Intelligent Completion Enables Zonal Isolation Offshore Malaysia
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: May 2024

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This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 22882, “Advancement of Openhole Gravel Pack and Zonal Isolation With Selective Intelligent Completion in Deepwater Malaysia,” by Elvy Samuel, SPE, Noppanan Nopsiri, and Lee Chan Fong, PTTEP, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2023 International Petroleum Technology Conference.

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As fields mature, drilling and completion design and execution for infill development become more challenging. In a deepwater environment, one strategy is to target several reservoir packages in a single wellbore. This technique frequently presents technical challenges, however, because penetrating different zones requires active reservoir management, an allowance for zonal isolation, and an adequate response to potential crossflow. The complete paper presents a completion strategy implemented in an intelligent well completed in the Malaysian deepwater Block K.

Introduction

The SNP Field is 125 km offshore Sabah in approximately 1350–1400 m water depth. The field crosses the boundary between Block K and Block G, approximately 15 km from the Kikeh floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) facility. The field commenced Phase 1 in 2011 with the completion of nine oil producers as openhole gravel packs (OHGPs) and five water injectors with expandable sand screens at the sandface. Phase 2 development, partially covered in the complete paper, commenced in the third quarter of 2021 with three standard oil producers and one smart producer well.

All SNP Phase 2 wells were completed as OHGPs targeting various sand reservoirs in a common pressure regime. The well discussed in the complete paper addressed subsurface uncertainties related to depth and the pressure differential between the upper zone (UZ) and the lower zone (LZ) and the isolation requirements of the middle zone (MZ) by implementing an intelligent completion architecture with an OHGP with zonal isolation on the sandface. The flow diversion between the producer zones would be achieved through the deployment of an intermediate completion coupled with an intelligent completion architecture in the upper completion.

The well was placed on production in the first quarter of 2022 to the Kikeh FPSO, achieving the targeted rates solids-free.

Gravel-Pack Design

In this field, the fracture pressure window is marginal, suggesting that a conventional OHGP approach would be challenging. Adding to this complexity is the zonal-isolation requirement. To achieve the objective of complete openhole (OH) coverage and to enable zonal isolation simultaneously, shunt-tube technology was identified as critical. The selection of shunt-tube technology allows the following achievements:

- Premature screenout mitigation, because the technique is a proven system that enables the slurry to bypass any restriction in the OH/screen annulus

- Zonal-isolation capabilities by combining shunted sand screens and OH mechanical packers with selective shunt-tube isolation capabilities

- Application of diverter valves, crucial in fields with marginal fracture pressure windows