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In this article, Bernard Montaron and Adam Vasper describe examples for applications ranging from
water control to gas lift in which intelligent-completion technology is proving to be the most
economic option.
Major advances in well-placement technology have improved Figure 1: The TRFC-HN AP and TRFC-HN LP valves working in
combination to control production from two zones.
production rates and minimized water production. Now, more
reservoir targets are being accessed from fewer well slots by using
multilateral wells, and more deepwater and subsea wells are being
drilled. However, drilling long horizontal wells without zonal control
exposes operators to the challenges of reservoir uncertainties,
particularly in carbonate rocks, and the risks and costs of well
intervention can be prohibitive for deepwater and subsea wells.
Completions that enable reservoir engineers to monitor and Determining the permeability of a carbonate reservoir
control production or injection in at least one reservoir zone before drilling is very challenging. In many wells, a large
are known as intelligent or smart completions. Such proportion of the fluid is produced from or injected into a
technology is proving to be a reliable and cost-effective way relatively short high-permeability section. The location of
for better reservoir management. It protects operations from this high-permeability streak may be unidentified, even after
the risks associated with early water or gas breakthroughs a thorough formation evaluation.
and from crossflow between producing zones in the same Carbonates tend to fracture more easily than sandstones.
well. The technology also helps operators to increase Although a carbonate matrix may have a permeability
production rates, extend field life, and reduce the need for measured in millidarcies, an adjacent fracture is likely to
well interventions. have a permeability above 1 D, which gives a permeability
Intelligent completions in multilateral wells were reviewed contrast of the order of 1,000 over a very short distance.
in Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review in 2001 (issue 2, Using data from wireline tools such as the FMI* Fullbore
pages 24–43). The possible benefits of intelligent Formation MicroImager, geoscientists and reservoir
completions were described, but at that time there were few engineers can identify open and closed fractures but cannot
examples to consider and none from the Middle East or Asia. predict which fracture zones will produce water in the TRFC-HN AP
Since then, the economic benefits of using this technology future. Likewise, resistivity images can show the location of
have been demonstrated for high-end wells in the region, conductive intervals, but without further investigation,
those typically producing over 1,500 m3/d. using the MDT* Modular Formation Dynamics Tester tool, for
TRFC-HN LP
Fit-for-purpose intelligent-completion technology is now example, it is difficult to know whether the intervals are
being successfully applied to lower-productivity wells in a connected and to establish if they will flow.
variety of applications. Increasingly, the technology is being So how can this uncertainty be managed? In some Dual gauge
used in the Middle East to manage uncertainty in carbonate circumstances, a reactive well intervention, such as plugging
reservoirs, but other applications for intelligent completions and abandoning a water-producing zone, may be
include gas lift optimization and sand management. appropriate. However, mechanical intervention can be costly
because it may require bringing a rig to the wellsite and
there is the consequent loss of production during the
Managing uncertainty
workover. There is also a risk that the intervention
Intelligent completions are being used to manage reservoir equipment may become stuck in the well. Simply accessing
uncertainties, and the technology has now become well deepwater and subsea wells can be challenging, and, as well
established. Operators such as Statoil, Shell, and Saudi designs with multilateral legs become more complex, well
Aramco adopted intelligent-completion technology during intervention is becoming increasingly difficult.
the early stages of its development and now expect to use it Gaining access to the well is only part of the challenge.
in any well that is designed to produce from several zones or Once this has been achieved, the asset team must then
in which there is a risk of early gas or water breakthrough. decide what to do. Data for total flow rate, wellhead
6 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 7
pressure, and fluid composition can be acquired at surface, with two settings: open or closed. Today, engineers can use Keeping the reservoir in mind equations for the tubing. Alternatively, when only basic
but only downhole static snapshots from well tests and sophisticated valves with 10 sequential choke positions plus reservoir parameters such as pressure and productivity
production logging are available with standard completions. a fully closed position. Interventions in high-angle, multilateral, and subsea wells indices are known, nodal analysis can be applied. These
Running production-logging tools into wells with complex The Schlumberger TRFC-HN AP tubing-retrievable flow can be difficult, and some intelligent completions have been parameters are used to build nodal analysis models, which
well configurations can be risky, time-consuming, and control valve, for example, is hydraulically actuated and can be designed to make them unnecessary. Reduced need for well ultimately identify the required choke areas.
expensive, particularly where laterals branch from the used to regulate annular to tubing production. The TRFC-HN LP intervention is a significant benefit of using intelligent Since the early intelligent completions were installed, the
underside of the mother bore. Even in wells where the valve has a shroud across the choke section and can control completions, but it is important to design the completion design process has been made more systematic, which has
operators conduct periodic logging investigations, a problem production from within the same tubing (Fig. 1). The TRFC-E systematically and from the perspective of the reservoir. helped to reduce the lead time required. A strong team
such as crossflow between producing zones may go valve is also tubing retrievable, but it has an electromechanical Reservoir and production engineers optimize an intelligent approach between the operating company and the service
unnoticed for years. adjustable choke and integrated pressure, temperature, and completion at the design stage using reservoir models or provider is required during the design phase to ensure that
Some operators choose a proactive strategy and use mass flow sensors. These sensors can measure flow data within nodal analysis to tailor it to a particular well. Economic the completion is fit for purpose and optimizes production
intelligent completions to provide continuous reservoir the tubing and the annulus. considerations play an important part in this design process, or injection.
monitoring and to control flow from or into different well Reliability is vital for systems that have to operate and the completion’s functionality is a trade-off between the
zones. In this approach, downhole gauges monitor pressure, throughout the life of a well—some Schlumberger flow control costs, the risks associated with reservoir uncertainties, and the
benefits that increased monitoring and control can bring.
Balanced production
temperature, and flow rate, while valves choke back or shut valves have now been in continuous operation since 1998.
off flow from different zones. Intelligent completions use gauges, valves, packers, and For example, monitoring and controlling every 10-m well Many brownfield development wells have multiple targets.
The power to monitor and control production and other equipment to integrate zonal isolation, flow control, section may be economically unrealistic, but without any Minor pays may not produce in the presence of uncontrolled
injection in response to the uneven permeability distribution artificial lift, and sand control. However, there is far more to control an entire well might be lost through premature prolific zones, and crossflow from a prolific zone into a
associated with carbonate reservoirs is particularly intelligent completions than installing safe and reliable watering out in just one producing zone. In this situation, the minor zone may develop. In the past, minor pays may have
important in the Middle East. The region has 62% of the hardware. A cycle of monitoring, simulation, and control is operator might calculate that an intelligent completion that been bypassed to protect prolific zones from this crossflow, a
world’s oil reserves: 70% of them are in carbonate used to optimize production or injection (Fig. 2). isolated and controlled the main producing zones would condition that occurs when two production zones with
formations. The Middle East also contains 41% of the world’s provide useful protection against reservoir uncertainties. dissimilar pressures are allowed to communicate.
gas reserves, and 90% of these are in carbonate formations. In the absence of monitoring and control, water cut in a Intelligent-completion technology now enables operators
In fact, some countries—UAE and Qatar—have all their single producing zone could force an operator to abandon to take incremental production from zones that would have
reserves in carbonate rocks. Carbonates are also important in an entire well, even if the other zones were still producing been bypassed, without creating crossflow conditions or
other world oil provinces, such as western India’s Mumbai oil without significant water cut. However, if the having to recomplete the well,. This is achieved either by
High and the South China Sea. calculations indicated that an intelligent completion would balancing production from each zone using adjustable valves
Intelligent-completion technologies have many potential deliver optimized production, higher extraction ratios, and or by isolating the zones and producing them sequentially.
applications and are also being used in sandstone reservoirs. lower intervention costs, the commercial reasons for In addition to using flow control valves, a new system that
For example, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation choosing this approach could be overwhelming. The number equalizes reservoir inflow along the whole length of the
(ONGC) is drilling maximum-reservoir-contact wells in India and the location of the flow control valves are usually reservoir, ResFlow, is now available.
and installing completions to measure reservoir conditions determined by the number of lateral legs, or the number of Balancing production within a well can also help to delay
and provide sand control, and an intelligent completion major producing zones within these legs, and by the water or gas breakthrough. Choking back or shutting off
a ting
is successfully operating in Nigeria for nonintervention Reservoir pd Shared economic factors. production from the problematic zone using intelligent-
u c
monitoring earth
mi
sand management. When the asset team has a good reservoir model, it will be completion technology enables the other zones to continue
and control model
Dyna
used to optimize the design of the intelligent completion. draining the reservoir, which improves the extraction ratio,
Modern reservoir models divide the reservoir into a discrete without well intervention. Optimizing production in the
Downhole monitoring and movements finite-difference grid that can be used to solve fluid flow reservoir can improve sweep efficiency and reserves recovery,
Permanent downhole monitoring began in the 1960s using equations in the formation. The well is segmented in the and extend field life.
modified wireline equipment, but the gauges used have come same way so that the asset team can solve fluid flow
a long way since then and have earned a worldwide
reputation for reliability. Today’s intelligent completions use
single pressure and temperature gauges to monitor fluids in Simulation and
optimization
the tubing and the annulus. Other sensors monitor the
performance of ESPs or provide wellbore temperature profiles.
The valves that control fluid flow are among the most
important components in any downhole configuration. The
It is important to design the completion systematically and from
Figure 2: Dynamic updating is a critical ingredient in reservoir
original downhole flow control valves were simple devices monitoring and control. the perspective of the reservoir.
8 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 9
Figure 3: Reservoir fluid Ceramic nozzles 5
enters the ResFlow section Oil Flux: Reservoir to Annulus
Discharge, m3/d/m
4
through a LineSlot screen Screen
and ceramic nozzles. A 3
series of sections can be 2
used to optimize production
by equalizing the reservoir 1
inflow along the wellbore. 0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76
Depth, m
200
Gas Flux: Reservoir to Annulus
Discharge, m3/d/m
160
120
80
40
0
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76
Depth, m
5E-9
Water Flux: Reservoir to Annulus
Discharge, m3/d/m
4E-9
3E-9
2E-9
Equalizing inflow permanent well instrumentation. There is no risk of the
1E-9
nozzles plugging because they have diameters more than 10
Early water and gas breakthrough can occur through high- 0E-9
times the screen’s slot size. 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76
mobility zones, particularly in carbonates, where there can be The ResFlow system typically reduces flowing bottomhole Depth, m
huge permeability contrasts over short distances. ResFlow is a pressure by between 50 and 200 kPa [7 and 30 psi], but it
new system that optimizes production in openhole also reduces the water cut, which means that less energy is Figure 4: Oil, gas, and water flow from the reservoir to the annulus was modeled for five 12-m sections with reservoir permeabilities
completions by equalizing reservoir inflow along the wellbore. required to lift the produced fluid. Like all intelligent of 1, 2, 3, 2.5, and 0.5 D. Without the ResFlow technology, the discharge is stepped with permeability (blue line), but with a ResFlow
This self-regulating system is simple, robust, and reliable. A completions, the system reduces field-development and system generating a differential pressure, a more uniform discharge is obtained (red line).
series of ResFlow sections is installed with isolation packers. well-intervention costs. ResFlow can
Each section has a LineSlot screen, which is wrapped around • improve well cleanup by applying differential pressure to
a base pipe. Reservoir fluid enters the screen and flows remove filtercake
between the screen jacket and the base pipe (Fig. 3). The fluid • make the production profile more uniform The ResFlow system typically reduces flowing bottomhole
then enters the production string through ceramic nozzles.
Nodal analysis is used to select the optimal combination of
• provide better production management of multiple zones
pressure by between 50 and 200 kPa [7 and 30 psi], but it also
• delay water and gas coning and/or breakthrough
nozzle sizes. Fluid at higher flow rates is subjected to greater • reduce water and gas rates reduces the water cut, which means that less energy is required
flow restriction, which stimulates production from zones with
lower flow rates (Fig. 4). The system is self-regulating, has no
• minimize the risk of bypassing reserves to lift the produced fluid.
• increase recovery rates.
moving parts, and requires no downhole telemetry or
10 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 11
Oil and water in Middle Eastern carbonates
Water control in Well A Other oil companies, such as India’s ONGC, are also Successful intelligent completions are not just about A WellWatcher* real-time reservoir and production
pursuing a policy of drilling maximum-reservoir-contact technology: they also require a systematic approach to monitoring system provides pressure and temperature data,
Water control in carbonates is an important objective for
wells with intelligent completions, but in sandstones, with planning that includes information from reservoir models. which is sent to the oil company’s main offices via the
many operators. Maximum-reservoir-contact wells are being
the additional objective of providing sand control. Multidisciplinary teams working across traditional business InterACT* real-time monitoring and data delivery system. This
drilled by Saudi Aramco to maximize production rates and
Well A is a maximum-reservoir-contact well completed in areas in both the oil company and Schlumberger developed information, along with multiphase flow rates measured
increase oil recovery ratios (they can provide a threefold
a giant Middle Eastern field. It drains a heterogeneous the project from initial concept to production. using PhaseTester* portable multiphase periodic well testing
increase compared with vertical wells) with considerable cost
carbonate reservoir and has two multilateral junctions on Reservoir modeling was a critical part of the completion equipment, is used to adjust the downhole control valves and
reductions per unit of production. Intelligent-completion
the mother bore. With a standard completion, and because design. The pressures from each lateral were simulated for maximize the oil production and minimize the water cut.
technology is being used to achieve balanced production
of the reservoir heterogeneities in the area, the water cut different water cuts using PIPESIM* production system Following installation of the intelligent completion, oil
from these multilateral wells to control drawdown and to
rose to 23% within a year, thus reducing the oil production analysis software to provide data for the design process. production was maintained at 950 m3/d; the well continues
reduce water cut. The system ensures sustainable oil
rate and increasing the water treatment and disposal costs. The intelligent completion installed uses three QUANTUM to produce with zero water cut. Early diagnosis of problems
production in a challenging carbonate reservoir with faults
In April 2005, an intelligent completion was installed to MultiPort packers and three TRFC-HN AP valves to control prevented the other laterals being choked back, and
and fractures and also offers the added value of the
control production from each of the lateral legs (Fig. 5) in production from the lateral legs and the mother bore. actuating the valves from the surface eliminated the need for
possibility of testing each lateral separately.
Well A. This was the first Schlumberger intelligent During equipment and flow testing, each of the valves was intervention in the well, which avoided lost production.
completion in this particular field. actuated through more that 10 cycles (110 positional
changes), which was equivalent to several years of operation,
to demonstrate the technology’s reliability.
12 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 13
Falah field Well FD-11 Ideal Reality
14 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 15
Fluid enters the unit’s housing through ceramic nozzles in
the base pipe. It then flows into an energy-absorbing ESP
Singapore
chamber between the base pipe and the LineSlot screens,
and then into the reservoir. The nozzles and energy- Phoenix* type 1 sensor
absorbing chamber prevent formation erosion. The desired
pressure drop, which is independent of fluid viscosity, is
calculated using nodal analysis software and dictates the
combination of nozzle sizes used. The system is simple,
robust, and reliable, and does not require downhole SUMATRA
telemetry or permanent well instrumentation.
If a high-permeability theft zone exists, the ResInject TRFC-HN AP valve
nozzles self-regulate to prevent a significant increase in the
injection rate to this zone. Low-permeability zones receive Intan field
more water than they would using a standard screen TRFC-HN LP valve
completion. Consequently, the system reduces field-
Jakarta
development and well-intervention costs by
JAVA
• enabling multiple injection zones to be managed Dual-gauge sensor
• making injection profiles more uniform, with reduced
does not require downhole cost less than and deliver a higher production rate than two
typical Intan field horizontal wells for it to be commercially
telemetry or permanent well viable. To make the intelligent-completion option more
instrumentation. attractive, a lease-based business model was developed, so
that the intelligent-completion assembly was an operating Figure 10: The intelligent completion in Well NEIA-24ML.
rather than a capital expense.
The proposed well had a Technical Advancement of The net present value and the rate of return were drilling deflector was then installed, and the first 61⁄8-in lateral
Multilaterals (TAML) level-6 classification (see Middle East & calculated and showed that a TAML level-6 intelligent leg was drilled. The second leg was drilled, and the laterals
Asia Reservoir Review, 2, pages 28–33, for a full explanation completion was economically viable. A simpler multilateral, were completed with stand-alone premium sand screens
of TAML levels). This is the highest level of complexity and such as a level-3 or 4 completion, would have had similar because there was the risk of sand production.
gives pressure and mechanical integrity at the multilateral costs when rig time was taken into consideration, but would The intelligent-completion design included a dual-gauge
junction and selective access to each leg. Integrity was not have delivered the required functionality. sensor to measure the pressure and the temperature of the
required as the two producing zones have significantly The first three sections of Well NEIA-24ML were drilled, and tubing and annular flow, and thereby record data from both
different reservoir pressures. the bottom 37 m of the third 123⁄4-in section was under- lateral legs (Fig. 10). TRFC-HN AP and TRFC-HN LP flow
reamed to 171⁄2 in to facilitate the expansion of a RapidSeal* control valves were included to enable the production
completion system. The multilateral junction, which was at engineer to choke back the flow from each lateral. Both
84 m measured depth and an inclination of 24°, was expanded valves were cycled 44 times during installation to
and cemented in place, and the retainer was drilled out. A demonstrate their reliability.
16 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 17
An ESP with a variable-speed drive and capable of The project has shown that, if drilling is problem-free, the Auto gas lift flow control valves have a range of positions
pumping at 300 to 1,900 m3/d was included, together with a cost of a level-6 multilateral with intelligent completion that enable the gas flow rate to be controlled and the
Phoenix artificial lift monitoring system to provide pressure and ESP artificial lift is less than the cost of two horizontal production to be optimized across the range of anticipated
and temperature data for the ESP intake, discharge, and wells. After one year, the cumulative production from Well well conditions. The valves can be actuated under significant
motor. The ESP was necessary because of the low reservoir NEIA-24ML was approximately twice that of horizontal pressure differentials and are robust enough to withstand
pressure. PhaseTester multiphase well testing equipment was wells NEIA-26 and NEIA-28 (Fig. 11). the erosive effects of abrasive fluids. They also prevent fluid
installed to provide measurements at the surface. The intelligent-completion approach also reduces the need MultiPort packer flowing from the tubing into the annulus. This is necessary
This completion, for the world’s first level-6 multilateral for mechanical intervention and its associated costs and for pressure testing of the production tubing and to prevent
well with intelligent completion and artificial lift, had to be risks. However, the level-6 design allows reentry, and CNOOC damage to the gas-producing zone.
deployed in one run, so a detailed procedure was defined has reentered each leg twice for stimulation and has also Annulus and tubing pressure gauges close to the auto gas
and followed. The five subassemblies were constructed and doubled the ESP capacity to 3,500 m3/d. lift valve measure up- and downstream pressures. Gas lift
pressure tested onshore and on the rig. Then the entire rates are calculated from this data so that modeling can be
assembly was function and pressure tested on the rig. performed to ensure that the valve is properly sized and
Intelligent gas lift Auto gas lift valve
The sands in the reservoir pinch out laterally, but they are suitable for the changing well conditions.
sufficiently widespread to produce a strong water drive in Gas lift is used to increase oil production rates or to enable Modeling can be done either directly using nodal analysis
the field. Early water influx has been identified from the nonflowing wells to flow by reducing the hydrostatic head software or by linking nodal analysis solutions to code that
monitoring data, and CNOOC has been able to delay water of the fluid column in the well. Gas lift systems can also handles gas-flow equations. The use of annulus and tubing
production by controlling production from the two laterals. mitigate the effects of high water cut and help to maintain pressure gauges near the auto gas lift valve greatly
Careful monitoring and analysis of the continuously tubing head pressure in subsea wells. Conventional gas lift Gas improves the ability to model and, subsequently, optimize
acquired data are also helping to generate a better systems pump gas down the annulus from the surface and auto gas lift wells.
understanding of Intan field. require a considerable investment in pipelines, compressors, The flow control valve technology developed for auto gas
Downhole monitoring is aiding the reservoir engineers in and other equipment. lift has also found applications in subsea and deepwater
calculating real-time productivity indices for each lateral leg The terms auto, natural, and in situ gas lift all refer to wells using conventional gas lift. The variable valves are used
and performing pressure buildup tests without well systems that use gas from a gas-bearing formation or a gas Packer because of their high-pressure ratings and their ability to
intervention. This information is used to optimize the cap to produce a well. The lift gas is produced downhole and deliver a wider range of gas lift rates under changing well
production from each leg, maximize the drawdown, optimize bled into the production tubing at a controlled rate through conditions. The technology also eliminates the stability
the efficiency of the ESP, and update the reservoir model. a downhole flow control valve (Fig. 12). This is an application concerns associated with oversized orifices.
for intelligent completions that has the immediate
16,000 attraction of eliminating the expensive infrastructure
required by traditional systems. An estimated 60 auto gas lift Oil
14,400
systems have been installed, mostly in the Scandinavian
12,800 sector of the North Sea.
Auto gas lift is not yet widely used, but it is becoming an
11,200 Figure 12: Gas from a gas-bearing formation or a gas cap is
established technology. In the right environment, it can
produced into the annulus and bled into the tubing through a
Production, m3/d
water coning
conventional gas lift.
• eliminating interventions for resizing or replacing
Figure 11: Cumulative production over 90 days for
Well NEIA-24ML compared with the production of conventional gas lift equipment. This is particularly
two standard horizontal wells in the same field. beneficial for subsea wells.
18 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 19
Gas lift stability in Australia produced fluid, and the downstream pressure (that of the Suboptimal gas lift equipment is routinely changed in
Smart fields are the future
produced fluid, which will vary as gas is added). Traditionally, platform-based wells; the initial small-diameter downhole
Woodside is the first company to use intelligent completions the diameter of the downhole orifice is fixed, and a choke orifices may be replaced with larger orifices as the reservoir Wellsite integration of real-time subsurface and surface
for gas lift stability. The company is producing Enfield field, on the subsea template controls the pressure to vary the gas pressure declines or as the water cut increases.
information and control of downhole equipment from
Western Australia, from a cluster of five subsea wells to a lift rate. The orifice diameter needs to be large enough to Woodside was interested in using an intelligent
floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. accommodate the maximum gas lift rate, so for much of the completion that would give it control over the orifice size, remote sites are realities for many wells. The challenges
Oil is currently being produced without assistance, but productive life of the well it is oversized, which means that avoid pressure instability problems, and eliminate rig-based now are to decide what data to acquire, when to make
artificial lift will be required as the pressure drops and the stability problems can develop at low gas flow rates through well intervention.
wells begin to produce water. The wells have been designed downhole changes, and how to apply this technology on
the oversized valve. The subsea production wells in Enfield The WRFC-H slickline-retrievable flow control system is a
to accommodate this. field also have long flowlines that cross an undulating hydraulically operated valve housed in a Camco* side-pocket a field-wide basis. Eventually, responses to changing
Woodside wanted to avoid the costs and risks associated seabed, which would exacerbate any pressure instability. mandrel. The system offers an alternative to a fixed orifice reservoir conditions may become automatic and require
with interventions in subsea wells, so gas was selected rather Pressures and flow rates vary in all multiphase wells. In gas that enables the downhole gas lift orifice size to be varied
than ESPs for lifting. The concern was that ESPs might lifted wells, these fluctuations can develop into large from the surface. Crucially, the system is designed to operate only minimal human intervention.
require replacement during the field’s life. Very few subsea oscillations that exceed the safe operating window for for the life of a well, about 20 years, without intervention.
wells use ESPs for this reason. production facility separators. If the safe level were to be Production profiles for Enfield field were modeled to
A wide range of gas lift rates, from 1 to 10 Mcf/d, will be exceeded, the well (or all the wells in some cases) would evaluate fixed orifice and WRFC-H systems. The model used
required over the lives of the wells. Gas lift rates are have to be shut in, and it would take time and effort to get reservoir simulations and other information to determine
determined by upstream gas pressure, the size of the the well back on line. the optimum gas lift rates, and the orifice-valve and choke
downhole orifice through which the gas passes into the sizes that would be required throughout the lives of the
wells. Taking system stability into account, the engineering
team determined the best fixed-orifice diameter for each
well and also the best WRFC-H slot size to cover the required
range of gas lift rates and pressure ratios.
For fixed orifices, the range of gas lift rates is bounded by
a lower limit relating to system stability and an upper limit
arising from the orifice size. The multiple operating
Enfield field
positions of the WRFC-H offer a much wider range of gas
lift rates while maintaining system stability, which results in
AUSTRALIA better oil production rates. Comparison of these two cases
yields a figure for the incremental oil that can be used in
economic calculations.
The net present value of using WRFC-H valves was
calculated for the production profiles in two scenarios: a
productivity index taken from the reservoir model, and a
25% lower productivity index in case the wells had lower
productivity than predicted.
The results indicated significant economic benefits for the
intelligent completion using the WRFC-H system. In both
scenarios, the oil production profiles were accelerated. The
model also showed increased gas lift system stability using
the intelligent completion.
The simulations demonstrated the value of using an
intelligent completion, and so the five production wells were
completed with the WRFC-H flow control valves in 2005.
With the intelligent-completions design, Woodside will be
able to accelerate production and avoid pressure stability
problems. The company can also optimize production
without well intervention and has the flexibility to deal with
Figure 13: Enfield field has a cluster of five subsea production wells, connected to an FPSO vessel. Changing the downhole gas lift orifices changing reservoir conditions.
would require rig-based well intervention, and the long, undulating subsea flowlines could exacerbate any gas lift instability problems. For
these and other reasons, Woodside has become the first company to use intelligent completions for gas lift stability.
20 Number 8, 2007 Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Middle East & Asia Reservoir Review Number 8, 2007 21