Mature Field Revitalization: Extending Late Life of Mature Gas Condensate Wells by Modelling Complex Multilateral Wellbore Flow Dynamics and Validating Results With a Field Pilot
Authors: Saradva Harshil , Jain Siddharth , Golaco Christna , Guillen Armando , Thakur Kapil Kumar 
Published: December 2021

Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) operates 4 onshore fields the largest of which has been in production since the 1980's. The majority of wells in the biggest field have a complex network of multilaterals drilled using an underbalanced coiled tubing technique for production enhancement in early 2000s. The scope of this project was to maximize the productivity from these wells in the late life by modelling the dynamic flow behaviour in a simulator and putting that theory to the test by recompleting the wells.

A comprehensive multilateral wellbore flow study was undertaken using dynamic multiphase flow simulator to predict the expected improvement in well deliverability of these mature wells, each having 4-6 laterals (Saradva et al. 2019). The well laterals have openhole fishbone completions with one parent lateral having subsequent numerous sub-laterals reaching further into the reservoir with each lateral between 500-2000ft drilled to maximize the intersection with fractures. Complexity in simulation further increased due to complex geology, compositional simulation, condensate banking and liquid loading with the reservoir pressure less than 10% of original.

The theory that increasing wellbore diameter by removing the tubing reduces frictional pressure loss was put to test on 2 pilot wells in the 2020-21 workover campaign. The results obtained from the simulator and the actual production increment in the well aligned within 10% accuracy. A production gain of 20-30% was observed on both the wells and results are part of a dynamic simulation predicting well performance over their remaining life. Given the uncertainties in the current PVT, lateral contribution and the fluid production ratios, a broad range sensitivity was performed to ensure a wide range of applicability of the study.

This instils confidence in the multiphase transient simulator for subsurface modelling and the workflow will now be used to expand the applicability to other well candidates on a field level. This will result in the opportunity to maximize the production and net revenues from these gas wells by reducing the impact of liquid loading. This paper discusses the detailed comparison of the actual well behaviour with the simulation outcomes which are counterproductive to the conventional gas well development theory of utilizing velocity strings to reduce liquid loading.

Two key outcomes from the project are observed, the first is that liquid loading in multilaterals is successfully modelled in a dynamic multiphase transient simulator instead of a typical nodal analysis package, all validated from a field pilot. The second is the alternative to the conventional theory of using smaller tubing sizes to alleviate gas wells liquid loading, that high velocity achieved through wellhead compression would allow higher productivity than a velocity string in low pressure late life gas condensate wells.