Rationality in Completion Design and Equipment Selection in the North Sea

The design of completions which are effective and reliable is of increasing significance to the viability of both existing and new fields. With greater emphasis being placed on the input of advanced engineering techniques to oilfield developments, the improvement of the completion design process is an important area for investigation. This paper presents results, based on information supplied by North Sea operators, of an attempt to rationalize how design decisions are reached and what factors influence the selection or specification of completion equipment and completion procedures. The paper discusses the process of constructing design logic flow charts with the completion knowledge acquired in the study.