Real-Time Fiber-Optic Integrated System Allows Precision in a Surgical Sand Plug Settlement of a Temporary Well Isolation Operation

Vera, Vanesa; Torres, Carlos; Delgado, Eduardo; Pacheco, Carlos; Torres, Marı́a E.; Higuera, Josue

doi:10.2118/194278-ms

Day 2 Wed, March 27, 2019 2019

DOI: 10.2118/194278-ms

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Real-Time Fiber-Optic Integrated System Allows Precision in a Surgical Sand Plug Settlement of a Temporary Well Isolation Operation

Vanesa Vera

Carlos Torres

Eduardo Delgado

et al.

Abstract: Pumping sand through coiled tubing (CT) with real-time capabilities is not a common practice because of potential risks associated with cable integrity. A successful sand plug settling procedure supported by a real-time fiber-optic integrated system under critical well conditions was of high importance during a recompletion intervention, allowing optimization of time and costs. Multiple methods are used to isolate a well during recompletion activities; nevertheless, a cost-effective method to di… Show more

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Cited by 3 publications

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Real-Time Hybrid Coiled Tubing Technology: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities in Field Operations

Vera

Torres

Higuera³

2020

Day 2 Wed, March 25, 2020

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Well intervention challenges present opportunities to develop new technologies that increase operation efficiency and effectiveness. A revolutionary real-time hybrid coiled tubing (CT) service marks a new era of informed interventions. This paper highlights the results from 3 years of field operations using this real-time hybrid CT technology to improve well interventions economically, logistically, operationally, and technically by performing analysis and making decisions in real time. Previous techniques used wireline units to perform real-time operations, which often required production shut-in and multiple runs to avoid operational issues (i.e., tool lifting in wells with high production rates). CT electric line units mitigate the shut-in requirement, but reduce the pipe pulling capabilities and limit the fluids and rates to be pumped through the pipe. CT with fiber-optics technology helps eliminate the shut-in requirement and the fluids and rates restrictions, without affecting the CT pulling capabilities. However, operating time is limited because of the power source life. During the 3-year period, more than 1 million running feet of CT well interventions were performed in the eastern foothills of Colombia, where challenging conditions, such as high gas production rate, high tortuosity, and dogleg severity, were overcome using the real-time hybrid CT service. The real-time hybrid CT service includes an open architecture system that provides the capability to pump any fluid type at different rates through the CT and hybrid downhole tool. Additionally, the system is compatible with all electric and mechanical tools using a plug-and-play adapter to attach tools in a single rig up, which helps eliminate additional rig up and rig down of units to perform other types of well interventions. A continuous power supply allows operations to be performed without time or power constraints. This paper reviews previous case histories in which multiple interventions were successfully performed in a single run using real-time hybrid CT technology, including zonal isolation, well surveillance, access recovery, stimulations, production logging, injection logging, completion visualization, and perforating under extreme underbalanced conditions with extremely long bottomhole assemblies (BHAs). The flexibility of the real-time hybrid CT technology provides multiple opportunities to address new challenges in the oil industry without limits.

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Real-Time Hybrid Coiled Tubing Technology: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities in Field Operations

Vera

Torres

Higuera³

2020

Day 2 Wed, March 25, 2020

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Real-Time Fiber-Optic Coiled Tubing Delivered Well Intervention Savings Through Faster Decision-Making Process

Lerose¹,

Pelusi²,

Spagnolo³

et al. 2020

Day 4 Thu, November 12, 2020

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Historically, the preferred method for restoring production on oil producers in a mature field in South Europe (Field A) was bullheading a matrix acid stimulation treatment. Even if successfully implemented, bullheading treatments at matrix rate are not always optimum and, for Well A, it was decided to diagnose the producing interval first to deliver a better selective stimulation treatment through coiled tubing (CT). This paper presents a novel approach implemented and discusses its associated benefits. Real-time (RT) fiber-optic (FO) CT (RTFOCT) technology was selected to diagnose this well for such benefits. These include accessibility of the producing zone (horizontal section), pumping capabilities, and versatility in executing different well interventions using single equipment. The technology is composed of a FO cable preinstalled into the CT pipe and a modular sensing bottomhole assembly (BHA). In addition to be the telemetry medium for the sensing BHA, the FO can be used as a sensor for distributed temperature and acoustic sensing (DTS and DAS). Having access to downhole information in RT helped to implement the decision-making process more quickly. DTS and DAS were used to evaluate the reservoir performance before perforating and assessing well performance, post perforation and stimulation. The sensing BHA helped ensure accurate placement of the perforations and stimulation treatment using a RT casing collar locator (CCL) and gamma ray (GR). Monitoring the bottomhole tension and compression allowed the operation to be performed in a safer and more reliable environment. RTFOCT allows interval diagnostics, stimulation treatment, and evaluation in a single CT run. Having the RTFOCT available also allows quick reaction to unexpected well problems, making diagnosis and remediation easier and faster. Moreover, one of the main goals for well monitoring and field management consists of production optimization activities designed to decrease Water Cut (WC). This has been made possible thanks to the detailed downhole dynamic characterization of the specific water flooding zones coming from RTFOCT, which allows Operator to stimulate the matrix in the right zone to enhance well performance, as well as design focused Water Shut-Off (WSO) interventions. The focus of the paper lies in the capabilities of the Operators to effectively manage this new tool in order to perform downhole analyses in real-time. This enables potentially problematic or complex scenarios to be identified early on, allowing time to react before they fully develop, thus increasing the percentage of success of the planned job, as experienced in the case study presented.

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Making Workovers Easy and Cost Effective: Turning Old Ways into New Opportunities

Raza

Elmoneim

Looten

et al. 2021

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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A case study and methodology is presented to shed the light on the different processes followed during the placement of a non-damaging isolation barrier in a group of highly naturally-fractured and vugular gas wells. The temporary isolation aims at isolating the wellbore from the troublesome formation and allow the removal of the original completion string and install a new redesigned one. The process helped putting the wells back on production with-out the need to stimulate any of them. This helped client to reduce the overall workover cost by 40% and proved to be successful and efficient to complete the required operation in a time-efficient. The operator had 4 wells with OH sections ranging from 40-80m which were completed in the late 1990's with no production packer. To preserve wellbore integrity the completion string needed to be pulled and replaced by a string with production packer and DH gauges. Visco-Elastic Surfactant (VES) and calcium CaCO3 (carbonate) used ubiquitously in field operations were tested for optimal design to fill highly fractured OH without damaging formation. Caliper logs were not available, and the presence of natural fractures posed a challenge to calculate the actual OH volume. A system was developed to carry the CaCO3 into the wellbore in stages and slickline was employed to measure fill after each stage. Once the OH was filled with CaCO3 and well would support a fluid column coil tubing was used to place an acid-soluble cement plug in the short interval between casing shoe and end of tubing (6-9m). The paper describes the optimization process followed to tune the CaCO3 pads composition, gel composition, mixing and placement technique. The first well in the campaign required more than 10 times the theoretical volume of CaCO3 to fill the open hole with multiple settling issues at surface. It was concluded the surfactant gel was likely carrying the CaCO3 into the fractures. The procedure was modified to tie in a line of breaker solution to the well head allowing sufficient viscosity of the fluid to carry the CaCO3 from surface but immediately lose viscosity and allow the CaCO3 to settle in the open hole without being carried into the formation. Specific coil tubing procedures were employed to allow the setting of ultra-short acid soluble cement plugs (<6m). All wells were successfully isolated to allow the safe workover of the completion string and returned to production with no loss of gas flow, with-out the need to stimulate after the work over. The campaign exhibited a new method of employing existing technologies to achieve the objective in a highly challenging and relatively new oilfield of Kurdistan. The campaign also demonstrated the benefit, in terms of saving time and cost because of extensive pre-execution planning.

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Real-Time Fiber-Optic Integrated System Allows Precision in a Surgical Sand Plug Settlement of a Temporary Well Isolation Operation

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

Real-Time Hybrid Coiled Tubing Technology: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities in Field Operations

Real-Time Hybrid Coiled Tubing Technology: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities in Field Operations

Real-Time Fiber-Optic Coiled Tubing Delivered Well Intervention Savings Through Faster Decision-Making Process

Making Workovers Easy and Cost Effective: Turning Old Ways into New Opportunities

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