Case History: First Lower Tertiary Multi-Zone Single-Trip Intelligent Completion in an Ultra-Deepwater Development

摘要

Multi-zone single-trip (MST) technology is a completion method to perform sequential sand-control treatments to multiple zones in one trip down-hole. The primary advantage of the method is the operational efficiency and resultant cost-savings. The paper presents the challenges surrounding the latest one of five Gulf of Mexico wells installations in an Ultra-Deepwater project, describes the systems used and presents their key factors of success. For the first time, an intelligent well completion was successfully installed together with the MST system, further improving the producing capabilities to collect reservoir information and to manage fluid production. The paper also discusses the technological advantages of the MST completion method, key lessons learned to date and the major success factors in the project specific to the completion operations. The paper is structured around well integrity, operational efficiency and completion excellence. Well integrity is accomplished by ensuring that completion components conform to the extreme downhole well conditions, maintain well control; and keep zone isolation during high-pressure frac-pack treatments. Operational efficiency was attained by clear guidelines, right personnel involvement, identifying and eliminating any possible operational risk. Completion excellence was achieved by system built-in redundancy features for flawless executions and software modeling to simulate downhole conditions from installation through production phases. The intelligent completions capability and the value added to the system are also presented.