Technology Focus: Completions Today (September 2011)

Abstract

Technology Focus Reviewing the numerous papers for this feature showed that the primary theme throughout the last 12 months, globally, has been intelligent-completion methodologies. Fine tuning this information, it is further seen that the primary interest was reservoir surveillance, reservoir deliverability, and production optimization. In line with the latest generation of objectives, the scope of real-time optimization may be focused on three major segments: well-performance-model update, well-performance monitoring, and reservoir monitoring. Latest-generation real-time-optimization systems can calculate a voidage-replacement ratio for a given completion/reservoir and its subsections on the basis of daily surface-allocated production and injection. The system alerts the user about any parameter that is outside defined bounds of a voidage-replacement ratio, providing optimization engineers with an indication of given areas of the completion/reservoir that are under- or overinjected. Also, in recent years, the upstream petroleum industry has been honing its ability to drill and complete increasingly-longer higher-angle wells along complex well paths. In addition, live-well-deployment systems deploy and retrieve perforating guns without needing to kill the well. Whether using wireline, coiled tubing, or snubbing pipe, these advanced deployment systems perforate multiple, or longer, intervals in one run to reduce rig time and completion cost. Application of intelligent-well-completion technology has continued to grow within the industry, even in the face of perceived risks associated with installation and longevity of the system. Operating companies may face challenges (e.g., the subsurface may be characterized by a double-plunging anticline structure with a thrust fault along the main axis and multiple flank normal faults dividing the three major reservoirs into five or six main producing areas). Furthermore, each major reservoir may be subdivided vertically into more subreservoirs. Pressure maintenance may be by use of peripheral water injection or produced-gas reinjection. I am, therefore, pleased that many operating and service companies have started a significant research partnership. The research is aimed at finding and developing new completion methodologies and technologies for enhanced production, with the aim of addressing many of the challenges in the upstream petroleum industry. Completions Today additional reading available at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org SPE 141456 • “Best Practices for Multizone Stimulation Using Composite Bridge Plugs” by Douglas J. Lehr, SPE, Baker Hughes, et al. SPE 138322 • “Frac Sleeves: Is Milling Them Out Worth the Trouble?” by G. Wozniak, EQT Resources SPE 130219 • “Nonuniform Slotted-Liner Completion, a New Approach To Obtain Uniform Production Profile Along Horizontal Wells” by M. Mohammadsalehi, Iranian Central Oilfields Company, et al.