Interventionless Reservoir-Isolation Valve Removes Need for Intermediate Completion

Abstract

This article, written by Special Publications Editor Adam Wilson, contains highlights of paper SPE 184706, “Interventionless Reservoir-Isolation Valve Removes the Requirement for an Intermediate Completion: A Case Study,” by Andrew Edwards, SPE, Euan Murdoch, SPE, and Christopher Munro, SPE, Weatherford, prepared for the 2017 SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, The Hague, 14–16 March. The paper has not been peer reviewed. This paper focuses on the application of radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology to enable an operator to eliminate an intervention run (or intermediate liner) for a 10,000-ft reservoir section. The case-study well has preperforated liner in two zones isolated with swellable packers and pressure-actuated annulus packers. The typical procedure is to straddle the annulus packers individually using an inflatable plug, but setting the lower annulus packer incurs additional risk while running in the horizontal for an extended distance. Here, an RFID-actuated reservoir-isolation valve (RIV) eliminates an intervention run. Methodology RFID is now a common technology used across various industries to provide a means of communication between a passive antenna and an active antenna. This technology has now been adapted and applied to actuate downhole tools in oil and gas wells. In the RFID portfolio, the installed equipment houses the active antenna and RFID tags that are deployed at surface and provide the passive antenna. The tool provides a secure, pressure-resistant encasement for the electronics required. The RFID tag contains a memory bank to store a command that is programmed at surface and a coil that takes power from the radio-frequency field generated by the active tool antenna. This power provided by the active antenna is passed directly to the passive antenna and allows the tag to transmit the programmed command to the RFID tool. The command is then decoded and processed within the tool and then acted upon. The command can include logic to tell the tool to function immediately, function after a delay, or switch operating modes to look for another trigger. The small size of the tag allows freedom of movement and easy integration with existing completions. Because RFID transmission is a close-proximity means of transferring data, it requires no direct contact between both devices. The communication can be made in a downhole context at up to 6 to 12 in. RFID technology has so far been used in drilling applications, in upper-completion equipment, and in the reservoir as an inflow-control-device sleeve or for providing a multizone stimulation sys-tem in slickwater or hydraulic proppant.