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Chapter 2 Conventional
Completion
Heriot-Watt University
CONTENTS
Geographical factors:
Location.
Water depth (if offshore).
Weather conditions.
Accessibility.
A number of typical completion types are presented below. These designs have been
chosen to illustrate functional similarities and differences in a range of well
environments. They are all based on the concepts discussed in this chapter.
This completion features VAM tubing with an anchor seal assembly latched into a
permanent packer. The VAM tubing is required due to the production or injection of
gas with relatively high closed in surface tubing pressures. The permanent packer
would have been made up with its tailpipe and run in and set on drillpipe or with an
electric wireline cable. The absence of a moving seal assembly indicates that little
tubing movement can occur, ensuring good differential pressure sealing integrity.
Figure 1 Single zone gas reservoir completion with no provision for tubing movement.
This design allows production through a tubing string with a moving seal assembly
located inside a permanent packer. Additional features include two nipples located in
the tailpipe, the upper one for pressure isolation if the tubing string is retrieved and the
lower one for landing bottom hole pressure survey gauges.
This design allows high production rates since the large bore tubing minimises the
frictional pressure drop in the tubing. The packer and tailpipe can be set on electric
cable or coiled tubing and the tubing string subsequently latched into the packer with
an anchor seal assembly at the base of an extra long tubing seal receptacle. The range
of tubing movement is typically 5 15 ft. Production rates of 20,000 30,000 bbl/d or
more are typical for this type of completion.
This completion provides gas lift, either to initiate production or to increase the
natural-flow production rate. The string contains several side pocket mandrels
containing gas injection valves at various depths. The design utilises a retrievable
packer, a preferable choice if it is suspected that a completion will require mechanical
repair at frequent intervals.
This complex design introduces flexibility into the completion since it allows for
commingled production of both zones or for selective production from either of the
zones. Continuous gas lift is provided by gas injected down a separate string. Gas
injection using the 2 7/ 8 " tubing avoids excessive gas pressures being exerted on the
production casing (prevents surface casing burst if shallow casing corrosion has
occurred). The small gas injection string and dual packer are also used in offshore
situations when annular gas pressure is not permitted. Here the dual packer is normally
set at a shallow depth.
Figure 6 Single string, selective, dual zone production well with gas lift.
This design features a downhole Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) installed parallel to
a bypass tubing (the Y-tool) which allows access to the producing zone below the ESP
e.g. for production logging surveys, etc. Note that a retrievable hydraulic set packer is
used. This reduces the difficulties in pulling the string should the pump need replacing.
The run life can be as long as several years; but this depends upon the installation
efficiency and the actual operating environment.
This completion utilises two tubing strings, allowing separate production from each
zone with its own reservoir management. The lower packer is a permanent packer and
the longer tubing string is connected to it using a seal assembly. The upper packer is a
retrievable, dual packer. All equipment is duplicated, e.g. two sub-surface safety
valves, two circulating devices, etc. Thick walled joints known as Blast Joints are
used to combat erosion on the longer string at the point of entry of fluid from the upper
zone into the wellbore.
This type of completion is both simple and relatively cheap. However, there is no
mechanical pressure Isolation by a packer. Zonal and annulus Isolation from the
reservoir is dependent on performing an efficient cement job. Further, the diameter
and length of the perforations is limited sue to the tubing's small inner diameter. Care
must also be taken to avoid perforating the long string during perforating the upper
zone. It has been applied in some areas, e.g. the Middle East and the USA where a
single, dual and triple completions have been installed. See also Chapter 4 (Artificial
Lift) if the Production Technology module.
Figure 14 A solution.