Effective Stimulation of Horizontal Wells - A New CompletionMethod

Abstract

Effective Stimulation of Horizontal Wells - A New Completion Method Rocky Seale; Rocky Seale Packers Plus Energy Services Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Dan Themig; Dan Themig Packers Plus Energy Services Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar James Athans James Athans Packers Plus Energy Services Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE Technical Symposium of Saudi Arabia Section, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, May 2006. Paper Number: SPE-106357-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/106357-MS Published: May 21 2006 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Seale, Rocky, Themig, Dan, and James Athans. "Effective Stimulation of Horizontal Wells - A New Completion Method." Paper presented at the SPE Technical Symposium of Saudi Arabia Section, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, May 2006. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/106357-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractOver the last several years there have been many developments in horizontal completions. These advancements have been designed to better stimulate the entire horizontal interval. The most notable advancement has been used in cased and cemented liner applications, where composite plugs have provided the mechanical diversion that has successfully stimulated the entire horizontal wellbore. However, the process of setting a plug on coiled tubing (CT), perforating, stimulating and then repeating the process for the required number of stages to optimize production and then running back in with CT to remove the plugs is costly and time prohibitive in many cases. In open hole applications, horizontal stimulations have relied almost solely on limited entry or bullheading in attempts to induce multiple fractures. This method has proven very inefficient and unsuccessful.A new completion system has been developed that addresses all of the prior issues in stimulating horizontal wells. This system uses a series of mechanical open hole packers deployed on the production liner with fracturing or stimulation ports located between the packers that allow for stimulation in each desired interval. Without the requirement of cementing the liner in place, all the problems associated with cementing are eliminated. By placing a liner in the open hole section rather than leaving it barefoot, accessibility and production issues are more easily addressed. Additionally, the mechanical packers provide mechanical diversion at high differential pressures. The system has also been designed, so all of the fracturing or stimulation treatments along the horizontal wellbore can be pumped in one continuous operation, thus minimizing all the associated risks and optimizing the efficiencies for both the personnel and equipment. With hundreds of jobs completed, this paper will detail the operational efficiencies and reliability of this completion system, as well as analyze the cost benefits and production increases that have been noted.IntroductionHorizontal drilling has been steadily growing for well over a decade and in many cases has become the exploitation method of choice for infill drilling and reservoir depletion. As successful as horizontal drilling has been, there have been significant technology gaps hampering growth in certain applications. Keywords: hydraulic fracturing, drilling operation, Efficiency, Directional Drilling, effective stimulation, Upstream Oil & Gas, stimulation, horizontal wellbore, completion, zonal isolation Subjects: Drilling Operations, Hydraulic Fracturing, Directional drilling, Well Integrity, Zonal isolation This content is only available via PDF. 2006. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.