Case History: Designing and Implementing Wireline Tractoring Applications for Deepwater, Extended-Reach, Sand-Control Completions, and Interventions (2005)

Case History: Designing and Implementing Wireline Tractor Operations for Deepwater, Extended-Reach Sand-Control Initial Completions and Interventions Dustin John Whiteley; Dustin John Whiteley Halliburton Co. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Robert Donald Pourciau; Robert Donald Pourciau Chevron Corp. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Brian Joseph Schwanitz Brian Joseph Schwanitz Welltec, Inc. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, October 2005. Paper Number: SPE-96093-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/96093-MS Published: October 09 2005 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Get Permissions Search Site Citation Whiteley, Dustin John, Pourciau, Robert Donald, and Brian Joseph Schwanitz. "Case History: Designing and Implementing Wireline Tractor Operations for Deepwater, Extended-Reach Sand-Control Initial Completions and Interventions." Paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Dallas, Texas, October 2005. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/96093-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition Search Advanced Search AbstractWireline tractoring technology has set world and Gulf of Mexico records for several logging applications during the initial completion and intervention of two extended-reach, deepwater frac pack wells and one extended-reach, deepwater water-injection well. This paper reviews some of the challenges involved with conventional conveyance methods in extended-reach wells, describes the planning process for wireline tractoring operations, including prejob modeling, and summarizes the results of a project.The authors will also share the lessons learned and best practices implemented. Proper utilization of this technology has led to significant cost savings for the example project.IntroductionThe Petronius project, located 150 mi south of Mobile, Alabama in the Gulf of Mexico, is operated by Chevron Corporation, with Chevron Corporation and Marathon Oil Corporation having a 50% working interest in the project.The project was sanctioned in August 1996 after a compliant tower and subsea development options were evaluated.The compliant tower alternative was selected based on superior well intervention capability, less complex seawater injection system designs, lower investment, and future hub potential.The 2,001-ft tall Petronius compliant tower is set in 1,754 ft of water, and is the world's tallest free-standing structure.The Petronius project targeted two main reservoirs that were delineated by seven preplatform well penetrations.Once these two original pay sands were developed, sights were set on developing potential pay much further from the platform in deeper waters. The development of these distant zones required mechanical success in difficult world-record, extended-reach processes and, of course, success in finding pay.For the past 3 years, a successful program of world-record, extended-reach deep-water well development has been ongoing.To date, there are 7 wells in the program with horizontal displacements of 14,000 ft to over 25,000 ft.This far exceeds the ~11,000-ft true vertical depth (TVD) of these wells.Fig. 1 illustrates the magnitude of the directional profile of the most challenging of these seven wells (Well #3 in this paper).This is quite an accomplishment considering the unconsolidated deepwater environment.To date, the program includes two water-injection wells and five frac pack-producing wells.Future well plans include an additional extended-reach frac-pack completion and a sidetrack of an extended-reach water-injection well. Keywords: well logging, deviation, completion installation and operations, drill pipe, upstream oil & gas, bridge plug, tractor, tool string, holdup depth, log analysis Subjects: Drilling Operations, Formation Evaluation & Management, Open hole/cased hole log analysis, Completion Installation and Operations This content is only available via PDF. 2005. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.