Abstract
Lot’s of well-completion challenges face operators to exploit comprehensive reservoirs and old oil field, such as interzonal channeling, up water and bottom water etc. The conventional well completion ways can’t solve them effectively. For example, cementing method couldn’t isolate well for the short interval between layers, otherwise it will contaminate the reservoir, and normal inflating External Casing Packer (ECP) method couldn’t do well for its short life downhole and low isolation pressure. Recent advances in one of the old well-completion ways, namely Cement Slurry Inflating External Casing Packer (CSIECP) technology, will play a key role in meeting these challenges.
This significant technological breakthrough made it possible to inflate several ECPs with cement slurry in one well profile. The CSIECP technology provides permanent and dependable isolation between layers because cement slurry will solidify to be cement stone. So this technology will benefit for producing and later stimulating operation, avoid cement slurry contaminating the reservoir, and raise output.
The Drilling Technology Research Institute of Shengli Oil Field studies this technology and puts it into application firstly in 2002, P.R.China. The technology consists of three key techniques: special tools, high quality cement slurry and advanced process. This paper will give them detailed description including their properties and results of large-scale testing.
In addition to a description of the technology research, the paper will present applications of CSIECP technology in Shengli Oil Field. Some are used to seal thin layer channeling, and some are used as isolation for stimulating operation and producing apart. More than twenty wells’ applications show how this significant technological breakthrough provides cost-effective solutions to several completion problems that have loomed as obstacles to comprehensive reservoir exploitation.
The CSIECP technology is not only an important technical measure to develop thin-bed reservoir, but also one of the effective well completion technologies for extended-reach and horizontal well. It has great economic and social benefits.
