Concentric Coiled Tubing Technology for Well Cleaning and Evaluation in Complex Horizontal Wells: A 3 Wells Case Study from Heavy Oil Field, Kuwait

Abstract

Abstract A few horizontal wells were drilled in Kuwait, heavy oil field, as a part of cold production testing. Various workover interventions were performed on these wells. However, some of the wells showed sharp production decline and were producing below expectations. It was suspected that formation damage may have occurred in these ultra-low reservoir pressure wellbores due to the overbalance of the fluids used during interventions. Concentric coiled tubing (CCT) technology comprising of a downhole jet pump, was recently employed for the first time in Kuwait and was determined to be an effective method to clean the horizontal sections and investigate the reasons for the production problems. The single phase cleanout fluid is circulated down the inner string to power the jet pump, creating a localized drawdown that vacuums the formation solids or fluids out of the wellbore and the combined sand/fluid stream returns via the CCT annulus. The multiple operating modes provided the benefit of cleaning and treating the wellbore in the same run. This specialized system was successfully utilized to remove sand, evaluate the formation damage and enhance production; meeting all objectives in a single well intervention. Pressure and temperature gauges run below the tool on two wells recorded bottomhole pressure of only 150 psi. Post-production results has pushed the boundaries of the well interventions in heavy oil field in Kuwait and has unlocked several wellbore cleanout and formation damage evaluation opportunities using the CCT technology. This paper reviews the benefits of the concentric coiled tubing technology and provides a comprehensive case study of the first three horizontal wells. The analysis of the sand and fluid influx profiles obtained during the vacuuming process assisted in to evaluating well production provided crucial data in formulating a management strategy.