Abstract
At mature field stage, new wells may need to cross reservoirs with different pressure gradient levels. This phenomenon may increase due to the field development strategy. This approach for Roncador development led to a wide range of reservoir pressure at its mature stage. We found that our development of the Managed Pressure Drilling - MPD technique has helped to overcome the problems that arise due to that field development strategy.
At Roncador field we build a trajectory that crosses multiple reservoirs before reaching the objective reservoir, we add to that difficult the occurrence of multiple reservoirs producing by different systems. So at the same region we experience reservoirs with wide gradient pressure levels. The MPD approach is a drilling process that controls the annular pressure profile throughout the wellbore. The objective is to ascertain the downhole pressure and to manage the annular pressure profile. With downhole pressure control in mind, we than developed the well design and project to minimize difficulties that usually arise during drilling and casing setting of new wells at mature fields.
This MPD strategy led to shorter drilling times, thus saving on CAPEX needed to develop a mature filed or early production strategies. When a complex pressure profile arises, it possible to save time and money on sandstone reservoir wells with this MPD variety.
