Abstract
The SAVA01 well was the first well drilled in 2009 for the development of the Savonette field, with an expected deliverability of 250 mmscfd. During drilling of the well, an unsuccessful gravel pack job resulted in the well being plugged back in preparation for sidetracking. The well was successfully sidetracked and completed with contingent 4" screens. The screens however held up 21 ft from bottom leaving an excessive sump greater than the typical 8-10ft. An open-hole gravel pack job was performed and the well was completed with 7" production tubing. The additional sump created concerns about possible settling of gravel if not completely packed, causing ‘hot spots’ and eventual screen failure. The well was put on production in Oct 2009 based on a conservative ramp-up schedule and drawdown guidelines. At this time, the primary means of monitoring solids (sand) production was an online acoustic detector. As a result of the additional sump volume, the reduced screen size and the low yield (i.e. condensate to gas ratio) of the gas, an erosion assessment was completed to determine the safe operating envelope for the well. The results from the study recommended the well be constrained to a rate of 180 mmscfd until additional intrusive erosion monitoring equipment was installed. This was based on the limitation of the acoustic detector for monitoring solids production where sand loading < 0.1 lb/mmscfd. Two (2) additional monitoring devices were installed on the well, an Intrusive ER Probe and online UT monitoring to effectively monitor longer term erosion-corrosion. The use of the wireless online Ultrasonic Testing (UT) monitoring system was the first application on a producing offshore well in the oil and gas industry.
In September 2011, the well was successfully increased to 230 mmscfd close to the original target and added significantly to the production deliverability to the business.
