Reservoir Management of Inflow Control Devices in an Undersaturated Reservoir: A Case Study in the De Ruyter Field, Netherlands

Abstract

Abstract Passive inflow control devices (ICD) are being rapidly adopted in horizontal production wells particularly when there is a high probability of produced water or gas in a heterogeneous reservoir in the early life of a well. The justification, application, installation and the flow physics of ICDs available to the industry are well documented in the literature [1–3]. However, there are limited case studies that discuss the production and reservoir performance, to investigate their longer term impact supported with actual production data. The De Ruyter Field, which started production in September 2006, has been completed with passive ICDs in combination with zonal isolation in two horizontal wells in the undersaturated western fault block. This paper will describe how ICDs increased recovery compared to stand alone screens, by controlling water production and promoting inflow from lower productivity zones thus extending the life of the De Ruyter Field . This paper will also discuss the use of actual production and PLT data to history match a dynamic simulation model. The ICDs allowed the operator to commercialize an offshore development by delaying and controlling water production in a heterogeneous reservoir, thereby increasing recovery and extending the field production life.