Na Kika Completions Overview: Challenges and Accomplishments
Authors: Stair C.D. , Bruesewitz E.R. , Shivers J.B. , Rajasingam D.T. , Dawson M.E.P. 
Published: October 2008

The Na Kika project is a world-class development of a set of reservoirs dispersed across multiple lease blocks in the ultra deep water Gulf of Mexico. The ten subsea well completions represent a model of technological innovation combined with an efficient execution process that set multiple records for well completions in any water depth. This paper provides an overview of the Na Kika completions campaign, conducted over a nine month period from June 2002 to February 2003 from the Transocean Sedco-Forex MODU Marianas.

The economic development of the dispersed, small to medium sized fields at Na Kika, was strongly enabled by novel approaches to subsea production system and well completion design. In addition to the technical challenges inherent in this project, sound project management and contingency planning practices were critical to assuring success given the need to align completion, subsea, and host facility installation activities while delivering on-time and on-budget. The project team overcame numerous execution challenges, including aggressive cost and schedule expectations and extensive application of new technologies, to complete execution in just over half of the projected time, without significant incident, and within budget expectations.

The Na Kika wells were some of the most complex and technically challenging ever installed in an offshore environment, combining 18 discrete reservoir packages into 10 well completions. Well types varied from single zone Frac Packs to triple zone intelligent wells and horizontal open hole gravel packs. Integration of rig and installation vessel activities realized synergies that contributed significantly to the record-breaking pace. Well quality indicators recorded during completion activities indicate that nearly all completion inflow and sand control expectations should be met.

Introduction

The Na Kika Development is located 144 miles southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, in water depths ranging from 5,800 to 7,000 feet in the US Gulf of Mexico. The project is a subsea development of five small to medium sized independent fields tied back to a permanently moored floating development and production host facility, centrally located in Mississippi Canyon Block 474 in 6,340â?? of water. Na Kika is the first deepwater application of the concept of a dispersed subsea development tied-back to a centrally located host that does not depend upon a single large accumulation of oil and gas.

The subsea infrastructure consists of ten wells connected via three 20 to 30-mile flowline loops, a single 27-mile flowline, 23 flowline sleds, and 75 miles of umbilicals to the semisubmersible shaped host with topsides facilities for fluid processing and pipelines for oil and gas export to shore. Another field will be tied back in 2004, and the host and subsea infrastructure is designed for other tie-backs to enable further development in the area. At full production, Na Kika will process 110 mbopd and 425 mmscfd, making it one of the largest facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.

Close involvement of the 50% working interest owner, BP Exploration & Production Inc. (BP) in the development planning and execution phases was key to implementing an optimal development concept. The project was sanctioned in September, 2000 and the schedule was driven by a requirement to achieve first oil in late 2003.