Abstract
Operators have successfully drilled horizontal wells to make unconventional plays profitable. The next step is to drill extended-reach laterals to maximize the profitability of each well. Not only are longer laterals difficult to drill, they can be challenging to complete economically. The specific problem this paper discusses is the completion method of an extended lateral with a low bottomhole pressure. The standard completion method in unconventional plays requires post-fracturing intervention in the form of drillouts, using fracturing plugs or ball-actuated frac sleeves.
Coiled tubing-actuated fracturing sleeves offer a new completion method that eliminates the need for post-fracturing intervention. These sleeves have been used in the United States due to their ability to enable operators to obtain an unlimited number of single-entry targeted fractures while not adding ID restrictions or more post-fracturing intervention.
Large-bore fracturing plugs are also a new completion method that eliminates the need for post-fracturing intervention. These fracturing plugs enable operators to use their current plug-and-perforate method without the need to drill out before production is started. The plugs can also be deployed to great depths that coiled tubing cannot reach, making them extremely useful in extended-reach laterals.
This paper will review the hybrid stimulation method used to complete an extended-reach lateral of over 10,000 ft. with a challenging well geometry. The completion consisted of seven plug-and-perforate stages and 32 coiled tubing-actuated fracturing sleeves, providing an interventionless completion.
