The Integration of Intelligent Well Systems into Sand Control Completions for Selective Reservoir Flow Control in Brazil’s Deepwater

摘要

This paper describes the integration of intelligent wellrnsystem technology into a conventional, open hole sandfacerncompletion for the purpose of selective flow control in arndeepwater reservoir. In deepwater subsea applications, thernability to remotely control the inflow of water can eliminaterncostly rig intervention while extending well life and increasingrnrecoverable reserves. The planning, testing and installation ofrnthese technologies will be detailed in this paper.rnDeepwater Brazil continues to be a region whererntechnology which addresses inherent cost and risk canrnfavorably impact financial performance. The horizontal gravelrnpacked completion was introduced in deepwater subsea Brazilrnin 1998. To date, over 67 successful subsea horizontal gravelrnpacks have been installed in both production and injectionrnwells. To further enhance deepwater financial performancernoffshore Brazil, installation of a Level 6 multilateral well inrnthe Campos Basin occurred in 1999. Given the demonstratedrnsuccess of open-hole horizontal gravel packing, and the factrnthat this technology is now relatively mature, additionalrncompletion capability in the way of effective, selective zonalrnisolation has become desirable. Addressing this challenge isrnthe application of diverter valve technology. This technologyrnhas been successfully used in 8 subsea wells in the CamposrnBasin during the year 2001. Combined, zonal sandfacernisolation and the long reach of horizontal wells providernoperators with the ability to selectively drain a reservoir(s) andrnmove the development cost per barrel oil equivalentrn(BOE) downward.rnThe fully electric intelligent well system consisting of 3-1/2”rnand 5-1/2” smart selective flow control devices was deployedrnon land in the Mossoro Field. The purpose of the installationrnwas to prove the technology before transferring the applicationrninto the deepwater subsea environment. These valves werernoperated remotely from the office location. After months ofrnsuccessful actuation and data acquisition, the system wasrnpulled and prepared for installation into a deepwater subsearnwell. During the land based well test, it was deemed necessaryrnto modify the volumes of data stored. Software modificationsrnwere made to optimize the rate ofrndata storage.rnIn order to integrate the Intelligent Well System into thernsand control completion, a process of optimization wasrnnecessary to meet well construction and operationalrnrequirements. This process was inclusive of well path designrnto reach the targeted well location while controlling the doglegrnseverity to allow placement of the intelligent well system Itrnincluded completion design to achieve selective flow controlrnand minimize operational risk during installation. This is thernfirst application of an all electric, remotely operated intelligentrnwell system integrated into a sandface completion for thernpurpose of reservoir production management.