By Guntis Moritis
Production Editor
Oil and Gas Journal
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 2 -- Intelligent or smart well completions are slowly finding acceptance in the industry, according to a panel session and several papers at the Society of Petroleum Engineers annual Technical Conference and Exhibition here.
The systems allow operators to access real-time reservoir data and then remotely from surface controls reconfigure the wellbore production-injection architecture accordingly.
Presentations related case histories with successful applications but the number of systems in place is still relatively few.
Clark E. Robison, production manager for Weatherford Completion Systems Inc., indicated that, depending on the definition of an intelligent or smart completion, only about 60 are in place. The first was run in 1996.
He said the unknown reliability of the systems is often mentioned as a main barrier to more widespread use but the systems have the potential for increasing production by optimizing the production profile, improving ultimate recovery, providing operational flexibility, eliminating intervention costs (that are considerable in deepwater), increasing reservoir knowledge, and optimizing flow assurance problems caused by sand, paraffin, hydrates, and asphaltenes.
The panel session was told other reasons for slow acceptance of the systems is that intervention costs on land wells are relatively low, the systems anticipate future needs that might never occur, and in 5 years better technology might be available.
V.B. Jackson discussed the intelligent systems planned for the marginal Aconcagua, Camden Hills, and King's Peak fields in the Gulf of Mexico.
He said, "Economic success of deepwater and ultra-deepwater developments often depends on the use of innovative technologies that can increase production and minimize workover needs to achieve the sought-after field efficiency during the productive life of the field."
These dry gas fields are in 6,200-7,200 ft of water in Mississippi Canyon Blocks 173, 217, 305, 348 and Desoto Canyon Blocks 133 and 177. Production from the three will be tied to the Canyon Station host platform, 55 miles from the most distant well location. The operators plan to equip eight of the nine wells in the fields with intelligent systems.
Although the systems differ slightly among the fields the main components include:
-- A production packer with a hydraulic and electric bypass.
-- A gauge package for measuring shut-in and flowing pressure from two sand-controlled zones.
-- Two control valves with metal-to-metal seals to control flow from both production intervals.
-- A shroud to isolate flow between upper and lower production intervals.
The presentation described the piston-actuated control valves as being functioned through a direct hydraulic link from the subsea control module. Pressure applied at the subsea control module will allow hydraulic fluid to be directed to the open side of one piston, the open side of the other piston, or the close line, which is common to both valves.
It said, "The use of intelligent completion equipment to optimize the reservoir is critical to the economic success of these fields." The technology has the capability to commingle production without well intervention and to shut off zones that the operators expect will start producing water in a few years.
The operators plan to process the downhole pressure and temperature data and integrate it into the reservoir models for better understanding of field depletion, encroaching water, and reservoir extents.