The Full Montney - A Critical Review of Well Performance by Production Analysis of Over 2,000 Montney Multi-Stage Fractured Horizontal Gas Wells

Abstract This paper discusses the successful deployment of Multi-stage Fracturing (MSF) completions, composed of novel expandable steel packers, in high pressure, high temperature (HP/HT) horizontal gas wells. The 5-7/8" horizontal sections of these wells were drilled in high pressure, high temperature gas bearing formations. There were also washed-outs & high "dog-legs" along their wellbores, due to constant geo-steering required to keep the laterals within the hydrocarbon bearing zones. These factors introduced challenges to deploying the conventional MSF completion in these laterals. Due to the delicate nature of their packer elastomers and their susceptibility to degradation at high temperature, these conventional MSF completions could not be run in such hostile down-hole conditions without the risk of damage or getting stuck off-bottom. This paper describes the deployment of a novel expandable steel packer MSF completion in these tough down-hole conditions. These expandable steel packers could overcome the challenges mentioned above due to the following unique features: High temperature durability. Enhanced ruggedness which gave them the ability to be rotated & reciprocated during without risk of damage. Reduced packer outer diameter (OD) of 5.500" as compared to the 5.625" OD of conventional elastomer MSF packers. Enhanced flexibility which enabled them to be deployed in wellbores with high dog-leg severity (DLS). With the ability to rotate & reciprocate them while running-in-hole (RIH), coupled with their higher annular clearance & tolerance of high temperature, the expandable steel packers were key to overcoming the risk of damaging or getting stuck with the MSF completion while RIH. Also, due to the higher setting pressure of the expandable steel packers when compared to conventional elastomer packers, there was a reduced risk of prematurely setting the packers if high circulating pressure were encountered during deployment. Another notable advantage of these expandable packers is that they provided an optimization opportunity to reduce the number of packers required in the MSF completion. In a conventional MSF completion, two elastomer packers are usually required to ensure optimum zonal isolation between each MSF stage. However, due to their superior sealing capability, only one expandable steel packer is required to ensure good inter-stage isolation. This greatly reduces the number of packers required in the MSF completion, thereby reducing its stiffness & ultimately reducing the probability of getting stuck while RIH. The results of using these expandable steel packers is the successful deployment of the MSF completions in these harsh down-hole conditions, elimination of non-productive time associated with stuck or damaged MSF completion as well as the safe & cost-effective completion in these critical horizontal gas wells.

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Evaluating Well Performance and Completion Effectiveness in Hydraulically Fractured Low-Permeability Gas Wells

10.2118/84214-ms ◽

2003 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David D. Cramer

Keyword(s):

Low Permeability ◽

Well Performance ◽

Gas Wells

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Modeling well performance for fractured horizontal gas wells

Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.jngse.2014.02.011 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 18 ◽

pp. 180-193 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Jiajing Lin ◽

Ding Zhu

Keyword(s):

Well Performance ◽

Gas Wells

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Improved DTS profiling model for horizontal gas wells completed with the open-hole multi-stage fracturing system

Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103642 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 84 ◽

pp. 103642

Author(s):

Weibo Sui ◽

Di Zhang ◽

Si Cheng ◽

Qilin Zou ◽

Xiaosong Fu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gas Wells ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Open Hole

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Compression Technology Selection for Downhole Application in Gas Wells

Volume 9: Oil and Gas Applications; Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles; Wind Energy ◽

10.1115/gt2019-90854 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ameen Malkawi ◽

Ahmed AlAdawy ◽

Rajesh Kumar V. Gadamsetty ◽

Rafael Lastra Melo

Keyword(s):

Flow Rate ◽

High Speed ◽

Gas Flow ◽

Optimal Solution ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Technology Selection ◽

Well Performance ◽

Ambient Conditions ◽

Gas Wells ◽

Selection For

Abstract Downhole gas compression technology is an artificial lift method that aims to boost production, maximize recovery and delay onset of liquid loading in gas wells. There are different available compression technologies that can be considered for downhole applications, such as screw, scroll, centrifugal and axial compressors. Selection of the appropriate type mainly depends on expected well performance, ambient conditions, compressor operating envelope, technology characteristics, limitations and size constraints. The objective of this study is to perform a feasibility evaluation of compression solutions applicable for a given set of candidate gas wells. Aerodynamic and hydraulic models are used to determine operating conditions, compressor performance, and to select equipment specifications such as impeller diameter, compressor envelope, shaft HP requirement and number of stages among other parameters. A Pugh analysis is performed for all compression technologies and their characteristics to down-select the most suitable solutions for the given set of wells. The results of the analysis indicated an optimal downhole compression technology that covers most of the gas flow rate requirements and meet the performance expectations. The study also provided critical specifications for the compressor, including high-speed operation needed to provide the required flow rates and compression ratio for a relatively small housing diameter. The study also finds that other technologies may be applicable but only to certain population of wells, as the flow rate spectrum is narrower than the optimal solution at the studied conditions. The analysis for the discarded compression technologies in this study showed relatively significant disadvantages for downhole application when compared to the selected compressor. This study presents a holistic analysis for compression technology selection for gas wells that, as per to the understanding of the authors, is unique in the existing literature of gas well applications.

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