Abstract
This paper presents a success story covering the design, execution and post job evaluation of drilling and completing two Maximum Reservoir Contact (MRC) pilot wells. The wells were drilled and tested as part of a pilot wells programme aimed at proving-up to the well architectures planned to be introduced on a field wide basis.
The carbonate field lies offshore Abu Dhabi in relatively shallow waters. Prior studies have confirmed the viability of continuing development of the field from artificial islands (drilling and production centers) by utilizing Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) and MRC well technology. The effectiveness of the MRC wells is critically dependent on well planning, design and placement in the reservoir interval. The paper describes the integrated workflow and well optimization process that have been applied to the two pilots which cover the following steps:
Model development
Simulation for completion options screening
Production prediction by coupled reservoir-well dynamic simulation
Flow assurance
Assessment of coiled tubing and wireline accessibility
Drilling and completions engineering analysis, time, cost and risk assessment.
The application of this process has led to a number of (local) well records, firsts and learning’s that can be applied to future wells. The paper also summarizes the post drilling evaluation activities, which included running of production logging tools to optimize acid stimulation, an extensive flow test and data gathering program, and well model construction and validation to closely monitor and assess well performance.
