Walking the Line: Finding Balance Between Commodity and Custom Intelligent Completion Systems

Abstract

For most of the ten years since market introduction, the majority of intelligent completion systems have been custom-designed and manufactured to meet the specific requirements of the customer. Customization was a natural step in the evolution of the technology, as operators tested usability and reliability in individual wells that reflected unique environments and challenges. Each situation was different, and the technology developed more or less in answer to those distinct demands (Figure 1); consequently, the experience base grew and the capabilities expanded. As intelligent completion technology has "crossed the chasm"1 from the early adopter stage to mainstream market acceptance - growing from its early usage almost entirely for intervention avoidance to its current use as a primary component in optimizing production - demands for customization have kept pace (Figure 2). Customers are looking today for the best well solutions available - not just the latest technology. Meeting this demand often means providing more holistic solutions, usually with some degree of customization factored in, and generally at the most cost-effective rate. But an interesting, and perhaps game-changing, trend has developed in parallel. Like users of most popular technologies, operators are now demanding that intelligent completion systems be designed more rapidly, manufactured more cheaply, and delivered sooner - all at lower prices. To these users, the technology has evolved from a costly customized solution to a commodity that can be cost-effectively and rapidly produced and delivered. This emerging theme of dual manufacturing models - one for customization, one for commodity - leaves suppliers of intelligent completion technology with a puzzle: how to satisfy a market that demands customization at a commodity price, while still delivering high-quality, innovative products that can support the industry in the future.