New Completion Design Facilitates Well and Reservoir Surveillance in Beam Pumped Wells in South Oman

Abstract

This reference is for an abstract only. A full paper was not submitted for this conference. Abstract Most oilfields in South Oman comprise mature, heavy oil reservoirs with sub-hydrostatic pressures. Wells need be put on artificial lift since the beginning and different artificial lift methods have been deployed. Rod driven beam pump is one of the common artificial lift methods used and currently more than 1000 beam pumped wells are in operation contributing to about 30% of production from south Oman fields. These oilfields, in general, are geologically very complex and extremely heterogeneous due to the presence of large number of faults and fractures. Water flooding is being used in many of the reservoirs to enhance recovery and increase the economic life of the various reservoirs. Success of water flood calls for increased level of well and reservoir surveillance - more so in an adverse mobility ratio scenario in presence of faults and fractures. The most common surveillance program calls for identifying the source of premature water breakthrough in producers. Conventional beam pump completions do not facilitate effective surveillance, as production logging cannot be carried out. This paper presents the implementation of a new completion design in rod pump wells which facilitates recording of surveillance data like production logs, flowing pressure survey etc. in rod pump wells by deploying dual well-heads. The well design facilitates deployment of two strings - the conventional string which houses the pump and is used for normal production; and a second string to be exclusively used for surveillance and well intervention. Successful implementation of the new completion design has facilitated recording of production logs in beam pump wells. Well intervention job using a coiled tubing or slick-line can also be carried out using the surveillance string. This can obviate the need of an expensive conventional hoist for intervention jobs like sand clean-out, stimulation, perforations and water shutoff.