Case Study: First Intelligent Completion System Installed in the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Jackson V.B. , Tips T.R. 
Published: October 2008

To maintain profitability in the development of marginal fields, many new technologies and concepts have been exploited. One of the most promising technologies has been the "Intelligent Well Concept," which allows the operator to produce, monitor and control the production of hydrocarbons through remotely operated completion systems. These systems are developed with techniques that allow the well architecture to be reconfigured at will and real-time data to be acquired without any well intervention. This paper concerns a case history in the Gulf of Mexico in which an operator was able to justify completion of marginal wells based upon the cost savings generated from innovative technologies.

The completion methods chosen for this development were successful because of careful preplanning for all phases of the completion scenario and proved that close interaction among all suppliers and parties involved in the actual equipment purchasing, interface issues, and all operational strategies is critical for project success. These topics will be discussed in depth. Detailed test programs were implemented during the design and manufacturing processes to eliminate field failures. In this case, testing revealed system issues that ultimately led to the use of an alternative design.

Also shown is the importance of allowing the proper amount of time to adequately plan and test these systems for their specific applications in order to assure delivery of a design that can meet the functional requirements for that application. In this case, although the system design was changed, the original functional goals were met. Two wells in this field were completed in April and July 1999. An additional well may be completed in early 2000.

Introduction

This case history is the first in the Gulf of Mexico in which intelligent completion technology was used. The field is located offshore in approximately 3300 ft of water. Fig. 1 indicates field location. The field is comprised of sand units that are vertically and laterally discontinuous across the breadth of the field. With the need for multiple take points in the layered reservoir system, the operator had developed a depletion plan, which described the order in which the different zones would be accessed to maximize both reserves and upfront production.

It had been recognized early on that there was a need for lower overall cost solutions to develop this field because of its marginal reserves. Many innovative techniques from the incorporation of a mini-TLP platform to unique pipeline systems were planned, and it was felt that the use of intelligent completion systems could maximize field development. Fig. 2 shows an intelligent well configuration used in this field.

The wells were to be completed with stacked gravel packs to produce two independent zones. The intelligent completion would allow the operator to monitor pressure and temperature from either zone and to produce from the lower zone, the upper zone, both zones, or neither. The wells were also to be completed in different sands to optimize current well location and to maximize producing and sustainable production rates.