the August
Multilateral/Extended Reach
2007 issue of
D
epending on the location, frac-
packing and openhole horizontal
completions are the dominant
completion strategies in the development
of deepwater projects. Economics require
that a minimum number of wells be
drilled while maintaining effective reser- Figure 1. A completion tool assembly with a differential valve enabled gravel packing
voir drainage to maintain a high produc- a long horizontal openhole section that would have been impossible to pack using con-
tivity index in the wells. Drilling long ventional means. The tool was then converted to a stimulation tool to save 18 hours of
horizontal sections is an option, and open- rig time. (Images courtesy of BJ Services)
hole gravel-packing is a very effective way
to achieve all these goals. zontal gravel packing completions in hole pressure control and manage carry-
Offshore Brazil, more than 200 open- Campos Basin is 95⁄8 in. production cas- ing fluid leakoff in formations with low
hole horizontal gravel-packing opera- ing set at approximately 90° inclination fracture gradient, a differential pressure
tions have been completed since 1998. with a horizontal openhole section of 81⁄2 valve tool can provide altered flow paths
Experience has been a good teacher. To in. These wells also typically have a 40-ft in the annulus between the screen and
better assess the improvements over time (12-m) rat hole below the casing shoe, the washpipe.
and look for additional efficiencies in which in some fields with fracture gradi- For example, a well in the Campos
proppant placement, time and other ents approaching or below 0.56 psi/ft Basin has an 81⁄2 in. openhole section of
parameters, we recently studied data from must be eliminated or bypassed to pre- 2,100 ft (640 m) at 88˚ inclination. The
more than 72 openhole horizontal gravel vent the alpha wave from stalling at the formation fracture gradient is 0.58 psi/ft
packing operations performed since 2001. low pump rates required to successfully and the reservoir pressure 2,140 psi.
The data show clearly that gravel-pack- pack the entire horizontal length. Engineers used proprietary gravel-pack-
ing rates have increased over time, also Tools for gravel packing have tradition- ing software to simulate an operation in
increasing packing process efficiency. ally been simple devices, but recent tool the well, including flow conditions, and
Computer simulation and better under- developments have greatly increased oper- develop a comprehensive gravel pack
standing of downhole challenges have ational efficiencies and job effectiveness design.
greatly affected job time over the years, for long horizontals. The ComPlete™ After performing several circulation
but technology has also provided some horizontal single-trip (HST) system, for tests with the HST tool and a differential
leaps in efficiency. In particular, engi- example, converts from a gravel-packing valve, the 1-ppa proppant slurry was
neered single-trip completion systems service tool into a simulation tool in order pumped downhole at 7 bpm (Figure 1).
and ultralightweight proppants have to save valuable rig time. The system pro- The alpha wave lasted 136 minutes, pack-
altered the status quo for gravel packs in vides effective mechanical diversion of the ing the openhole section with 38,000 lb
even the most challenging conditions. stimulation fluid and isolates the horizon- of proppant (67% annulus packed). The
tal section after stimulation to avoid for- beta wave began at 153 minutes, deliver-
Improving tool efficiency mation damage due to fluid loss. ing 19,095 lb of proppant (33% annulus
The typical well bore for openhole hori- Furthermore, to ensure effective bottom- packed). The differential valve opened at
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