The High-Pressure/High-Temperature Completion Landscape—Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Abstract

Summary High-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) wells demand the highest-performance equipment and services for the safe and successful completion of these high-risk and high-cost projects. The demands associated with logging, shoe-track isolation, equipment longevity and service life, completion and intervention options, and regulatory compliance push the limits of materials and services. The successful completion of HP/HT wells requires advanced materials evaluations, collaboration among many disciplines, and sufficient time for product development and assessment to meet current industry and regulatory standards. The tools used in HP/HT completions are usually developed to meet the demands of a well or a family of wells. These tools include, but are not limited to, wellbore-isolation plugs, production packers, liner hangers, perforating guns, casing-collar-locator (CCL) tools, formation-evaluation tools, seal assemblies, and subsurface safety valves. The methods used for HP/HT tool development are evolving, and the development cycles are lengthening, particularly for ultra-HP/HT applications in which materials screening and stability assessments are required. The development of tools for several recent Gulf of Mexico ultra-HP/HT wells required a multiyear schedule for development to industry and regulatory requirements. Because of their extreme depths, ultra-HP/HT wells are typically constructed architecture emphasizing small production casings across production intervals. This complicates cementing procedures, and severely limits product options. From an intervention standpoint, work-string options also become limited. Achieving mechanical success in these applications requires the operator to manage not only traditional resources such as time, people, and cash, but also the development of new high-performance technologies in an evolving regulatory environment. What can the industry anticipate for future HP/HT wells in terms of architecture, product development, and regulatory challenges? This paper reviews the industry’s history in these areas, identifies current development paradigms, and discusses the future challenges in well planning and product development.