Selective Placement of Fractures in Horizontal Wells in Offshore Brazil Demonstrates Effectiveness of HydraJet Stimulation Process

Abstract

Summary Cased cemented completions have not been the preferred horizon-tal-well completion method in offshore Brazil. Lower-cost solutions such as uncemented preperforated liners were often used in completing horizontal wells offshore and are usually very effective. Often, however, low production rates mean that stimulation treatments become necessary for many wells. The use of conventional stimulation technology has generally been ineffective for these completions, which posed a challenge for the operator to find an effective solution for continuing developments in some fields. These challenges included reevaluating the more expensive cased cemented completions to allow more effective options for future stimulation, as well as trying to find newer stimulation techniques that can be effective with lower-cost completions (noncemented liners). In the attempt to find an economical yet effective stimulation solution, the operator chose to implement a unique and relatively new hydrajet stimulation technique that has a proven success rate in onshore applications. The technique can be applied in either sandstone or carbonate formations, which are commonplace in this field; therefore, stimulation plans in this area will include fracture acidizing as well as propped fracture stimulations that use a high concentration of proppants or curable resin-coated prop-pants (RCPs). This paper discusses the early results of this investigation. Wells that were completed and evaluated using different completion schemes are reviewed.