Application of Flux-Based Sand-Control Guidelines to the Na Kika Deepwater Fields

Abstract

Summary The Na Kika offtake guidelines were developed jointly by Shell and BP using a blending of recent sand control operational methodologies from each company. This paper focuses on the use of the Bpflux™ guidelines, which give maximum safe operating rates for sand-control completions and allow wells with excellent completion quality to produce at twice the rate of wells with lower completion quality. Before the Na Kika field started up, completion quality was estimated by reviewing 20 different elements of completion design and operations. These estimates were used to set the initial offtake limits for each zone. As the wells started producing, pressure buildups were used to measure the actual completion quality (skin), and the maximum operating rates were adjusted accordingly. By use of this methodology early in the field life, the field could be brought up to targeted production rates without unnecessarily compromising long-term sand control reliability. As the field matures, opportunities will be identified to extend the production plateau, which will provide an incremental production impact. Finally, later in the field life, the number of workovers required is expected to be reduced, which will provide an additional cost saving from using these guidelines.