Intelligent Well Completions

The future direction is clear: Intelligent Wells are growing in number and complexity. They will include many diverse technologies, such as fiber optics, electronics, wireless EM and some increasingly ingenious mechanical designs. The articles presented this month bear this out.

Added value from Intelligent Well systems Technology (IWsT). A project begun in late 2001 and sanctioned by five operators and one vendor continues at Britain's Heriot Watt University. Researchers have focused on developing an IWsT evaluation methodology; identifying basic processes, procedures and a set of tools; and illustrating IWsT application by analyzing operator-supplied case studies. This article examines some project highlights during the 2002-2005 period, including five field case studies; automatic optimization using commercial tools; fluid front movement optimization with intelligent wells; and the role of IT systems for efficient handling and management of downhole information

A comprehensive gas-monitoring/ gas-management strategy. This article describes the gas management strategy of a major operator who is developing a Southeast Asian gas field using intelligent completions. A series of inflow control valves and downhole pressure gauges optimized production by actively managing the reservoir flows downhole.

 Deepwater Technology

Taking the fast track. The fast-track route to bring production online quickly from an offshore field needs to be carefully considered. This article looks at the advantages and disadvantages of fast track projects and explores the numerous areas that have to be taken into consideration. The author draws on his experience as project manager for four Gulf of Mexico deepwater projects that successfully reached first oil on a fast-track schedule, and relates the factors necessary for similar successes.

Understanding issues in Flowline-Riser System Operability. In many oil and gas developments incorporating multiphase flowlines, systems instability is a major flow assurance concern, due to the excessive demands that large changes in oil and gas flowrates place upon the processing facilities. Multiphase instability can influence the selection of flowline route, the flowline diameter and the requirement for gas lift for a subsea oil development concept. Consequently, they can potentially develop serious slugging problems.

 Petroleum Technology Digest

World Oil's regular monthly feature is published in association with the Petroleum Technology Transfer Council. This month's authors describe how new coiled tubing drilling technology-in particular, a new coiled tubing rig design-helped an operator to develop resources in at a much lower cost.

 Geology/ Geophysics

Monitoring fluid movements at reservoir scale using EM. Authors from Schlumberger and CNPC discuss resistivity variations, due to changes in porosity, saturation (water, bypassed pay) and temperature (steam flooding). While crosswell EM development started two decades ago, it is only today, with advances in processing, inversion techniques and following rigorous workflows, that it is available for oilfield applications on a commercial basis. The field work described is the Gudao oil field in Shandong Province in China.

 Artificial Lift

Part 2 of our popular, annual wrap up on artificial lift systems by our long-standing contributors, Herald Winkler and Jim Lea of Texas Tech University. This part focuses on the latest developments in electrical submersible pumps (ESPs).

 Special Report: Conformance Engineering

The author, from OXY Permian, has considerable experience dealing with production problems. This is the first of a three-part series. Part 1 focuses on understanding the problem, where unwanted water production is one of the main symptoms. The questions that the author answers are: How is fluid moving through the reservoir, and why? and how does the wellbore, both past and present, interact with the reservoir?

 Global Petroleum Show Preview

Held in conjunction with the Petroleum Society's 57th annual Canadian International Petroleum Conference, the Global Petroleum Show – with an expected 50,000 attendees – features the latest innovations and most advanced technologies. This article tells what to look for at this year's show.