Summary
Key sandface completion challenges were faced in the selection, design,
planning, and execution phases of the openhole horizontal gravel-pack
completions in the deepwater Stybarrow field, offshore Western Australia. Only
limited technical experience and infrastructure were available in the country
to support such a complex operation. Additionally, the lateral
reservoir-quality variations and challenging sand/shale heterogeneities have
necessitated an early focus on appropriate reservoir-drilling-fluid (RDF)
design, detailed sand-screen selection, and gravel-pack modeling to minimize
premature screenout during gravel packing and to ensure minimal formation
damage.
This paper documents the multidisciplinary approach that commenced during
the field-appraisal and data-acquisition stages to derive the sand-management
plan and that culminated in the successful implementation of four horizontal
openhole gravel packs. A novel RDF design, extensive formation-damage testing,
and the selection of the circulating gravel-packing technique have led to the
successful sand-control implementation, with pack factors in excess of 100%.
Attention to detail during detailed design, extensive contingency planning, and
diligent execution were major contributing factors in delivering high-quality
wells capable of producing as per basis of well design, proved by early
production performance. The Stybarrow development represents the first
successful implementation of horizontal openhole gravel packing in
Australia.
© 2009. Society of Petroleum Engineers
View full textPDF
(
1,909 KB
)
History
- Original manuscript received:
4 July 2008
- Meeting paper published:
20 October 2008
- Revised manuscript received:
4 April 2009
- Manuscript approved:
15 April 2009
- Published online:
2 December 2009
- Version of record:
11 March 2010
View Cart
