From license to first deepwater production may take as long as 10 years. One of the best ways to reach first oil faster is to optimize the fluid pathways from the reservoir to the borehole. Subsequent improvements in drainage often require formation-specific stimulations, perforating, or laterals. Also important—throughout the life of operations—are the technologies and services designed to prevent formation damage and therefore enhance producibility.
Fluids designed specifically for the high pressures and low temperatures of deepwater completions address issues associated with operational and well integrity, compatibility, and flow assurance.
Maximizing reservoir contact and optimizing drainage require a full understanding of each reservoir compartment being drilled into, and through. Downhole fluid analysis addresses both the compartmentalization and the variations in fluid composition, helping analysts to map the reservoir viscosity and pressure gradients and thereby improve ultimate recovery.
In deepwater fields where well spacing is typically not dense, operators increase contact with complex or compartmentalized reservoirs by adding laterals to the main borehole. Key junction technology simplifies the multilateral well completions process and equalizes flow along the entire length of the wellbore, reducing water coning and extending well productive life.
After perforation or stimulation treatments, three-phase separation results in faster cleanup times, which can drive higher flow rates.
Remote operation of downhole equipment via coded pressure pulses enables opening and closing of valves during stimulation, drillstem testing, and completion operations. In deepwater operations this system promotes better flow control and efficiency. It is also used to achieve optimal pressure conditions for perforating.
Predictions of sanding potential play an important role in the optimal completion design for each well environment—whether open or cased hole. Real-time monitoring of sand production signals condition changes, and remedial treatments can be performed through tubing or using other technologies. In addition, inflow control devices can extend the productive life of the well by encouraging even flow and preventing coning problems.
Engineered perforating solutions consider the relationship between the gun system, the well, and the reservoir and its fluid. Designed for high pressure and high temperature, our systems are engineered to achieve optimal perforations, an important factor in maximizing productivity from reservoirs in deep water.
FIV valves isolate formations without killing the well, protecting frac- and gravel-pack operations from completion fluid damage.
Selecting the right treatment for the well environment and production goal is crucial to project outcome and economics.
ECLIPSE reservoir engineering software helps maximize reservoir contact through finite-difference simulation. This technology enables more accurate predictions in complex and deepwater reservoirs, as well as their use in planning advanced recovery processes over the life of the field.
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