Use of New Approach in Estimating Skin in an ICD Completion

Abstract

Inflow control devices (ICD) have been used to balance flux around completions and also delay break-through of unwanted water into completions. Inflow-control devices (ICDs) were provided to curtail water production from heterogenous reservoirs with strong aquifer systems and/or supported with water injection. The model for the ICD consists of pressure-drop equations from the reservoir, through the screen, the flow conduit, the ICD nozzle, and into the production tubing, along with pressure drop through the lower-completion system. This additional pressure drop does not contribute to additional fluid inflow into the wellbore and this is seen to be an impairment to the productivity of horizontal wells. Pressure losses from horizontal wellbores which do not contribute to increased production is seen as skin and consequently, a new equation was derived to estimate skin due to ICD in horizontal completions. In this paper, a horizontal well equipped with inflow control device which was drilled in one of the off-shore fields of the Niger Delta region was used as a case study in evaluating the performance of an ICD completion. The new equation was used to estimate the skin due to ICD of this completion and the result obtained is compared with the skin obtained using pressure transient analysis and the results obtained from both approach are similar. This paper shares how the new equation was used to estimate skin due to ICD and the result comparison with that of a pressure transient analysis.