Total Professeurs Associés

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WELL COMPLETION

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WELL COMPLETION
One of the primary purpose of a completion is to install a dedicated,
controlled flow path between the downhole (at reservoir levels) up to the
surface (christmas tree).

More generally, completion activities will also include:

- perforations,
- test and control of the liaison between reservoir-formation and the inside of the hole
or of the production casing) .
- well reservoir-formation treatment (if necessary),
- well activation (if necessary),

Well completion operations are conducted after running the production casing.

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WELL COMPLETION

Christmas-tree

Well head

Tubing

Sliding sleeve
Down hole
safety valve (circulation)
Production packer

Production casing

tubing
reservoir

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WELL COMPLETION

Source of image: Internet / Canadian Centre For Energy Information

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WELL COMPLETION
Completion of the well involves coordinated efforts between the reservoir, the production
and the drilling departments.

In addition coordinated efforts between completion Specialist(s) from Oil-Company staff

and Specialist(s) from Service Companies are necessary .

HOW WELL COMPLETION IMPACT THE WELL CONSTRUCTION

- tubing size, number of strings === > hole diameter,
- number of reservoir to produce === > cement height in annulus,
- presence or not of H2S, CO2 === > material/steel selection
- necessity of sand control system === > hole deviation,
- necessity of well activation === > hole diameter, casing design,
- necessity of treatment (fracturation) === > casing design.

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WELL COMPLETION

DIFFERENT TYPE OF COMPLETION

Open hole completion Single string completion

Cased hole completion Single string completion or,

Dual string completion

Monobore completion

Tubingless completion

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WELL COMPLETION
OPEN HOLE COMPLETION
Open hole with
Open hole perforated liner

Production
casing

Cement

Reservoir

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WELL COMPLETION
OPEN HOLE COMPLETION AND GRAVEL PACK

"CROSS OVER TOOL"

SCREENS

GRAVEL

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WELL COMPLETION

OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

Advantages

- limited open hole damage (open hole can be drilled with the proper fluids),

- open hole completion minimize initial expenses (cemented casing or liner, no

perforation);

Drawbacks

- only thick / homogeneous reservoir (s) can be produced,

- no selectivity for measurement or for treatment

Limitations

This type of completion requires well-consolidated formation.

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WELL COMPLETION
CASED HOLE COMPLETION

Perforations

Cased hole

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WELL COMPLETION
CASED HOLE COMPLETION

Tubing

Sliding sleeve
(circulation)

Production packer

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WELL COMPLETION
CASED HOLE COMPLETION

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WELL COMPLETION

CASED HOLE COMPLETION

Advantages
production (and treatment) selectivity is possible: casing is set through the
producing reservoir and cemented.
completion of unconsolidated reservoirs

drawbacks
a good cementing job (sealing) is necessary,
perforation through casing and cement must be properly designed.

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WELL COMPLETION

DIFFERENT TYPE OF COMPLETION

Open hole completion Single string completion

Cased hole completion Single string completion or,

Dual string completion

Monobore completion

Tubingless completion

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WELL COMPLETION

SINGLE STRING COMPLETION

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WELL COMPLETION

SINGLE STRING COMPLETION (in an open hole)

Open hole

Advantages Production
casing
- gas-lift activation is possible

- hydrocarbons are not in contact with Cement

production casing (packer fluid)

Drawbacks: ? Reservoir

(same as for an open hole

completion)

Limitations: ?

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WELL COMPLETION

DUAL STRING COMPLETION

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WELL COMPLETION
DUAL STRING COMPLETION

Advantages

- each zone is produced safely and separately,

- several reservoirs are produced with only one

well,

Drawbacks

- size of the production casing to house both

completion,

- sedimentation over the bottom packer

- WO are more complicated, both production

could be stopped

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WELL COMPLETION

DIFFERENT TYPE OF COMPLETION

Open hole completion Single string completion

Cased hole completion Single string completion or,

Dual string completion

Monobore completion

Tubingless completion

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WELL COMPLETION
Monobore completion The completion tubing has an ID = or > to the
prod. liner; === > full access to the liner

TR SC SSV
or
WL SC SSV

completion
tubing

PBR – tie back Completion tubing

anchor seal assy. run with prod. packer

Top cement

Production
liner

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WELL COMPLETION
“Tubingless” completion TR SC SSV
or
WL SC SSV

The completion tubing replaces the liner and

Is cemented in place 3 ½” or 4 ½”
tubing

PBR with tie-back for

work-over purposes
PBR – tie back

Top cement

Advantages
Well interventions are possible with standard equipt.
Cost savings

Limitations
cement seal (no packer)

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WELL COMPLETION

PROCESS OF WELL COMPLETION DESIGN

A complete and comprehensive list of completion functional requirements (operational

specifications) should be prepared;

Highly experienced and skilled engineers will attempt to foresee all the operational
consequences of a particular design.

By specifying the functional requirements, the key tradeoffs between completion design
alternatives are highlighted.

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 WELL COMPLETION
Cased, cemented and
Example of a flow chart for needed Perforated completion
Zonal
horizontal well completion isolation Slotted liner with ext.
Casing packer

matrix
Not required
Permeability
type
highly Open hole completion
Competent
formation Slotted liner (ensure well
fracture life)

may collapse
Formation
Rock type
no Slotted liner
Sand
production
Sand screens

yes
Limestone …
Fractured shale Sand control required
Openhole
slotted liner Openhole gravel pack
slotted liner
Prepacked screens
Source / illustrations: Petroleum Well Construction – J Willey & Sons

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WELL COMPLETION

Christmas-tree

Well head

Tubing

Sliding sleeve
Down hole
safety valve (circulation)
Production packer

Production casing

tubing
reservoir

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WELL COMPLETION
SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT

Well completions involve placing flow control equipment at the surface and in the
tubing string.

Major categories of equipment includes

- drilling wellhead (including outlets for pressure annulus control),

- production tree (including chokes, safety valves),

- surface and subsurface automatic shutdown systems

- flow string equipment
- packers
- (packer fluid)
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WELL COMPLETION
SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT

Drilling wellhead

Production tree (Christmas tree)

Provides the connection between the wellbore and the production/treatment surface
facilities.
The tree contains control valves and chokes (to dissipate well pressure before the
flowing fluid entering the low pressure surface equipment)

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WELL COMPLETION
X-mas tree and tubing spool set on drilling wellhead

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WELL COMPLETION
Drilling wellhead

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WELL COMPLETION
Drilling wellhead

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WELL COMPLETION
A Christmas tree

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WELL COMPLETION
A Christmas tree

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WELL COMPLETION
tubing spool and its equipment

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WELL COMPLETION
SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT

Well completions involve placing flow control equipment at the surface and in the
tubing string.

Major categories of equipment includes

- production tree (including chokes, safety valves),

- drilling wellhead (including outlets for pressure annulus control),

- surface and subsurface automatic shutdown systems

- flow string equipment
- packers
- (packer fluid)

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WELL COMPLETION
SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT (contd)

Automatic shutdown systems

On occasion, wells must be shut-in to prevent an undesirable occurrence (blowout).
Those systems include: - surface safety equipment and - subsurface safety equipment

Subsurface safety equipment may be

- automatic / direct (e.g. storm choke): is normally an open valve; it closes under
predetermined conditions and do not offer protection until these conditions exist.

or,

- surface controlled: the normally closed valve is held open by hydraulic pressure
through an external control line.

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WELL COMPLETION

SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT (contd)

Surface controlled shutdown systems (contd.):

Tubing safety valve – down hole safety valve is a control device used to shut off
production from the well in an emergency situation;

They are classified according to their method of retrieving:

- tubing retrievable, requiring the tubing to be removed for retrieval of the valve
or,

- wireline retrievable, installed inside the tubing with a locking device to

secure the valve in a landing nipple.

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 WELL COMPLETION

Down-hole safety valve

Latched in its nipple

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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 WELL COMPLETION

Down-hole safety valve

in a single string
completion

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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WELL COMPLETION

SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT (contd)

Flow string system: they include tubing but also other tubular goods.

- tubing: refers to the pipes used to create a flow conduit inside the wellbore between the
reservoir and the wellhead; main design/specifications include size, grade, weight
and connections.

- landing nipple: is to provide a profile at a specific point in the completion string to locate,
lock and seal subsurface flow control devices

- flow coupling: coupling has a thicker wall to take care of flow-erosion

- side-pocket mandrels: is a special receptacle with a receiving chamber parallel to the

bore of the mandrel fully open for wireline tools to pass..

- sliding sleeves: to provide openings between the tubing and the annulus.

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 WELL COMPLETION

Landing nipple with

flow coupling

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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 WELL COMPLETION

Flow coupling installed in a single

string completion

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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 WELL COMPLETION

Sliding sleeve

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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 WELL COMPLETION
SPM with dummy valve in place

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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WELL COMPLETION

SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE COMPLETION EQUIPMENT (contd)

- packers: are annular seals between the tubing and production casing. It must be able
to withstand high differential pressure and still maintain a seal.

They are classified by their retrievability: permanent or retrievable packers.

Packer fluids

A packer fluid is placed between the tubing and production casing above the packer ….

- to assist in controlling well pressure,

- to minimize differential pressure across the packer,

- to prevent collapse of production casing / burst of tubing

- to minimize corrosion of both production casing and tubing

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 WELL COMPLETION
Completion packer
Typical position in a single string
completion

Source: Petroleum Well Construction – Wiley / Economides / Watters / Dunn-Norman

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WELL COMPLETION

”SMART” WELLS – INTELLIGENT COMPLETION

The completion string includes electrically or hydraulically operated valves to allow

reservoir monitoring without well intervention.

Since 1998, 90% of the intelligent completions run are hydraulic-operated valves, the
others are electro/hydraulic; Since 2001, electric-operated valves are also deployed.

In 2005 approx. 260 (approx) wells were equipped with intelligent completions.
main Contractors: Halliburton, Schlumberger, Baker.

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WELL COMPLETION

”SMART” WELLS – INTELLIGENT COMPLETION

A well with a system of downhole sensors and downhole controls, and with a surface
system to collect and transmit the production data to a remote facility for analysis.

Benefits
Completion (valves) can be actuated, monitored and reset without tubing removal.
- controls placed in the well are remotely operated (for example chokes, flow control
valves),
- sensors include pressure, temperature but also fluid composition, …
The ability to continuously optimize production, will result in improved production and
recoverable reserves (? very few feed back up to now) and …better economics.
Limitations
Reliability aspects
Temperature ( < 150°C) and pressure (< 10 000psi) for electric valves
costs (to be evaluated on case by case basis)
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Slides were prepared for presentation and information to Students of Schools and Universities only.

References

Slides presented were prepared with illustrations from the following referenced documents:

- API Standards and Recommended Practices,

- Neal J. Adams, Drilling Engineering , PennWell Books, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1985,
- (Halliburton) - Petroleum Well Construction – J Willey & Sons
- Miscellaneous books from “Chambre Syndicale de la Recherche et de la Production du Pétrole et du gaz naturel”
- IFP Drilling data handbook
- Miscellaneous documentation from TOTAL Drilling Division
- Halliburton Completion Services
- Miscellaneous books from IFP
- Leading Edge Advantage Ltd (Under Balance Drilling).
- Miscellaneous documentation from web-sites: O&GJ, World Oil, SPE
- Transocean, Saipem, Pride Drilling Contractors
- Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Weatherford, Wild Well Control Service Companies
- Cameron, Hydril, Companies.

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