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Types of Completion

This document discusses different types of oil well completions, including open hole completions, cased hole completions, and intelligent completion systems. Cased hole completions are more widely used and involve lining the well with casing and cement. There are several methods to connect the productive formation to the surface, including tubingless, packerless, single string, and multiple string completions. Intelligent completion systems aim to directly control well processes like flow and emission using downhole sensors, valves, and separation devices that are monitored and controlled remotely.

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196 views

Types of Completion

This document discusses different types of oil well completions, including open hole completions, cased hole completions, and intelligent completion systems. Cased hole completions are more widely used and involve lining the well with casing and cement. There are several methods to connect the productive formation to the surface, including tubingless, packerless, single string, and multiple string completions. Intelligent completion systems aim to directly control well processes like flow and emission using downhole sensors, valves, and separation devices that are monitored and controlled remotely.

Uploaded by

Ashraf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Oil Well Completion

Types of completion

The type of completion adopted will depend on the structural/geological


characteristics of the reservoir, and on the type of mineralization. There are two
categories of completions: conventional completions and so-called smart completions.
The latter were introduced in the early 1990s with the aim of allowing production
management to take place directly in the well, thus avoiding maintenance work
leading to interrupted production and additional working costs.

Oil and gas well completions can be divided into two main categories:

 Open hole well completions


 Cased hole completions

In open hole completions the pay rock is kept as it is, and no cemented casing
columns are needed. This type of completion is realized when the formation is self-
supporting or when, on the contrary, it is too severely fractured to guarantee
successful cementation. It is the optimal solution since the entire drainage surface is
available for production, and pressure drops are limited. Moreover, the absence of
casing columns makes it easier to proceed to well stimulation. On the other hand, in
open hole completions it is impossible to control the entrance of sand and water in the
hole, and it is therefore very difficult to isolate the levels and proceed to their
stabilization.

Case-hole completions are more widely used due to technical reasons relating to the
stability of the hole. In this case the well to be completed is one that has been lined
and cemented throughout its entire development.

There are four possible solutions to establish communication between the


productive formation and the surface:

a) Tubing less completion.

b) Packer less completion (with a tubing string and without isolation between casing
and tubing).

c) Single string with hydraulic isolation completion.


Oil Well Completion

d) Multiple string completion.

Packerless completion is a more financially advantageous system. Here, only the


production tubing is placed in the well, and it is possible to produce both through it
and through the annulus (Fig. 1).

The production tubing can be used for injecting inhibitors or killing fluid. This
method is somewhat limited in terms of flow conditions and the protection of the
tubing materials. Moreover, it is difficult to detect leaks in the tubing or the casing,
and to gather bottom hole pressure data.

The single string completion using hydraulic isolation and just one string is
convenient when the production layer appears to be homogeneous and a selective-
zone production is not necessary. It consists in the use of a single tubing string that is
lowered into the well together with an isolation device for the formation section to be
produced, called the packer (Fig. 2). Where there are several production layers for one
fluid, a single selective completion is used. This system has only one tubing string and
several packers that isolate the various production levels. By using wire-line
operations it is possible to open

and close the valves so as to allow production on single layers (Fig. 3).
Oil Well Completion

The multiple tubing string completion uses, at the most, two or three tubings, isolated
by packers and producing on different levels at the same time (Fig. 4).

This solution is useful when the reservoir presents different layers of mineralization,
for example gas and oil, or different types of oil, because it allows us to produce
selectively according to necessity, while keeping production active on various levels
at the same time. For the single tubing strings, it is always possible to adopt a solution
Oil Well Completion

similar to the single selective completion, thus obtaining a multiple selective


completion. This system’s drawback is the limited diameter of the tubing which in
turn reduces the flow capacity of each tubing string.
Oil Well Completion

Multilateral completions

The introduction of deviated well drilling, and in particular the adoption of


multilateral schemes has led to the necessity to develop devices for ad hoc
completions. In general, completion technology formultilateral wells combines
selective and multiple functions, and also has the particular characteristic of using
several holes, which converge into a ‘father’ well. In fact, the multilateral system is
based on several wells, all derived from one initial well. The number of wells, their
orientation, disposition and inclination to the vertical, as well as the chosen type of
completion and isolation, have led to the development of a number of systems. Below
is a brief description of the systems currently available, based on the classification
provided by the Technology Advancement of Multilateral (TAML), a group of
experts operating in the field (Fig. 5).
Oil Well Completion

Level 1 is known as the Openhole Sidetrack. This method is the simplest completion
system. Both the main well and the secondary wells are openhole. The secondary
wells are not isolated.

Level 2has a cased and cemented main well, while the secondary wells have an
openhole completion. It is possible to install liners, or filters, in the lateral branches.
The key element of this type of completion is the connection fitting for lateral inflow
that is assembled together with a permanent packer

Level 3 is similar to level 2. The difference lies in anchoring the lateral liner to the
inside of the main well, thus giving the completion better mechanical strength. This
type of completion also includes a hook hanger, which is a connecting device installed
between the completions of the main well and that of the secondary branch, allowing
for selective entry in both holes.

In level 4 the lateral well is cemented. This guarantees the mechanical resistance of
the derivation section of the lateral branch, but does not grant it hydraulic sealing.

In level 5 the hydraulic seal is obtained by isolating the junction between the lateral
branch and the father well from the injected fluids and the produced ones. The
hydraulic seal is achieved by means of three conventional packers: one in the lateral
branch, one lowermost in the main well, and the last one above the junction. A
scoophead diverter tool is also added to divert the tubing into the lateral branch. This
method offers selective access to the single branches, and the possibility to manage
independent production.

Level 6 aims to guarantee mechanical and hydraulic continuity by using casing to


ensure hydraulic sealing in the branching section. To this end, ad hoc elements are
used to make sure that it is perfectly continuous. For the completion, standard
configurations, such as dual completion, are used, with the difference that the two
tubing strings are set in two distinct holes. Once more, a scoophead diverter tool may
be used.

Intelligent Completion Systems (ICS)

The term Intelligent Completion System indicates the direct control of well processes.
This system aims to control the flow and emission, both on a productive level and on
Oil Well Completion

an environmental level, operating as close as possible to the source in order to adopt


the best production strategies to control well behaviour. Proximity to the source, and
in particular to the production area, is one way of facilitating operations such as
pressure, temperature, and flow measurement, as well as making operations such as
separation and re-injection of produced water more economical.

The main reason for adopting an ICS lies in the production flexibility, the reduction of
future workover jobs, and the consequent improvement in well performance. The
fundamental benefit is the reduction of routine operations and occasional
interventions due to the use of remote instrumentation and motorized devices in the
well, such as control and/or production valves.

The most interesting aspects of ICS include:

a) flow control of different production levels.


b) selective closing of the levels where production is conditioned by water or gas
rates greater than the established ones.
c) selective water injection for assisted production on different levels.
d) instrumentation for precise measurements of pressure, temperature and flow
dynamics.
e) devices for the separation of water, oil and gas downhole.
f) remote control of production
g) instrumentation for selective testing of the production capacity of the various
levels.

*The archetypal ICS is geared towards wells containing areas isolated by


multiple or single packers. Each packer contains well-logging devices for
measuring pressure and temperature, and monitoring the flow, as well as
powered choke valves allowing the regulation of production. All monitored
and controlled levels are connected to the control centre on the surface by
cable. This cable transmits the data gathered by the sensors in each production
level, and carries the command signals to the devices located along the tubing
string (Fig. 6).
Oil Well Completion

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