Latest-Generation Inflow Control Device Technology Provides Added Functionality During Completion With Improved Well Control Features
Authors: Coronado Martin P. , Woudwijk Roy , Infra Morry , Al-Mumen Adib Abdulmohsen , Al-Baggal Zaki Abdullah 
Published: May 2016

Openhole horizontal completions in consolidated formations have been commonplace for a number of years. This type of completion has been very successful due to the relative simplicity of the completion design and ability to segment the horizontal production interval by using openhole hydrostatic-set packers. Using inflow control devices (ICDs) in this completion design allows a uniform inflow across the entire horizontal wellbore, which mitigates early water or gas coning into the wellbore.

A newly designed ICD has been developed and field-trialed successfully that eliminates the need for an inner string during installation, allowing circulation through the liner while running in hole as well as hydraulic setting of the openhole packers before pulling out of hole with the workstring. This also provides an improved well control condition. A temporary valve system has been incorporated into the ICD design that provides pressure integrity in the liner until after the upper completion has been installed. Once the upper completion is in place, the valves are triggered hydraulically with applied pressure in the production tubing and opened once the differential pressure is removed, allowing the ICD to be reconfigured into the production mode. Once the valves have been opened, the ICD performs normally for the operational life of the well.

This completion technology also provides the added benefit of isolating the upper wellbore from the reservoir until after the upper completion is installed. This potentially prevents unwanted and costly fluid losses into the formation before the well is put on production.

This paper will describe the new ICD design technology developed for the application and review initial case history well installations in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction

A common openhole completion design in consolidated carbonate formations is to use ICDs in combination with openhole isolation packers at strategic locations in the openhole section1. The ICDs provide inflow control to uniformly drain the reservoir, therefore reducing the possibility of premature breakthrough of water or gas, whereas the packers provide zonal isolation to eliminate annular flow. This completion design has been successfully installed in many wells worldwide, with a great many completed in Saudi Arabia (Fig. 1).

Typically, hydrostatic-set openhole packers have been used due to their demonstrated ability to conform to eccentricshaped wellbores and their differential pressure capabilities. The setting mechanism for these packers is isolated when running in the hole to prevent premature setting. After the liner is installed, the packers are set by shifting open an isolation sleeve in each packer with a shifting tool in the inner workstring as the inner string is pulled out of the liner. Once open, the packers are hydrostatically set with pressure in the wellbore. Smaller sizes require additional setting force than what can be generated only with well pressure, so applied pressure is used in combination with an opposing cup tool to reach the required setting pressure against an internal atmospheric setting chamber. In the larger-size packers, only the shifting of the sleeve is required to flood the setting chamber and generate the required setting force. Once set, a constant setting force is applied to the packing element via the atmospheric chamber. This allows element compensation for possible borehole movement and prevents the long-term loss of packing element sealing force against the borehole.