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Abstract
With rig costs and other time-sensitive completion costs rising, offshore
operators must continually find ways to reduce operating costs while
minimizing risk. Frac packing often involves expensive fluids, proppant
and equipment. Single-trip multi-zone sand control completion systems
are not new to the Gulf of Mexico, but the adaptation of these systems
to facilitate frac packing has created new opportunities for the
technology. Multi-zone, single-trip completion systems were first used
offshore California in the 1980s to reduce completion costs in marginal
fields. The initial system design was used successfully in several
hundred wells to complete more than 900 zones. In the early 1990s,
the system was modified to minimize rig time and reduce formation
damage in the Gulf of Mexico by reducing formation exposure time to
completion fluids. This paper will review the history of multi-zone,
single-trip completion systems and discuss how the systems were
adapted to facilitate frac packing, including modifications to allow for
high pump rates and large sand or proppant volumes. The paper will
also present detailed results of recent applications for several Gulf of
Mexico operators that demonstrate the advantages of the technology
over more conventional stack-pack completion methods.
Introduction
Single-trip, multiple-zone gravel pack systems are not new to the Gulf
of Mexico, but the adaptation to facilitate frac packing has created new
opportunities for this technology.
Single-trip, multi-zone (STMZ) gravel pack completions where first
designed in the early 1980s and initially utilized in the Beta field,
offshore California. This reservoir in the Beta field consisted of
unconsolidated sand containing 11 to 15 API gravity oil. The
productive interval was composed of as many as nine separate zones
with a gross interval thickness of 1200 feet, with the top pay as shallow
as 2700 feet. The system was designed to provide for zone isolation in
the form of packers without the normal packer slips, and hence the first
zone isolation packers were created. The gravel pack liner assembly
consisted of a series of screen / isolation packer / gravel pack port
combinations, one combination per zone. Seal bores were positioned
above each isolation packer and below the gravel pack port to be used
for positioning of a gravel pack seal assembly during gravel packing.
Case Histories
The STMZ system has been utilized successfully in several areas,
primarily in Bohai Bay, China, Alaska, and the Gulf of Mexico. The
system has been utilized in the Bohai Bay area to successfully
complete 1100 zones for several operators. To date there have been
nine runs of the STMZ frac pack system in the Gulf of Mexico, eight of
which were executed flawlessly. Several Gulf of Mexico case histories
SPE 103184
SPE 103184
out. A total of 17,821 lbs of proppant was placed below the crossover
tool, 615 lbs covering the screen and blank and 688 lbs/ft MD and 860
lbs/ft TVD in the perforations.
The crossover tool was repositioned 63 feet uphole and the middle
isolation packer was set and tested. The crossover tool was then
repositioned 200 feet uphole to the upper zone treatment position.
The upper zone frac treatment was pumped at an average surface
treating pressure of 6000 psi (max 8240 psi) at an average rate of 12
bpm. A hard sand out occurred with 7 ppa slurry back to the frac
vessel and 10,640 lbs of proppant was reversed out after the screen
out. A total of 5,071 lbs of proppant was placed below the crossover
tool, 726 lbs covering the screen and blank and 217 lbs/ft MD and TVD
in the perforations.
The STMZ crossover tool was removed from the packer assembly
without incident and the fluid losses increased to above 75 bph. Again
the mechanical fluid loss device was not selected to control losses so
LCM was pumped to control the losses. A dual completion string was
then run for final production.
Brief Timeline:
Day 1:
21:00 hrs. - Running Mill through perf zones
below the crossover tool, 819 lbs covering the screen and blank and
210 lbs/ft MD and 236 lbs/ft TVD in the perforations.
The crossover tool was then repositioned 125 feet uphole to the upper
zone treatment position. The upper zone frac treatment was pumped
at an average surface treating pressure of 4250 psi (max 5210 psi) at
an average rate of 12 bpm and 4,446 lbs of proppant was reversed out
after the screen out. A total of 45,263 lbs of proppant was placed
below the crossover tool, 885 lbs covering the screen and blank and
644 lbs/ft MD and 726 lbs/ft TVD in the perforations.
The STMZ Crossover Tool was removed from the Packer assembly
without incident. A mechanical fluid loss device was ran and worked
properly, however the decision was made to open the fluid loss device
prior to tripping out of the hole with the STMZ Crossover Tool. An
LCM was pumped to control the losses. The single production string
was run utilizing the seal bores of the STMZ assembly and sliding
sleeves for selective production of the four zones without incident.
Brief Timeline:
Day 1:
20:15 hrs. - Set sump packer
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 4:
Day 5:
Day 4:
Day 6:
Day 7:
Day 5:
Day 8:
Day 9:
21:25 hrs. - Fired guns perforating the 3 zones for the STMZ
Day 10:
Day 11:
Day 12:
Day 13:
Day 14:
Day 15:
Day 2:
Day 3:
Day 6:
Total time to run STMZ frac system and perform frac pack treatment
on three individual zones: 34 hours, 10 minutes.
Total time to run STMZ frac system and perform frac pack treatment
on three individual zones: 42 hours, 5 minutes.
Case 4:
This case history was chosen for inclusion in this paper as it reflects
the ability of the system to be retrieved with conventional fishing
operations. A three-zone STMZ system was run and positioned in
place; both the upper packer and the lower zone isolation packer were
set successfully. Frac packing operations were commenced on the
lower zone. Unfortunately the crossover tool was not positioned to the
reverse position in a timely manner, resulting in the tool becoming
stuck in the frac pack position with approximately 200 feet of sand still
in the drill pipe.
SPE 103184
2.
3.
4.
5.
References
1. Jefferis, R.G., Bruist, E.H., and Botts, T.M.: A Field Proven System
for Selective, Multizone, One-Trip Gravel packing, Paper SPE 11697
presented at the 1983 California Regional Meeting, Ventura, CA,
March 23-25, 1983.
2. Brannon, D.H., Harrison, D.T., and Van Sickle, E.W.: A Single-Trip,
Dual-Zone Gravel Pack System Successfully Gravel Packs Green
Canyon Area Wells, Gulf of Mexico, Paper SPE 21670 presented at
the Production Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, OK, April 7-9,
1991.
SPE 103184
SPE 103184
Return bypass
port opens to
allow circulation
and to monitor
frac treatment
of lower
interval. The top
interval is
Iiolated from
any pressure
associated with
this operation.
MZ-Frac Tool
is positioned
mechanically
with the
bypass
crossover port
sealed inside
of the isolation
packer.
Pressure is
applied to
actuate the
setting piston
in the packer.
MZ-Frac
Crossover Tool is
held in Positioned
with Set down
Weigh by the
Hydraulically
Activated Collet.
This insures tool
position
maintenance
during the
treatment of the
interval.
Reverse
circulation is
established by
closing the
pipe rams at
surface and
pumping down
the annulus.
The fluid enters
the return
bypass port
and flows down
the miniannulus of the
service tool
string. The top
interval is
Iiolated from
any pressure
associated with
this operation.
The Service
Tool string is
raised from the
circulating
position until the
evacuation port
comes into
communication
with the bypass
crossover port.
During this step,
the sliding
sleeve is closed
and reverse
circulation is
established.
SPE 103184
Total
time to run STMZ frac
system and perform frac
pack treatment on three
individual zones: 48.5 hours
Conventional
Stack Pack
(hrs)
STMZ Frac
System
Actual (hrs)
36
n/a
Perforate E-line(all
zones)
n/a
11.5
Clean Up all
Perforated Intervals
n/a
24
38
79
36
14
n/a
n/a
38
n/a
36
14
n/a
n/a
38
254
n/a
118.5
135.5
114%
Set Packer
Plug/Perforate Middle
Zone
Retrieve Packer Plug
Gravel Pack middle
Zone
Set Packer
Plug/Perforate Middle
Zone
Retrieve Packer Plug
Gravel Pack Upper
Zone
TOTALS (hours)
Time Saving hrs.
Time Saving %
Fig. 3 Time Comparison