Horizontal completion technology has progressed dramatically over the last six years, with the latest technical barriers being eclipsed with open hole technology. These completions have allowed multiple zones to be fractured while mechanically isolating each zone. The efficiencies and benefits of utilizing open hole horizontal completion technology has been well documented. From the enhanced production witnessed using open hole completion with mechanical isolation, to the operational benefits of multiple fracturing operations being pumped in one continuous operation equating to time savings, more efficient fracs, faster cleanup and less safety hazards. Conventional methods of cementing a liner in place, perforating, fracturing and repeating the process for the number of stages required can be very time consuming with the added expense of removing the frac plugs with coiled tubing (CT) after the operations have been completed. The enabling technology that has been used successfully over the last six years for multi-stage fracturing in open hole horizontal wells has been successfully applied to vertical wells. This paper will detail the benefits of using open hole multi-stage fracturing technology with mechanical isolation in vertical wells. In some aspects this may seem a simple transition, however, there are many operational considerations that must be evaluated in many vertical applications that might otherwise not be factored into a horizontal completion. These operational considerations will be thoroughly outlined, including case histories where this technology has been successfully applied.
展开▼
