Remedial Conformable Sand-Control Technology Deployed Offshore Colombia
Authors: Carpenter Chris 
Published: October 2024

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This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 23690, “First Horizontal Deployment of Remedial Conformable Sand-Control Technology in Colombia: Qualification and Case Study,” by Suzanne Stewart, SPE, TAQA, and Jose M. Bermudez, SPE, and Camilo Mazo, Hocol, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2024 International Petroleum Technology Conference.

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The challenge of remedial sand control lies in the fact that the system must pass through restrictions in the upper completion before ideally conforming to the inner diameter (ID) of the zone requiring sand control. The complete paper describes the qualification of a multilayer, open-cell matrix polymer (OCMP) system for the first horizontal deployment in an offshore gas well. The system is capable of being deployed remedially through tight tubing restrictions while providing conformant sand control in a horizontal wellbore without the need for gravel packing, making the approach particularly valuable for scenarios where surface space is limited.

Background

During 2006, gas Wells CH-20, CH-19, and CH-18 were originally drilled and completed in the B2 zone in the Chuchupa field offshore Colombia. Wells CH-20, CH-19, and CH-18 experienced water breakthrough from the aquifer in late 2016, 2018, and 2020, respectively. The first workover operation in these wells was performed in 2021. The aim was to isolate the B2 zone with a packer and to perforate the slightly shallower B1 zone to access attic gas. In Well CH-18, an inflatable packer between Zones B2 and B1 was installed successfully, resulting in the ability to produce at full potential, while Wells CH-19 and CH-20 recovered their potential partially but below the calculated target rate. A new operation for the three wells was planned in 2022 to set a mechanical packer to isolate Zone B2 and reperforate Zone B1 to increase flow area, reduce drawdown at the sandface, and diminish the risk of sand production. However, because produced sand had accumulated in front of the perforations in all wells, removing the sand and setting the mechanical packer was impossible. At present, Wells CH-19 and CH-20 are not producing and Well CH-18 is on lower-than-calculated target production.

Given the production difficulties, the plan is to isolate Zone B2 successfully in all wells, clean the wells, and install effective remedial sand control with significant surface-space constraints.

OCMP: Conformant Remedial Through-Tubing Sand Control

The OCMP system evaluated and subsequently selected for this application consists of multiple layers of highly porous (up to 85%) and permeable (40 darcies or greater) OCMP bonded to a specially designed base pipe. The compressibility of the system enables it to be run in hole compressed within a sleeve to allow passage through tight restrictions in the upper completion; then, once in place, the sleeve can be removed, allowing a return to the original shape and conformance to the ID of the sand-producing section. The system can be run on slickline, braided line, coiled tubing, or pipe. If deployed with a hydraulic conduit, it has the capability to perform sand cleanout during deployment and can incorporate an integral hydraulic-set, high-expansion anchor. If run with slickline or braided line, it is necessary to run an anchoring device on a separate trip; then, the first OCMP system can be anchored in place.