In this study, productivity and coning behavior of phased horizontal completions were investigated. We define phased horizontal completions as multiple horizontal drainholes positioned with respect to each other at a certain angle. In addition, each drainhole can be displaced vertically.

Single phase cases were simulated to investigate the productivity increase compared to single horizontal and vertical wells. It was observed that a 90 degree phased completion can achieve about 70 % areal productivity of a comparable horizontal fracture. Additionally, due to improved vertical convergence, vertical skin is significantly reduced on thick formations.

To study the water and gas coning behavior of phased horizontal completions, several two-phase cases were modeled using a commercial simulator. It was observed that coning/cusping problems can significantly be minimized with the suggested completion technique.

Keywords:
directional drilling, plane 80, saturation contour, consideration, horizontal fracture, exhibition, convergence, horizontal well, configuration, drilling operation
Subjects:
Drilling Operations, Reservoir Characterization, Formation Evaluation & Management, Directional drilling
Copyright 1991, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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