Initial UBD-Reservoir Candidate Screening Prevents Applying the Technology to the Wrong Reservoirs: Case Study

Abstract

AbstractThe Petroleum Development of Oman, PDO has been considering adapting new technologies to ensure that strategic resources are optimally explored, developed and produced during the life cycle of their fields. Among the various options available to achieve these objectives, Underbalanced Drilling technology is considered to evaluatthe benefits over traditional drilling and completion methodologies in terms of reservoir performance.Accordingly, an Underbalanced Drilling reservoir candidate screening process was initiated to examine the suitability of the technology for seven gas reservoirs in PDO.The screening process began by taking basic reservoir and drilling data and processing it through expert system software. The software rated the candidacy of the reservoir to help determine the likelihood of achieving success with underbalanced vs overbalanced drilling and completion techniques, to identify the best potential underbalanced candidates from the given portfolio and proceed with a detailed analysis.The expert system score for underbalanced candidacy is calculated by considering different modules. Each module includes a comparison of the key differentiators between overbalanced and UB techniques that impact the UB candidacy of a reservoir. To make these comparisons, the expert system assumes a well is drilled overbalancedand assesses the potential effect on reservoir performance and then estimates the potential benefit of underbalanced drilled wells with minimal damage.In this paper, the results of the screening process for the gas reservoirs examined are presented and discussed. The study confirmed that candidate selection is a critical first step before initiating any underbalanced drilling project. It also explains why when correct candidates are chosen, UBD significantly improves productivity compared with conventional overbalanced drilling practices.