Successful Use of Multilateral Technology to Improve Oil Recovery in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) assessed many technologies to increase production and reduce costs while protecting the environment in the Brazilian Amazon. For this project, where access to likely wellsites is restricted both by limited infrastructure and Brazilian regulations, minimizing environmental impact was the primary factor in the operator's decision process. To address both environmental and production issues, the operator selected multilateral technology, which minimizes the wellsite footprint, yet allows for drainage of a much larger volume of the reservoir from a single surface location. This is a significant advantage when compared to the cost and environmental impact of drilling multiple wells or using large drilling pads. Petrobras implemented this technology in the Urucu field, located 650 km southwest of Manaus, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. The Urucu has three reservoirs and more than 95 wells. The target formation is Jurua in the Paleozoic Solimões basin—a basin that includes an important petroliferous system (Jandiatuba-Jurua). The reservoir rock consists of eolian and marginal, marine carboniferous sandstones. This paper presents the results of a successful multilateral technology project in the Urucu field in which three TAML Level-4 dual-lateral wells were installed by Petrobras. These wells had an average production rate of 1.75 times more than a typical horizontal well while spending only 1.42 times the average cost of the same.

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“…Hence, it makes multilateral well a suitable candidate in the region as the required surface facilities and the network pipelines would be minimized in this configuration, and consequently, it may end up with decrease in surface pollution and underground water pollution. Although clearly multilateral wells are favorable configurations for critical environmental condition (Mendes et al 2014), multilateral wells also are expected to increase the current recovery factor (19% based on an old development plan from company's report). A horizontal well with the KOP 2974 m has been drilled in 99 days using a mud weight between 1.22 to 1.25 gm/cm 3 .…”