Summary
Well architecture advances from conventional wells to horizontal. Then
multilateral wells, which have maximized reservoir contact, have been
paralleled by advances in completion-equipment development. Passive
inflow-control devices (ICDs) and active interval-control valves (ICVs) provide
a range of fluid-flow control options that can enhance the reservoir sweep
efficiency and increase reserves. ICVs were used originally for controlled,
commingled production from multiple reservoirs, while ICDs were developed to
counteract the horizontal well’s heel/toe effect. The variety of their
applications has proliferated since these beginnings. Their application areas
now overlap, resulting in it becoming a complex, time-consuming process to
select between ICVs or ICDs for a particular well’s completion.
This publication summarizes the results of a comprehensive, comparative
study of the functionality and applicability of the two technologies. It maps
out a workflow of the selection process on the basis of the thorough analysis
of the ICD and ICV advantages in major reservoir, production, operation, and
economic areas. It provides detailed analysis of
- Reservoir-engineering aspects, such as uncertainty management, formation
heterogeneity, and the level of flexibility required by the development
- Production and completion characteristics, such as tubing size, the number
of separately controllable zones, the completion of multiple laterals, and the
value of real-time information
- Operational and economical aspects, such as proper modeling, gas- and
oilfield applications, equipment costs and installation risks, long-term
reliability, and technical performance.
The results of this work’s systematic approach form the basis of a screening
tool to identify the most appropriate control technology for a wide range of
situations. This selection framework can be applied by both production
technologists and reservoir engineers when choosing between passive or active
flow control in advanced wells. The value of these guidelines is illustrated by
their application to synthetic- and real-field case studies.
© 2010. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
9 May 2009
- Meeting paper published:
4 December 2008
- Revised manuscript received:
26 September 2009
- Manuscript approved:
4 November 2009
- Published online:
15 April 2010
- Version of record:
11 August 2010
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