Unique Solution for Fracture Isolation Resolves Water/Gas Breakthrough Challenges in a Horizontal SlimHole Well

Al-Mumen, Adib Abdulmohsen; Al-Umran, Mohammed Ibrahim; Agrawal, Pradeep; Jørgensen, Thomas; Smith, Peter E.

doi:10.2118/115270-ms

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…When wells are worked over, they are drilled as sidetracks with smaller bit sizes, and consequently, smaller-diameter completion equipment is needed. There has been a limited availability of packer and ICD sizes until now (Al-Mumen et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Openhole ICD Completion With Fracture Isolation in a Horizontal Slimhole Well: Case Study

Young

Al-Madlouh

Smith

et al. 2009

Middle East Drilling Technology Conference &Amp; Exhibition

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Preventing water or gas breakthrough and equalizing flow are two of the primary challenges that must be resolved when producing from horizontal slimhole wells. This paper presents a "first-of-its-kind" concept that was used in a well operated by a major Middle Eastern operator to prevent/delay water/gas breakthrough and to equalize the flow across a 3-7/8-in. horizontal open hole. Inflow-Control Device (ICD) completions often are used in slimhole horizontal redrills, and the new design used in wells discussed in this paper combined the ICD concept with four swellable packers to compartmentalize the hole.Swellable packers use rubber around the packer that will expand when introduced to hydrocarbons or water so that the annulus is permanently sealed. The well, completed in the Middle East carbonate formation where natural fracturing is commonplace, employed a 2-3/8-in. pre-perforated liner and two swellable packers with blank pipe between to isolate a fracture. This fracture, had it been allowed to produce, would have been detrimental to well performance and would have led to a costly workover operation.An additional swellable packer was included in the liner to compartmentalize the reservoir section below the fracture. The completion assembly was run into the open hole with a hydraulic disconnect tool, which included a fourth swell packer above to provide isolation inside the previous casing.The paper describes swellable packer technology and the well completion from concept evaluation to execution of the final completion. In addition to the background information, the discussion will include the post analysis that used well rates and reservoir pressure to gauge the effectiveness of the final concept.The completion design was developed by a multi-disciplinary team that had been assembled to review the latest technologies and to successfully bring the concept to reality. The initial performance of this well met the operator's goals for good oil production with a stable water cut.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Openhole ICD Completion With Fracture Isolation in a Horizontal Slimhole Well: Case Study

Young

Al-Madlouh

Smith

et al. 2009

Middle East Drilling Technology Conference &Amp; Exhibition

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Swellable Packers in Unique Horizontal Completions Solves Difficult Challenges in Offshore India Vasai East Field

Kalyani

Avtar

Srivastava

et al. 2009

SPE Offshore Europe Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) operates the Vasai East Field in western offshore India. The reservoir is challenging to drill and complete because of the inherent risks of gas and water coning, permeability differences, and declining reservoir pressures. An innovative horizontal completion strategy for new wells to meet the many unusual challenges was required. The need for appropriate zonal isolation was identified after the wells in the Vasai West Field had been completed without segmentation in the open hole. The requirements included:○Oil production without breakthrough of gas or water○Effective hydraulic seal in washed-out hole conditions○Contingency options for intervention, if needed○Equipment to withstand high bottomhole static temperature. This paper describes how the challenges were met using swellable-packer, high-temperature isolation systems placed between perforated tubing/sliding-sleeve circulating devices and blank pipe spaced out across the oil-bearing zones. The swellable packer systems were located at the ends of each facies change to isolate the local high-permeability zones. Swellable packers use expanding rubber around the packer mandrel that expands to seal the annulus and create a permanent seal when it contacts liquid hydrocarbon or water in both cased or openhole environments. Five wells have been completed in Vasai East field to date with swellable packers in conjunction with pre-perforated liners or sliding sleeves. PLT logs have been run in one of the wells post completion, and isolation has been verified. Low water cuts and low gas/oil ratios (GOR) also verify that the packers isolate the various sections of the wells as planned. On the success of these completions, this technology is currently being planned for ONGC's completions in other fields. Introduction The Vasai East Field is located in the Heera-Panna-Bassein block and falls toward and northeast of the main Bassein field about 80 Km west northwest of Mumbai city (Fig. 1). Water depth varies from 40 to 50 m. As per the latest geological model, the field has an average oil column thickness of about 28 m trapped between the gas cap above and aquifer at bottom. The field extends over an area of 54 sq. km. Vasai East field was discovered in 2001 and had continuously declined in pressure due to gas production from the nearby Bassein field. Both the fields are hydro dynamically connected through a common aquifer (Fig. 2). The production targeted was from a thin-oil column trapped between a gas cap and water at bottom in a high-temperature reservoir. The field had been plagued with problems from severe mud loss that had occurred during exploratory drilling in the field. Also, since the oil is between the gas cap and aquifer at bottom, the horizontal drain-hole placement was critical to control unwanted gas/water production. The Vasai East Field is hydro-dynamically connected with the main Bassein field through a common aquifer, which is depleting due to constant gas production. Therefore there was an urgent need to quickly develop this field. To keep pace with the quickly depleting reservoir pressures, efforts were made to expedite the development scheme for the exploitation of oil from this field. The Vasai East Field is separated from the main Bassein field by a low axis at the Bassein formation level.

show abstract

Unique Solution for Fracture Isolation Resolves Water/Gas Breakthrough Challenges in a Horizontal SlimHole Well

Cited by 2 publications

References 9 publications

Openhole ICD Completion With Fracture Isolation in a Horizontal Slimhole Well: Case Study

Openhole ICD Completion With Fracture Isolation in a Horizontal Slimhole Well: Case Study

Swellable Packers in Unique Horizontal Completions Solves Difficult Challenges in Offshore India Vasai East Field

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About