This paper discusses analyses undertaken to address well failures at the Matagorda Island 623 field in the Gulf of Mexico shelf. All of the 17 development wells producing the main reservoir have experienced some form of well failure or casing damage during the past 16 years of production. A comprehensive review has been undertaken and a suite of studies conducted to determine the root cause of the failures, and to predict well life of existing wells and new in-fill wells. Based on the study, practical advice is presented that was applied in recent replacement wells. The particular merit of this paper is that it covers field problem case histories, advanced analytical approaches, and practical measures for implementing prediction results.

Keywords:
compression, wellbore design, reservoir characterization, compaction strain, structural geology, deformation, deviation angle, phase ii well, overburden, shear
Subjects:
Wellbore Design, Casing and Cementing, Reservoir Characterization, Reservoir Simulation, Wellbore integrity, Casing design, Exploration, development, structural geology, Reservoir geomechanics, Completion Installation and Operations, Sand Control
Copyright 2003, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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