PAPER 2009-301

TAML Level 5 Sealed Junctions Offer Solutions for

Thermal Production of Heavy Oil with Multilateral
Wells
S.R. FIPKE
Halliburton

This paper has been selected for presentation and publication in the World Heavy Oil Congress 2009 Proceedings. All papers
selected will become the property of WHOC. The right to publish is retained by the WHOC’s Publications Committee. The authors
agree to assign the right to publish the above-titled paper to WHOC.

Abstract
Heavy-oil reserves represent one of the most abundant energy
resources on the planet, but there are many obstacles to
achieving a high percent recovery from these reservoirs. Several
technologies, such as, steam-injection wells and multilateral
wells, have been proven to increase heavy-oil production.
Multilateral wells have been used in heavy-oil fields in Canada
and Venezuela for more than 15 years, they allow heavy-oil
producers to access more reserves per well and have
dramatically increased production from heterogeneous and
geologically complex reservoirs. In some of these same fields,
operators using steam injection to recover as much as 50% of
the OOIP.
Until recently it was not possible to manage steam injection in a
multilateral well because the wellbore junction was not sealed
for high temperatures and pressures. Recent innovations in
TAML Level-5 multilateral junction technologies now allow a
sealed multilateral junction to be installed in cyclic-steam-
injection wells. In theory, SAGD could be designed using a
single multilateral well from a one location, rather than the
current practice of drilling separate, parallel wellbores from
more than one surface location., Steam could be injected into
the upper branch of a multilateral well and the heated oil
produced from a lower branch. The ability to complete
multilateral wells for thermal production will be an important
technology in heavy-oil development. Potential applications of
multilateral technology (MLT) include multilateral steamflood
patterns and SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) wells.
Introduction
Thermal EOR (enhanced oil recovery) has a huge potential for
unlocking heavy-oil reserves, which typically have low
recovery factors using conventional methods. However, in very
heterogeneous reservoirs, achieving a high recovery factor
using thermal EOR techniques alone can be difficult. Some
heavy-oil reservoirs are deposited in stacked layers or in a
channeled/fluvial environment. These reservoirs do not have
uniform thickness or areal extent and geo-navigation is required
to locate and stay within the productive sands during drilling.
Many of the sand channels are isolated and disconnected from
main sand body, and must be accessed by sidetracking the wells
and drilling “fishbones” or multilaterals. In heterogeneous
formations, drilling a conventional horizontal well with no
sidetracks or branches is potentially counterproductive because
it might bypass much of the oil in the reservoir. Only
multibranched wells can ensure the best recovery of the OOIP
because they reduce the influence of permeability barriers that
complicate the drainage of heterogeneous reservoirs. (Stadler et
al., 2001)
The Effect of Thermal EOR on
Multilateral Wells
If multilateral wells are more efficient for producing heavy oil
from heterogeneous reservoirs, why aren’t more fields being
drilled with multilateral wells? Until recently, the available
multilateral junctions (the intersection point of a branched
wellbore) were not rated to handle the high temperatures and

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pressures used in thermal EOR. This meant that controlled
steam injection was not possible in a multilateral well. If steam
is allowed to escape into the rock formation around the junction,
which is frequently placed at or near reservoir depth in an
unconsolidated sand or shale, it could deteriorate the rock
matrix and cause the well bore to collapse. The junction is a
natural stress concentration point and is very susceptible to
outside forces. If the multilateral junction is not sealed and
supported (mechanical and hydraulic isolation) it will likely fail
when exposed to heat and stress, and the production or injection
from that lateral branch would be lost. Junction failure is very
difficult to repair and could result in the loss of the well, which
is why it is so important to invest in a high quality multilateral
junction system before attempting any kind of thermal EOR in a
multilateral well. The challenge in recent years has been to
develop new technology to combine the benefits of multilateral
drainage architecture and steam injection, for EOR.
Shell conducted an important experiment with steam
injection in multilateral wells during 1996 – 1998 at its Peace
River In-Situ Project, in Canada. A variety of multilateral wells
were drilled and cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) was applied to
them, with mixed results. The first multilateral EOR wells were
called soak radials, and had four laterals drilled out from a main
vertical wellbore. Later, simpler multilateral well designs were
tried, including the “haybob” and “tuning fork” wells, which
consisted of horizontal laterals pointing in various directions
(Fig. 1). These wells were generally operated with two months
of high-pressure steam injection, followed by a few months of
production until the reservoir cooled and the oil becomes to
viscous pump (Roche, 2005).
By 2005, Shell had gained enough experience working with
multilaterals and steam-injection processes to move away from
multilateral well design and focus on simpler horizontal wells.
The problem with the multilateral wells was twofold, involving
the steam distribution and junction. First, the steam injection
could not be controlled because the thermal energy was not
equally distributed between the lateral branches. The more
permeable, coarser-grained sand, or as the wells traverse higher-
stress conditions, due to deeper structures, act as conduits for
the steam and the result is patchy heat distribution
(McGillivray, 2005). Second, the lateral tie-backs (the junction
of the lateral wellbore with the main wellbore casing) did not
provide a seal. This resulted in steam and gas at the top of the
reservoir being produced along with the bitumen, rather than
remaining to act as a drive mechanism (Roche, 2005). The
multilateral junctions used in these wells were TAML Level 3,
which, by definition, are nonsealing, and will not prevent steam
from being injected or produced through the juncture of the
lateral liner and the main wellbore casing. This will be
discussed in the next section.
As the Peace River project example illustrates, there has been a
long-standing technology gap between MLT capabilities and the
needs of thermal EOR processes. The MLT required for
effective, commercial heavy-oil thermal EOR operations would
have to meet the following requirements:
• A sealed junction able to contain steam and avoid
sand production
• Operational rating to 600°F and 2000 psi
• Ability to withstand thermal expansion/contraction of
thermal cycles
• Selective access to reenter both laterals
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• Ability to place steam at the correct depth (one
injection string)
• Ability to control steam distribution between the
laterals
• Maximize flow area through the junction
• Simple and robust installation process
• Economical in shallow reservoirs
Multilateral Classification System
TAML (Technical Advancement for Multilaterals) is an
industry association created in 1998 by oilfield operating and
services companies who were interested in multilateral
technology. The idea behind TAML was to compile the
different systems offered by services companies into a single
classification to provide a standardized ranking for selecting the
minimum level of junction required for a specific application.
The TAML classification system ranks multilateral junctions as
Level 1 to 6, where 1 is the simplest (Fig. 2).
The following is a brief explanation of the TAML Classification
System as it relates to heavy-oil wells:
Level 1. Open / Unsupported Junction: Barefoot main bore and
lateral liner hung off in either bore
Application: Typically used for consolidated formations
Advantages:
• Easy to perform, low cost, doesn’t
require special equipment.
Disadvantages:
• Integrity can only be achieved by
the formation
ƒ No flow control
ƒ Possible sand production
ƒ Low reentry capability
ƒ Junction must be placed close to
the reservoir
Level 2. Main Bore Cased and Cemented; Lateral Open:
Lateral either barefoot or with liner hung off in open hole
Application: Typically used for consolidated formations
Advantages:
ƒ Simple installation
ƒ Flow control can be achieved by
completion on the mainbore
ƒ No restriction in the mainbore
casing
Disadvantages:
ƒ Integrity can only be achieved by
the formation
ƒ Possible sand production
ƒ Better reentry capability (depends
on the formation)
ƒ Junction needs to be placed close
to the reservoir
Level 3. Main Bore Cased and Cemented; Lateral Cased but
Not Cemented: Lateral liner anchored to main bore but not
cemented at junction
Application: Typically used for medium consolidated
formations.
Advantages:
• Flow control could be achieved
by completion on the mainbore
Disadvantages:
• Possible sand production
ƒ Restriction in the mainbore; a
limitation for completion
equipment
ƒ Reentry limited by the restriction
in the mainbore.
ƒ Junction needs to be placed close
to the reservoir
Level 4. Main Bore and Lateral are Cased and Cemented: Both
bores cemented at the junction
Application: Typically used for medium consolidated
formation
Advantages:
• Flow control could be achieved
by completion on the mainbore
• No restriction in the main
borehole
• Hydraulic insulation (depends on
the cement)
• High reentry capability
Disadvantages:
• Low pressure integrity (depends
on the cement)
Level 5. Pressure Integrity at the Junction Achieved with
Completion: Straddle packers or (integral) mechanical casing
seal (may or may not be cemented)
Application: Used for any kind of formation where high-
pressure integrity is required
Advantages:
• High-pressure integrity
• Flow control (if required)
• High reentry capability
Disadvantages:
• Internal diameter limited by the
completion
Level 6. Pressure Integrity at the Junction Achieved with
Casing: Achieved with the casing (cement alone is not
acceptable)
Application: Designed for any formation
Advantages:
• Pressure integrity
• Flow control (if required)
• High reentry capability
Disadvantages:
• Preformed junction (casing
splitter). Large mainbore for
small lateral sizes. For a 9-5/8-in.
casing only a 4-1/2-in. lateral hole
can be drilled.
• Reformed junction (expandable
casing). Low pressure integrity
(the junction is run in hole
collapsed and is re-formed in the
hole)
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In typical heavy-oil formations, the placement of the
multilateral junction in unconsolidated sand or shale formations,
which have little inherent compressive strength, precludes the
use of an unsupported junction. Junctions that subscribe to
TAML Levels 1 or 2 are likely to collapse in most heavy-oil
wells because they are left unsupported and are exposed to the
pressure drawdown (Smith et al., 1994).
Technical selection criteria and trial-and-error have led to the
widespread use of TAML Level 3 and 4 multilateral junctions
for the cold production of heavy oil. Level 3 junctions are
completely lined and connected to the main bore, which
mechanically supports the junction (Fig. 3). Level 4 junctions
have a completely lined lateral wellbore that is cemented in
place to provide zonal isolation of the junction (Fig. 4).
Although the cement is technically not a sealing mechanism, it
prevents the annular migration of formation sand around the
junction. TAML Level 5 junctions are defined as having a
pressure-tight seal, which is accomplished by installing a sealed
completion to isolate the produced fluids from the exterior
formation. (Fipke, Celli., 2008)
TAML Level 5 junctions have not traditionally been used in
heavy oil wells because with cold production, most heavy-oil
wells are considered to be relatively low pressured and low
temperature. However, in thermal EOR, where the steam
injection increases the temperature and pressure beyond the
limits of any Level 3 or 4 junctions, a sealed Level 5 junction is
required.
Level 5 Sealed Multilateral Junctions for
Steam Injection
Level 5 multilateral-junction technology has been used
extensively in offshore applications over the last 10 years
(Cuthbert et al, 2003). Level 5 junctions were traditionally
considered an expensive technology for high-cost wells.
However recent reductions in material costs and improved
manufacturing processes have made Level 5 junctions cost-
effective for use in land–based drilling. The installation
sequence for modern Level 5 junctions requires fewer trips and
the time savings improves the economics even further.
The availability of a sealed wellbore junction solves the major
drawbacks that hindered previous attempts to use multilaterals
for thermal EOR. The steam-soak radial multilateral wells
discussed earlier, suffered from steam and gas influx through
the unsealed junction. A robust, reliable seal will eliminate the
wasted heat that escapes through the junction during the steam-
injection cycle, and it will contain steam and hot gases within
the reservoir to enhance the reservoir drive mechanism. In
addition, using an injection string with a concentric seal on the
junction ID, the steam can be directed into one of the two lateral
branches to provide a better distribution of thermal energy.
Consequently, Level 5 junctions can provide much better
functionality to CSS or steamflooding projects using
multilateral wells.
Probably the most interesting application of Level 5 sealed-
junction technology is that it can allow simultaneous steam
injection and production in a multilateral well, essentially
creating a SAGD well from a single surface location (Fig. 5).
This concept holds much appeal for heavy oil producers, but it
has never been deemed practical from a technical or economical
standpoint. There are still several challenges that must first be
solved to enable drilling and completing a true multilateral ML-
SAGD well, as well as a few limitations on how the well can be
produced. However, in designing a multilateral junction capable
of withstanding the temperature, pressure, and expansion of
thermal EOR processes, the industry has crossed an important
technical hurdle.
The ability to drill the traditional SAGD pair (injector/producer)
from a single surface location will result in significant cost
savings in infrastructure and time required for well construction.
The infrastructure and material savings include fewer
wellheads, smaller leases/pads, reductions in the required
conductor pipe, intermediate casing, and drilling footage.
However, some significant challenges, such as, how to range
the injector/producer laterals and how to maintain
thermodynamic efficiency in the upper wellbore remain to be
solved before the ML-SAGD design can be implemented.
Thermal Expansion
Expansion joints are normally used to compensate for the
thermal expansion of the pipe that occurs when steam is
injected. Standard expansion joints cannot be used in a
multilateral well because the junction sealing device must be
landed in compression. Installing the lateral liner in
compression effectively closes the expansion joints so that they
cannot move when the temperature increases and would likely
result in failure of the junction seal or loss of mechanical
integrity of the lateral completion. The design of a new
expansion joint includes a unique activation mechanism that
allows it to be run in a locked-open position and set in
compression, then closed, to compensate for thermal expansion.
Additional Challenges…
Normally, a SAGD well uses active magnetic-ranging
technology to drill the injector well within a specific, controlled
TVD, relative to the producer well. The vertical distance
between wellbores is critical to being able to generate a uniform
steam chamber for the SAGD process. Under normal
circumstances, the ranging tool is placed in one wellbore while
the other is drilled, allowing the bit to be steered to accurately
maintain the desired vertical separation.
In a multilateral well design, a whipstock must be installed in
the main casing to allow drilling the upper lateral. However,
because this whipstock effectively blocks the lower mainbore
access, it prevents access by, and the use of, an active ranging
tool to control the vertical distance between the two laterals.
Consequently, passive-ranging systems (using the magnetic
signal from pipe in the previously drilled lateral to direct the
bit) will have to be evaluated for use in ML-SAGD well
construction.
In MLT SAGD applications, heat loss is a serious concern
because the injection steam flowing downhole will be in close
proximity to the cooler produced oil flowing uphole in the same
borehole. The cooler production fluid will remove a lot of the
thermal energy from the steam, resulting in lower quality steam
reaching the reservoir. It remains to be seen if insulated tubing
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will provide sufficient thermal isolation to prevent the injection
tubing from losing too much heat to the production tubing.
More research in heat-loss thermodynamics is needed to address
this problem.
Another challenge for the MLT SAGD design is controlling
steam placement. Current practice involves using multiple
tubing strings to improve steam distribution along the length of
the horizontal injection wells for SAGD and CSS. Often, a long
injection string is used to place the steam at the toe of the
horizontal lateral, while a shorter injection string places steam
at the heel. The result is more effective use of the thermal
energy along the length of the horizontal well. However, this
will not be possible in the multilateral well scenario, where only
one steam-injection string will be possible, due to the concentric
sealing configuration of the inner wellbore junction. This means
the steam energy cannot be as evenly distributed in MLT
SAGD. Improved steam distribution in the horizontal section of
a multilateral branch will require a new technology that can
passively control the steam volume along the length of the
horizontal well with a single injection tubing string.
Multilateral Drainage Architecture
While SAGD represents the most ambitious goal for
multilateral-well design, because it involves simultaneous
injection and production in a single wellbore, there are other
MLT configurations that might also benefit thermal EOR
efforts. For the present, the Level 5 junction allows the required
control of steam injection and oil production in multilateral
wells.
One alternative architecture for MLT SAGD involves stacking
dual-lateral injection wellbores on top of dual-lateral production
wellbores. This simplifies much of the well construction
process, provides the sealed junction that allows steam injection
and is thermodynamically efficient because the steam injection
and production are in separate wells. This concept also makes
drilling easier because the ranging tools can be placed in the
producer laterals to actively range the drilling of the injector
laterals.
Another possible configuration for a steamflooding scenario
would be laterally staggered injector/injector pairs that use
steam to displace the bitumen horizontally to the multilateral
producer/producer pair (Fig. 8). This application of multilateral
thermal EOR process is referred to as multilateral horizontal
applied steam drive, ML-HASD. If heat losses in a single
multilateral well can be controlled for simultaneous injection
and production, the same concept could be used with staggered
multilateral injector/producer pairs to drill the steamflood
without over overlapping the laterals, thereby allowing drilling
of the laterals without risking collision with existing boreholes.
Steam-sealed multilateral junctions allow a variety of well
configurations for use in thermal EOR. Although the concepts
suggested here maybe somewhat unrealistic at the present time,
with a little more innovation, they could conceivably have a
significant impact on heavy-oil production in the future.
Conclusions
Multilateral wells provide increased reservoir exposure that can
be very beneficial in heterogeneous heavy-oil reservoirs. TAML
New Level 5 junction designs provide the minimum Reservoirs; Paper SPE 122638 presented at the
temperature and pressure ratings that ensure the sealed juncture SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Orlando, Florida,
needed to isolate steam injection from oil production and also to USA, 4-6 March 2008.
control steam injection. Current technology allows MLT use in
cyclic steam stimulation and steamflooding, however,
challenges remain before MLT can be used in SAGD. These
include issues related to thermal expansion, heat loss and steam
placement. Also, an ML-SAGD injector lateral will require
passive magnetic ranging to accurately control the distance
from the producer lateral. Two conceptual MLT designs are
suggested as alternatives to true ML-SAGD: Stacked
multilateral injectors above a multilateral producer and
horizontally-applied steam drainage (ML-HASD). Both
concepts avoid challenges currently limiting ML-SAGD.

Acknowledgement
Special thanks to Jorge Velez and Eulalio Rosas who have
worked hard to promote MLT/thermal solutions for the Orinoco
Belt in recent years.

REFERENCES
1. CUTHBERT, A., HEGREBERG, J.M., and
SKOGLUND, E., Stacked Multilateral System for the
Troll Olje Field – Development and Case History;
Paper SPE/IADC 79866 presented at the SPE/IADC
Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands,
29-21 February 2003.

2. McGILLIVRAY, P.R., Microseismic and Time Lapse

Seismic Monitoring of a Heavy Oil Extraction
Process at Peace River, Canada; CSEG Recorder, Vol.
30, No. 1, pp. 5-9, 2005.

3. ROCHE, P., Poised for Growth, Shell’s Peace River

Project is One of Alberta’s Oldest Thermal Bitumen
Developments. After Decades of Innovation, the
Company is Gearing up for Expansion; Nickles New
Technology Magazine, January 2005.

4. SMITH, R.C., HAYES, L.A., and WILKIN, J.F., The

Lateral Tie Back System; The Ability to Drill and
Case Multiple Wells; Paper IADC/SPE 27436,
presented at the IADC/SPE Drilling Conference,
Dallas, Texas, USA, 15-18 February 1994.

5. STADLER, J.L., YORK, G.D., KOPPER, R.J.,

CURTIS, C.M., and COLE, T.L., Multilateral-
Horizontal Wells Increase Rate and Lower Cost per
Barrel in the Zuata Field, Faja, Venezuela; Paper SPE
69700 presented at the SPE International Thermal
Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium, Margarita
Island, Venezuela, 12-14 March 2001.
6. FIPKE, S., and CELLI, A., The Use of Multilateral
Well Designs for Improved Recovery in Heavy Oil

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Appendices

Fig. 1. Triple crows foot multilateral well with fishbones. Approximately 60,000 ft of 8-½-in. hole drilled in reservoir. These
wells are used for cold production of heavy-oil in highly heterogeneous reservoirs.

Fig 2. Example of a “tuning fork” multilateral well used for CSS in the Shell’s Peace Rive Project

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Fig. 3. Example of a TAML complexity classification chart for multilateral wells

Fig. 4. TAML Level 5 MLT-SAGD conceptual design for simultaneous steam injection and oil production

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Fig. 5. Conceptual diagrams of MLT–SAGD and MLT-HASD well

Fig. 6. Combined MLT-HASD concept.