Section: Other Icd Typesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding the Roles of Inflow-Control Devices in Optimizing Horizontal-Well Performance

Fernandes

Zhu

2009

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Inflow Control Device, often referred to as equalizer, is a completion hardware that is deployed as a part of well completions aimed at distributing the inflow evenly. Even though the detail structures vary from one design to another, the principle for different inflow control devices is the same -restrict flow by creating additional pressure drop, and therefore balancing or equalizing wellbore pressure drop to achieve an evenly distributed flow profile along a horizontal well. With a more evenly distributed flow profile, one can reduce water or gas coning, sand production and solve other drawdown related production problems. In general, inflow control devices are not adjustable; once installed in the well, the location of the device and the relationship between rate and pressure drop are fixed. This makes the design of a well completion and inflow control devices extremely critical for production. Inflow control devices can be either beneficial or detrimental to production, strongly depending on the reservoir condition, well structure and completion design. Realizing that reservoir conditions will change during the life of a well, the impact of an inflow control device is a function of time. The inflow control devices sometimes can be overlooked if the design is only based on reservoir flow simulation.In this paper, we will investigate how and when an inflow control device should be used. An integrated analysis method of inflow (reservoir) and outflow (wellbore) is used to generate the flow profile of a horizontal well, and additional frictional pressure drop created by inflow control devices will be considered. Two conditions that result in production problems, wellbore pressure drop and breakthrough of unwanted fluids, will be addressed. The focus will be on when and how an inflow control device can optimize production. Examples at field conditions will be used to illustrate that it is critical to understand the reservoir conditions and wellbore dynamics together when designing a well completion with inflow control devices. Since uncertainty of reservoir condition always exists, backup plans and conservative designs are desirable. The observations from this study show that overdesigned inflow control devices will not just increase the cost of well completion, but also impact the well performance negatively.

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“…basepipe and 6.54-in OD screen. The pressure drop flow performance characteristic used to describe the orifice and hybrid inflow control device design is the same as presented by Coronado et al 14 .…”

Section: Well Completion Fit To Reservoir Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Well Completion Applications for Passive Inflow Control Devices

Garcia

Coronado

Gavioli

2009

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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The main horizontal well completion issues have been identified and addressed during the previous decades, resulting in wells with better performance, lower water production and higher recovery efficiencies. One of the most important issues has been inflow equalization, which is affected by reservoir heterogeneities and pressure losses in the completion (annulus and liner). Evaluations of the flow equalization, in sandstone and natural fracture reservoirs, along horizontal wells have shown the importance of this technique to improve reservoir management.Passive inflow control device (PICD) performance in producer and injector wells under different fluid properties (density and viscosity) and operational conditions will be presented to show the technical benefits of this technique as well as their improved recovery efficiencies when compared to non-PICD completions. The quantification of the benefits of this completion technique was performed using a fully integrated reservoir simulator where the PICD flow performance characteristic, well completion description (packers, blank pipe, gravel pack, annulus flow, etc.), and reservoir simulation are considered.Lessons learned and best practices regarding equipment selection and specification acquired during the last 10 years are summarized to define potential PICD applications in horizontal wells. Finally, the field experiences and numerical simulation results are analyzed to establish the best well completion strategy to fit specific reservoir conditions. SPE 124349 PICD Design CharacteristicsThe primary factor in maintaining a uniform influx is the ability of the device to resist erosion from fluid-borne particles that pass through the screen. Screens are not designed to prevent 100% blockage of all particles from the formation. During production, formation fines that are produced through the screen also pass through the PICD. These fines can and will erode a PICD over time if the fluid velocity is high enough and fines are in the flow stream. The rate of erosion will depend on the following factors: particle size, particle concentration, and fluid velocity. The first two factors are dependent on well conditions, while the third is dependent on PICD geometry and design.Currently, there are two major different types of PICD designs in the industry: orifice/nozzle-based (restrictive) and helical-channel/labyrinth pathway (frictional). They use two different methods to achieve a uniform inflow profile. The orifice-based PICD uses fluid constriction to generate a differential pressure across the device. This method essentially forces the fluid from a larger area down through small-diameter ports, creating a flow resistance. This overall change in pressure is what allows the PICD to function.The helical-channel ( Fig. 1) and labyrinth pathway PICDs, however, use surface friction to generate a similar pressure drop. The helical channel design is one or more flow channels that are wrapped around the basepipe of the screen. The labyrinth design uses a tortuous pathway to cre...

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New Inflow Control Device Reduces Fluid Viscosity Sensitivity and Maintains Erosion Resistance

Cited by 19 publications

References 1 publication

Well Completion Applications for the Latest-Generation Low-Viscosity Sensitive Passive Inflow Control Device

Well Completion Applications for the Latest-Generation Low-Viscosity Sensitive Passive Inflow Control Device

Understanding the Roles of Inflow-Control Devices in Optimizing Horizontal-Well Performance

Identifying Well Completion Applications for Passive Inflow Control Devices

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