10 S C A N D I N A V I A N O I L - G A S M A G A Z I N E N O .

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Certain North Sea wells in which
this new methodology has been
applied in combination with other
technological advancements are
yielding a productivity index
ranging from 300 to 900
Sm
3
/d/bar without stimulation.
Wells in the same area using
conventional perforating
techniques have an average index
of 60 to 90 Sm
3
/d/bar. These
dramatic improvements are the
result of eliminating zinc from the
charges, improving charge
performance, changing well uid,
and controlling the wellbore
pressure after detonation of the
shaped charges. Controlling the
wellbore pressure enables the
dynamic underbalance to be
optimised. This tactic, known as
PURE*, challenges the long-
held belief that static underbalance
alone guarantees perforation
cleanup. Having been applied in
over 100 wells to date, use of the
new system along with additional
measures is now bringing similar
success to other elds in this region
and around the world.
Control of Wellbore
Dynamics
In cased hole completions, the
perforations provide the essential
link between the reservoir and the
wellbore through which the
hydrocarbons ow. Productivity is
largely governed by the geometry
of the perforation tunnels, but
unfortunately the creation of the
tunnels is accompanied by damage
to the formation. Perforation
damage a crushed zone of low
permeability around the
perforation tunnel and loose
crushed rock debris inside the
perforation tunnel must be
reduced or eliminated if
productivity is to be maximised.
Perforating is inseparable from
other services that improve well
productivity, such as fracturing,
acidising, and sand control and
prevention. In addition to being
conduits for uniform hydrocarbon
inow, perforations provide
uniform points of injection for
water, gas, acid, and proppant-
laden gels. Processes undertaken
after perforating (stimulation or
injection) are also more effective
or more easily achieved when
perforation damage is reduced.
Over the last few decades the
industry has become aware that
the degree of underbalance
required to produce clean
perforations depends primarily on
the reservoirs properties, such as
permeability and rock strength. For
example, hard, tight reservoirs
need a large underbalance,
sometimes up to 4,000 psi. More
recently, single-shot perforating
experiments at the Schlumberger
Reservoir Completions Center in
Rosharon, Texas have indicated
that it is the optimised dynamic
underbalance not the initial
static underbalance that governs
the effectiveness of perforation
cleanup. The wellbore pressure was
found to vary considerably during
the period of time immediately
after the charges were detonated.
Analysis of transient perforating
pressures during laboratory tests
conrms that static underbalance
alone cannot ensure clean
perforations. Previously neglected
uctuations in post detonation
wellbore pressure have shown to
signicantly govern the
D E E P W A T E R E S C A L A T I N G P R O D U C T I V I T Y
Global demand for increased productivity in todays lean business environment continues to spark the
drive for new technology. The maturing oil and gas elds offshore Norway and Denmark present a
unique challenge owing to reservoir complexity. A technological breakthrough in perforating is being
applied in this sector and is playing a part in dramatically increasing well productivity and injectivity,
helping to unlock the potential of subsea wells developed in both mature and new elds.
BY ALAN SALSMAN
New Perforating Tactics Make a Step
Change in Completion Performance
To enhance well productivity, PURE perforating techniques optimise the sharp drop in wellbore
pressure, or dynamic underbalance, after perforating charges detonate to remove debris and
crushed-zone damage from perforations.
S C A N D I N A V I A N O I L - G A S M A G A Z I N E N O . 3 / 4 2 0 0 4 11
effectiveness of perforation
cleanup. It is this improved
understanding of the perforation
cleanup process that inspired the
development of the PURE
perforating system.
The Schlumberger PURE
Perforating for Ultimate Reservoir
Exploitation system optimises this
critical step in connecting the well
to the reservoir by controlling and
optimising the dynamic
underbalance (the transient
underbalance established just after
the creation of the perforation
cavity). An instant decompression
of reservoir uids is created around
a perforation immediately after
perforating. It is at this moment
that the dynamic forces (pressure
differential and drag) are highest,
mitigating permanent perforation
damage by removing fractured
formation debris and the
compacted damaged zone from the
tunnel walls.
The PURE process utilises models
to control these events. Applicable
in multilaterals and high-angle
wells, and is available for tubing-,
wireline-, and coiled-tubing-
conveyed gun systems. Using
customised perforating designs,
specialised shaped charges, t-for-
purpose gun carrier
congurations, and completion
components, the PURE system can
generate a large dynamic
underbalance from modest initial
static underbalanced or even
overbalanced pressures. It is now
recognised that the initial static
underbalance is only one of several
factors that impact perforation
cleanup, and on its own is no
guarantee of success.
Signicant improvement in
perforation and reservoir
performance can be achieved by
considering the completion
geometry, uids, and perforating
hardware in the design of the
perforating job. The
groundbreaking PURE design
software is used to devise a unique
tailor-made perforating solution
together with the best completion
process to generate and control the
optimum dynamic underbalance
for each job. This is greatly
reducing the margin for error
introduced by relying solely on the
estimated reservoir pressure and a
static underbalance in the wellbore
calculated for uids of variable
density. This freedom to
customise for each job has
permitted the PURE technique to
be successfully applied in hard and
soft-rock formations, sandstones
and carbonates, oil and gas
reservoirs, and producing and
injector wells.
Visund FieldImpressive
Results
By basing the job design on the
properties of the reservoir, wellbore,
and gun string, the PURE
technique has consistently
minimised or eliminated
perforation damage and
maximised productivity. This has
been proven on completions in the
environmentally sensitive areas of
Norway and Alaska as well as in
the U.S., Algeria, and other areas
around the world. In the Statoil-
operated Visund eld in the
Norwegian North Sea (a subsea
development 240 miles offshore
mid-Norway) the PURE
perforating system was run on ve
oil producing wells and one gas
injection well, with perforation
intervals ranging from 525 to
6,722 ft. Designed in conjunction
with Statoil specications, a
designated combination of
perforating system oriented in the
direction of maximum stress,
dynamic underbalance, and use of
a special kill pill generated as
much as a six-fold increase in
productivity. Visund has proven to
be a highly complicated reservoir
to exploit, with a complex geology
consisting of Jurassic uvial and
deltaic sands with the main pay
zone permeabilities ranging from
300 to 3,000 mD. The wells, as is
typical in the North Sea, were
drilled and completed with long
horizontal sections to reach several
targets with one well.
Increasing Performance
The potential of underbalanced
perforating was recognised in the
1960s, and further study has
consistently reinforced the
advantages of an initial surge for
cleaning purposes. Recent
developments, culminating in the
PURE process, have identied that
the dynamic underbalance and not
the initial static underbalance is
the major prognosticator of
perforation cleanup effectiveness.
The ultimate goal is now being
realised to maximise well
production or injection through
custom designed perforating
solutions.
The PURE system is applicable for
completions in reservoirs with
adequate permeability and
reservoir pressure. It can be applied
when open perforations already
exist and it can be applied even
with an initial overbalance. It has
performed well beyond expectation
in a range of cases, from a well
with 1,000-psi reservoir pressure
and 20- to 50-mD permeability to a
well with 2,800-psi reservoir
pressure and 0.5 mD. The effective
underbalance required to optimise
the cleanup of the perforations is
achieved by taking reservoir data,
completion parameters, and gun
congurations into consideration.
The result of years of research, the
PURE technique optimises
perforation cleanup through the
use of preferential gun designs,
charge types, and completion
congurations.
The PURE process is representative
of how innovative techniques in
every area, from pore to pipeline,
are becoming the key to increasing
productivity and realising
improved economic value in a
mature industry. I
D E E P W A T E R E S C A L A T I N G P R O D U C T I V I T Y
Productivity index of production wells on Visund. Wells D to
G have been perforated with the new oriented system and the
PURE design, showing a three to six-fold improvement in
productivity compared to the conventional system
(Wells A to C).
The Author:
Alan Salsman is Schlumberger
Product Champion for PURE based
in Houston, Texas. Prior to this, he
was Business Development
Manager for Schlumberger Cased
Hole Wireline operations in Canada
and actively participated in the
implementation of ABC Analysis
Behind Casing services. His
experience included Schlumberger
Oileld Services Account Manager
for Chevron Nigeria and wireline
support for Deep Water Nigeria
based in Lagos. Salsman is an
active member of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers (SPE).