Maximizing Production Capacity Using Intelligent-Well Systems in a Deepwater,West-Africa Field

摘要

Large, deepwater fields with a limited number of wellsmay require intelligent well systems to maximize productioncapacity under facility constraints. Agbami field, a highlydippingreservoir with many producing zones and few wells,will use intelligent well systems to manage fluid fronts in agravity-stable recovery scheme.The reservoir has many producing zones with high-qualityrock properties. Intelligent well systems, which consist ofinterval control valves (ICVs) and many sensors, will be usedto monitor, analyze, and control (MAC) injection andproduction at the zonal level. Analysis of sensor data willallow operations to estimate well capacity and calculate actualflow rates. Decisions for operational control will be madebased on the data analysis, the results of which will be used tooptimize overall field performance and maximize financialreturns.In this study, a strategy was developed to maximizeAgbami's full-field rate capacity in three production phases;ramp-up, plateau, and decline. Rate capacity response wasinvestigated at the field, well, and zonal levels, includingoperational and reservoir uncertainties; e.g., injector plugging,well downtime, permeability variation, and fault-seal settings.Using a combination of scenario-testing and mitigationstrategies, several key decisions were made, including thenumber and placement location of ICVs based on well type,range of production and injection rates, and zonal allocation.