Current State of the One-Trip Multizone Sand Control Completion System and the Conundrum Faced in the Gulf of Mexico Lower Tertiary

摘要

This paper provides perspective on the current state of multizone completion technology and issuesrnencountered in the industry with developing a system that offers increased capabilities to meet thernever-increasing challenges presented by the Lower Tertiary formation in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM).rnSince the introduction of the first-generation multizone system approximately 35 years ago, therntechnology has continued to evolve to meet new well and reservoir challenges. The Lower Tertiaryrnformation in the GOM is currently driving the need for further evolution of the current-generationrnmultizone system. The Lower Tertiary reservoir requires deeper well depths, higher zone pressures, higherrnbottomhole temperatures (BHTs), and higher production rates as well as reservoir monitoring andrnreservoir control for improved reservoir management. These are just a few of the technical challenges forrndeveloping the next-generation multizone completion system.rnIn the intervening 7u0002 years after its introduction, the fourth-generation multizone system wasrnsuccessfully deployed in multiple ultra-deepwater wells in the GOM, along with dry and wet treerncompletions in the Asia Pacific area. This paper presents information on the associated demands forrnimproved technologies, which will assist the industry understanding of the technical challenges related torndrilling, completing, and producing in the Lower Tertiary formation. The paper discusses which requirementsrnare optional and mandatory for future development and evaluation and how this will affect wellrnarchitecture in the future. The multizone technology has proven to be an enabler for cost-efficientrncompletions in the shallow well environment and a true enabler in the high-cost ultra-deepwaterrnenvironment requiring high-rate fracture stimulation treatments.rnSimilar to previous systems, this fifth-generation multizone system is expected to have a significantrnimpact on production and reservoir management. The proven technology will help operators overcome therncompletion challenges presented by the Lower Tertiary formation.