OTC 15221 Campos Basin: Lessons Learned and Critical Issues To Be Overcome in Drilling and Completion Operations

R. Juiniti, J. Salies, A. Polillo / Petrobras

Copyright 2003, Offshore Technology Conference This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2003 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 58 May 2003. This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC Program Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Offshore Technology Conference or its officers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Offshore Technology Conference is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented.

Abstract Drilling and completion in Campos Basin have been in constant evolution, from the first subsea wells and fixed platforms to latest horizontal wells in deepwater. This paper will first present the lessons learned with drilling and completion in shallow water to latest wells drilled and completed in Roncador in the range of 1,800 meters of water depth. Exploratory drilling will be also addressed. The main points to be presented are: well design, horizontal and multi lateral wells, well head design, well control, operations with dynamic positioning vessels, completion and sand control techniques and their evolution. Second, this paper will address some challenges presenting the problems as PETROBRAS see them, what are the solutions that we are adopting and what do we expect from the industry. The issues that will be presented are: well design for production of heavy oil, dual gradient drilling, intelligent completion systems for monitoring and controlling multiple zones, production or injection from or into a single well, isolation inside horizontal gravel-packed wells, gravel packing long horizontal sections under very low formation fracture gradient. Introduction Campos Basin exploratory activities started in 1971 first with jack ups (Penrod 89) and later with moored drillships that culminated with the discovery of Garoupa field in 1974 at 124 meters of water, soon followed by other shallow water discoveries (Namorado, Enchova, Pargo and others) that came on stream in subsequent years. Petrobras started in 1984 a deepwater exploratory campaign with successful discoveries as Albacora (1984), Marlim (1985), Albacora Leste (1986), Marlim Sul (1987) and Roncador (1996).

Campos Basin developments along these 25 years of production have imposed many learnings and challenges in the drilling and completion operations. Several projects were implemented from shallow to ultra deepwater using jack ups, fixed platforms, moored floating rigs and dynamic positioning (DP) rigs in drilling, completion and workover operations. These different projects required different approaches and the key was to use the learnings of each field development in future projects. The most important evolution in drilling and completion operations was seen when we moved towards deeper water. It allowed, in conjunction with the subsea hardware evolution to put the first deepwater well on stream in September 1984 (well 3-PU-2-RJS at 307 meters of WD) and the first ultra deepwater field on stream in 1999 (Roncador). In general, the geological carachteristics in Campos Basin are: shallow reservoirs, no occurrence of shallow gas or HPHT formations. Moreover, the environmental conditions in Campos Basin are mild but with high currents. On the other hand several critical issues have to be still overcome in drilling and completion operations to cope with the challenges of producing in ultra deepwater (2,000 3,000 meters) as: steep slope seabed, shallow and unconsolidated reservoirs (Miocene and Oligocene) and expensive operations. Nowadays there are 650 wells drilled in WD up to 1,500 meters and 114 wells drilled in WD deeper than 1,500 meters. Ultra deepwater under going field developments will lead Petrobras domestic production to reach 1.9 million barrels of oil per day by 2005. The Exploratory Campaign to Strike the First Commercial Discovery The exploratory campaign in Campos Basin started in 1971 with the well 1-RJS-1, drilled by the jack up Penrod 89 at 49 meters of water. The total depth (TD) was at 3,744 meters, but the well resulted dry. Following this first well, another 8 vertical wells were drilled from 1971 to 1974 in WD ranging from 41 to 62 meters aiming different objectives either in shallow or deeper formations. The well design used an OBS wellhead with four casing strings (30,20,13 3/8 and 9 5/8 ) for the deeper objectives (TD from 3,400 to 3,900 meters) and two or three casing strings for the shallower objectives (TD around 1,500 meters ).

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In June 1972 the first signs of hydrocarbons in Campos Basin appeared in the well 1-RJS-3B at 58 meters WD, but the reserves were not commercial. Also in 1972, moored drillships were also contracted in order to increase the exploratory campaign in water depths deeper than 80 meters. These drillships (Discoverer I, Ocean Cyclone and Petrobras II) did not have drill string motion compensators and the drilling operations were made with the use of bumpers subs. They also used different wellhead systems: the SG 1 wellhead system, that required two different BOP stacks (21 and 13 3/8) and the HB-3 16 , what required different well design. The use of floaters to perform drilling operations required new learnings but allowed the exploration in deeper propects. New signs of hydrocarbons appeared in the well 1-RJS-7 at 115 meters WD, in August 1973. The first field was stroke by the wild cat 1-RJS-9A in December 1974 at 124 meters of WD, drilled by the drillship Petrobras II (Fig. 1). This well reached the TD of 3,750 meters with 4 casing strings (30,18 5/8,13 3/8,9 5/8) and a 7 liner. The field was named as Garoupa. During 1975 two jack ups, two drillships and one semi were dedicated to perform the exploratory campaign in Campos Basin and other fields: Pargo (96 meters), Bagre (117 meters), Badejo (90 meters) and Namorado (166 meters) were discovered in that year striking oil in different reservoirs (sandstones, limestones and coquinas), thus opening a wide range of options for future developments. The First Oil To put on stream the fields in Campos Basin, it was necessary to overcome the challenges of the limited production technology available at that time. In order to put Garoupa and Namorado fields on stream a big project using dry atmospheric chambers and an atmospheric manifold was envisaged. While this project was being conducted, it was decided to install an Early Production System in the well 3-EN-1-RJS, in the Enchova field. The well has a 16 HB-3 x 5,000 psi housing and TD at 2,520 meters. The Enchova Early Production System comprised the use of a semi submersible (SEDCO 135 D) converted into production facility, producing one well through a subsea test tree and BOP (Fig. 2). It was installed in 1977 and the first oil was produced in August 13 at the same year. Apart from the need to abandon the well and pull the BOP on regular basis for maintenance and the gas flaring, this system allowed Petrobras to accelerate production in Campos Basin and get more information about the reservoirs. This system was substituted by a subsea tree with diverless pull in installed in July 80. The well is shut nowadays due to high water/oil ratio. Production Acceleration The Garoupa-Namorado Project. In 1975, in order to accelerate production while fixed platforms were projected, it was decided to use a high tech subsea system to allow the production of the Garoupa and Namorado fields.

This system comprised the production of 9 wells, including the discoverer 1-RJS-9A, with dry trees enclosed in atmospheric chambers named Well-Head Cellars (WHC) connected to an atmospheric manifold center. The system came on stream in February 1979 (Fig. 3). The wells of the Garoupa and Namorado Early Production System were drilled from July 1976 to 1978 by different rigs and had different wellhead systems and different casing strings. In order to allow the WHC system optimization, four directional wells (maximum inclination 35 degrees) were drilled. The first directional well was the 3-NA-3D-RJS drilled in February 1977, which was also the first directional in Campos Basin. The completion design of these wells comprised the use of 3 EU production string fitted with 7 or 8 gas lift mandrels for the kick off, one mandrel with kill valve, permanent downhole gauge and wireline retrievable downhole safty valve (DHSV). The use of permanent packers and permanent downhole gauges (PDG) were standard in these completions. Despite the relative operational reliability of the system, its high Operational Expenditures (OPEX), due to the dependency of a dedicated vessel, made Petrobras quit from this concept, deactivating this system when the fixed platform of Garoupa came into operation in 1984 replacing the original WHC by subsea trees. The wildcat 1-RJS-9A, the Campos Basin discoverer is still in production nowadays with a subsea tree with 105 m3 of oil /day. Subsea Completions. Another project to accelerate production was the use of subsea completions. The first subsea tree was installed in May 1979 in the well 4-RJS-38 at 189 meters WD, the deepest installation in the world at that time, producing to a semi converted into production facility. The well design has 4 casing strings (30, 18 5/8, 13 3/8 and 9 5/8) and a 7liner with TD at 2,848 meters. The well was equipped with sand control and the completion string had: a 3 1/2 EU production tubing with a tubing seal receptacle to compensate for elongation during production installed above a hydraulic set packer, a permanent packer, a gas lift mandrel with a kill valve that was to used in workovers to kill the well and a wireline retrievable DHSV with flow couplings (Fig. 4). Sand control was necessary because during the production tests it was verified that sand production was higher than 0.01% v/v. This limit was established at that time as the maximum that the surface equipment could allow. It is important to mention that it was the first gravel offshore Brazil and the first in the world from a semi submersible. The well was also fitted with a permanent downhole gauge in order to acquire more information about the reservoir. This tree was a 3 x 2 x 5,000 psi non TFL (Through Flowline), with the valves operated by an electric hydraulic control bundle with three x 4,000 psi hydraulic lines and one electrical cable with a back up sequential hydraulic system. The well produced through a flexible 4 x 2,000 psi flowline and the annulus was accessed by a 2 x 2,000 psi

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flexible flowline. The flowlines pull in at the tree was designed to be diverless, which was the state-of-the-art technology at that time, but divers were extensively used in observation and inspection tasks. The annulus flowlines were used only to monitor the annulus pressure, because the string was not fitted with gas lift mandrels and there was no gas available for gas lifting. It is important to mention that the first high pressure gas compressor installed in a semi submersible in the world was in 1983 in Bonito field in Campos Basin. The well is still in production nowadays with 80 m3 /day of oil. Campos Basin Development Early Production Systems (EPS). Campos Basin development was initially considered to be made with fixed platforms and while these were being built, Early Production Systems were implemented. From 1979 to 1983, several Early Production Systems (EPS) came on stream, using either semi submersibles or jack ups converted into production facilities. These EPS used different concepts: single well connected to a floating production unit producing via a subsea test tree and BOP; custom developed template, satellite wells located underneath semi submersibles, which were still fitted with the drilling hardware, allowing them to run these completions and perform workovers and satellite wells far from the production units (semis or jack ups). Several lessons were learned: The use of template with subsea wells was discontinued, because it was necessary for that particular project to have a dedicated BOP and subsea trees for the wells template. Sattelite wells located underneath the production floating units fitted with the drilling hardware did not show to be a good alternative due to limited space and deckload to have all production facilities and drilling hardware. Deckload became a critical issue upon the installation of gas compressors in the floating systems. The wellhead systems were standardized to 18 x 10,000psi - SG 5, in order to allow rig and subsea trees interchangability. The basic well design remained the same, with 30conductors and 9 5/8 or 7 production casings. The Permanent Downhole System had a very poor performance in subsea wells due to several reasons, but its use was not discontinued due to their importance for the reservoir management. As gas lift mandrels could be a leak point in the production string, the number of gas lift mandrels was decreased. The use of wireline retrievable DHSV was standard. Fixed Platforms. From 1981 to 1984, 7 fixed platforms were installed in Campos Basin in water depths ranging from 108 meters to 170 meters: Garoupa (PGP-1), Namorado 1 (PNA

1), Enchova (PCE 1), Cherne 2 (PCH 2), Namorado 2 (PNA 2), Cherne 1 (PCH 1) and Pampo (PPM 1). These platforms were projected to have all processing, oil and gas export facilities, including H2S removal in Pampo. The drilling and completion operations in these platforms were to have the same approach, that is drilling and completion after the installation of the fixed platform. The first fixed platform installation was Garoupa, but the first jacket sank during transportation to Brazil, so the original drilling and completion programs were changed. A template was installed and drilling operations started, while the new jacket was being built. A total of 8 directional wells were drilled by the drillship Tainaron on a turn key basis. Upon the installation of the fixed platform the tie backs and the drilling of the remaining 6 wells and all completions were performed by a drilling rig operated by a third party company, also on a turn key basis contract. The wells in Garoupa drilled by the drillship Tainaron have 4 casing strings (30, 20, 10 and 7). The wells drilled by the drilling rig use a different casing arrangement (30, 20,13 3/8and 9 5/8) . For the remaining fixed platforms, Namorado 1, Namorado 2, Cherne 1, Cherne 2, Pampo and Enchova, the wells were drilled and completed in sequence after the platform installation. The well design in the fixed platforms was similar, with a 30conductor, 20, 13 3/8 and 9 5/8 casings and 7 liners, when required. Directional drilling was extensively used; the maximum inclination was around 45 degrees. It is to be mentioned that Pampo has two templates and two drilling rigs worked simultaneously. All these rigs were owned by Petrobras. The operations were initially conducted by third parties companies and after 1984 only by Petrobras. The completion design for the fixed platforms is very similar, with hydraulic set production packers, 3 EU and 4 EU production strings with gas lift mandrels and tubing mounted downhole safety valve, instead of the wireline retrievable ones used in the subsea wells. Sand control was only required in a few wells in Enchova Platform. After 1989, 6 other fixed platforms: Pargo, Carapeba 1, Carapeba 2, Vermelho 1, Vermelho 2 and Vermelho 3 were installed in the so called Polo Nordeste, water depth ranging from 80 to 101 meters. The initial development plan comprised 120 wells. The drilling operations were performed by moored semis and drillships in templates on a turn key basis. After the platform installation, the tie backs and completion jobs were performed, including the necessary squeeze jobs by production rigs owned by Petrobras and operated either by Petrobras or third part companies. The well design in these platforms comprises a 30 conductor, 20, 13 3/8, 9 5/8 casings and a 7 liner. In 1994 the seventh platform, Carapeba 3 was installed, in tandem with Carapeba 1. The drilling and completion operations in Carapeba 3 were performed by a jack up.

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The completion design included a so called Y block which allowed the installation of an electrical submersible pump inside the 9 5/8casing and the production without artificial lift in the other leg, used in the early production days. The move towards deeper waters In 1977, exploratory drilling had already surpassed the diving limit of 300 meters. Important discoveries had been made beyond the range of 200 meters of water. By the end of 1983, 22 fields in WD ranging from 86 to 430 meters had already been discovered and nine of these fields were in production using Floating Production Systems with subsea trees and four fields with fixed platforms. The main drive forces to develop deeper water fields by means of subsea completions and floating production units were the characteristics of the reservoirs and the mild environmental conditions found in Campos Basin. Additionally, this option allowed the Company to install early production units to serve as a scale laboratory for definitive systems thus developing the big fields in phases. Under the economical point of view, there is a lower capital exposure. Moreover, the period from field discovery to first oil is shortenned, bringing extra advantages compared with other field development alternatives. Petrobras has established strong partnerships with its main subsea equipment suppliers thus allowing both continuous improvements and long term relationship. Our experience has proved the reliability and cost effectiveness showed by these systems so far. In 1982 an exploratory campaign in WD deeper than 400 meters took place. The diving limit for subsea production was surpassed in 1983 by the well 3-PU-2- RJS at 307 meters WD. In 1984 dynamic positioning rigs were also contracted for an exploratory campaign. This exploratory campaign culminated with the discovery of several deepwater fields, like Albacora (1984), Marlim (1985), Albacora Leste (1986), Marlim Sul (1987) and others. Since then, several milestones have been broken, that culminated with the production of the first ultra deepwater field Roncador in 1999. Drilling Operations. The first challenge that had to be surpassed when drilling operations moved to water depths deeper than 500 meters also in 1984 was spud in operation, since they could spend up to 20 days to be performed. Moreover, drilling in deepwater meant to drill only vertical and directional wells, when in 1994 the first horizontal well was drilled in deepwater in Marlim Field at 903 meters. Multilateral well technology was introduced in deepwater in 1998 at 584 meters WD. Another technical and sucessful innovation was the introduction of the slender well concept, widely used nowadays in Marlim, Marlim Sul, Albacora Leste, Barracuda and also in Roncador field. The move into deep waters also required the use of adequate well control techniques. Moreover, as dynamic positioning rigs were widely in Campos Basin, Petrobras with its contractors developed a specific safety program for DP rigs

in order to decrease the inerent risks in drilling, completion and workover operations. Spud in. Since the beginning of deepwater drilling in Campos Basin, wellhead problems were observed, causing important time losses. For this reason a lot of effort was dedicated on reducing problems such as: use of more efficient guide base designs, in deep geotechnical and shallow hazards investigations, optimization of jetting and operational parameters, etc. The spud in technology initially used in deepwater was the same used in shallow waters, and the first problems appeared: inclination of the temporary guide base or even completely sunk in the mud line while drilling the 36 hole, due to the low strength of sea bed. Other problems related to spud in operations were: cementing of the 30 inches conductors associated with the low sea bed temperature as well as the low fracture gradient which imposed limitations to the weight of the slurry and high stresses on wellhead. In 1985 guidelineless guide bases were introduced, which incorporated some modifications to the temporary guide bases such as: the adoption of 48 drive pipes, 3 to 5 meters long, welded on the bottom of the temporary guide base (TGB). Moreover, several modifications in the TGB running tools were made like the use of a non-rotational jetting bottom hole assembly (BHA) to allow the installation of a 12 or 14 meters 48 drive pipe. A rotational 36 BHA was also introduced, with a 36 hole opener above a 26 bit with a 12 OD motor (Figure 5). All these hardware modifications and better operational procedures allowed the spud in deepwater time to decrease from 20 to 8 days by the end of the 80s. In the beginning of the 90s when the Marlim Field development took place, new modifications in spud in operations were introduced like: the adoption of a 42 x 1 x B Grade as a drive pipe in substitution of the existing 48 or 46 drive pipes. These modifications were part of the second generation of Petrobras project for guide bases. There were several options to use them in guidelinelss (GLL) and guideline (GL) systems with or without drive pipe. This flexibility was necessary because by 1993 deepwater moored rigs were also used for the Marlim field development. At that time the Marlim field was the only deepwater field being developed in the world. In 1993 the use of a jetted 30 conductor (3 joints of 30x 1 x B Grade pipe) with jet cam tools were introduced in Marlim field. It allowed the jetting of the 30 conductor with a 26 bit, the drilling of a 26 phase in one trip and the installation of high pressure housing with the 20casing, 350 to 400 meters long. A further step of this concept happened in 1995 and allowed the installation of the 30casing directly in the guidebase without the need to install the 42casing. The spud in time in water depths around 1,000 meters like in the Marlim field decreased to two days. Jetting of 30casing with 16 housing is standard in all deep and ultra deepwater fields development.

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Whe exploratory drilling moved to water depths deeper than 2,000 meters, problems of rotation of the jetted 30conductor has occurred, causing instabilities to the wellhead. This problem was solved with the use of 36 conductors. Moreover, 18 wellhead systems with strengthed bending moments are being currently used in WD deeper than 2,000 meters Horizontal Wells. The first horizontal well in Campos Basin was drilled in 1990 at 222 meters of water depth in Bonito field. The well 7-BO-13H-RJS was drilled in a limestone reservoir and a 5 slotted liner was used in the horizontal section of 464 meters. The second well was drilled in a sandstone in the shallower part of Albacora field (7-AB-13HA-RJS) at 290 meters WD in 1992. The horizontal section was completed with a slotted 7 liner from the TD at 3,925 m to the 9 5/8casing shoe at 3,317 m. These wells allowed us to acquire the confidence to use horizontal wells in deepwater developments, although these two wells were not fitted for sand control. Another milestone was surpassed in 1994, when the first horizontal well in an unconsolidated sandstone in deepwater was drilled in the Marlim field (well 8-MRL-38H-RJS) at 903 meters of water. This well was completed with stand alone system, 230 meters long in the horizontal section. The first horizontal producer in deepwater was also in Marlim field (7-MRL-46H-RJS) in 1996, but it was abandoned due to a failure in the sand control (sand production through the pre packed screens). With the required improvements in sand control in horizontal wells, this technology was definitively incorporated for field developments in different water depths. The horizontal drilling success in deepwater in unconsolidated sandstones has been achieved with the use of calcium carbonate drill in fluid. The horizontal sections in unconsolidated reservoirs in deepwater have reached up to 1,076 meters in Jubarte field at 1,300 meters WD. There are studies being carried out to drill horizontal sections in unconsolidated sandstones up to 2,000 meters. The horizontal sections are drilled with 5 1/2 to 9 1/2 bits. Horizontal well technology has been also used in fixed platforms to increase productivity of the existing wells. The Albacora Leste field development, located in WD from 800 to 2,100 meters will comprise only horizontal wells (21 producers and 10 water injections). Over 100 horizontal wells have been already drilled in deepwater in Campos Basin (300<WD<1,500 meters) and 4 wells in ultra deepwater. Slender Well Technology. The slender technology main goal is to reduce the drilling riser diameter and consequently the rig deck load, making possible the use of second and third generation rigs in ultra deepwater. The casing program for the slender wells is 30 x 13 3/8 x 9 5/8 (Figure 6). The first slender well, the exploratory well 1-RJS-534 at

692 meters WD was drilled in January 1998. Moreover the deepest well drilled in Campos Basin at 2,851 meters WD also utilized the slender technology. Up to now 198 slender wells have been drilled, 62 exploratory and 136 explotatory. From those 82 were vertical, 79 directional and 37 horizontal. Those wells are in Roncador (25), Barracuda (8), East Albacora (5), Caratinga (11), Espadarte (6), Marimb (6), South Marlim (27) and Marlim (48). The slender well technology reduces drilling time, thus providing an economy of 17% in average in the cost of deep and ultra deepwater wells. Multilateral Technology. Multilateral wells are considered a good opportunity to optimize E&P resources. Although it is considered a feasible technology, it is yet considered of high risk due to the fact that its application in floating rigs is just starting. The investment reduction in offshore areas is mainly attributed to the reduction of production lines, well slots and drilling costs. Decreasing the number of slots to reach the reservoir objectives means cheaper offshore rigs and less sub sea equipment. The first multilateral in deepwater in Campos Basin was drillled in Voador field in 1998 for water injection at 565 meters of WD. The project was undertaken from the semi submersible drilling rig, Ocean Yorktown and was completed in 60 days. The opposing dual laterals were placed in the Marlim Sandstone with horizontal sections of 400 and 600 meters in the laterals #6HP-RJS and #7HPA-RJS, respectively. A total vertical depth of 2,804 meters was attained with the junction of the two well bores intersecting at a vertical depth of 1,650 meters. The completion of this injection well marked new milestones in the evolution of multilateral technology by being the worlds first Level 5 multilateral to be completed from a floating rig as well as being the worlds deepest Level 5 multilateral ever completed (Figure 7). As consequence of the multilateral wells success in Voador field, and also due to the knowledge acquired with this technology, other offshore multilaterals wells were drilled in others fields in Campos Basin: Barracuda, Albacora and Congro. The experience obtained so far about multilateral technology allowed the company to identify some critical points: Detailed operational planning, communication, project management, documentation, debris management and junction position are key components for successfully implementing a complex Level 5 multilateral well, thus ensuring the application of continuous improvement in future multilateral designs. On the other hand, it was also perceived new challenges to apply this technology in other deepwater areas. Efforts to put the junction inside the reservoir are in course to simplify the building process with cost and risk reduction. Completion The basic completion design in Campos Basin has not changed substantially along these 25 years, comprising the use

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of gas lift mandrels in subsea and fixed platforms wells as the only lifting alternative until 1989. In 1989, electrical submersible pumps (ESP) were introduced in the Polo Nordeste development. Later on, in October 1994 the first subsea electrical pump was introduced in the well 4-RJS-221 at 86 meters WD. The system worked for 3 years and 10 months. This successful installation motivated Petrobras to install the deepest subsea electrical submersible pump in the well 4RJS-477 A, which worked for 3 years when the well was shut due to reservoir management. Another pioneer use of electrical submersible pump was made in Jubarte field, which is on stream since November 2002 via a drill pipe riser to the DP FPSO Seillean. A 900 HP ESP was installed above the subsea tree at 1,300 meters WD in order to increase production. Nowadays the use of subsea ESP is being considered, in all deepwater projects as a technically feasible alternative to artificial lift. Also, smart well technology is being currently tested in a deepwater well in the Marlim Sul at 1,170 meters WD and in ultra deepwater in a water injection well in the Roncador 1,871 meters. There are plans to install over 10 smart wells completion in the next 4 years in the Roncador development. Sand Control. Sand control operations in Campos Basin have been performed since 1979 for the completion of the well 4-RJS-38, the first producer with subsea tree. The total length of low density perforations was only 3 meters and the slurry pack squeezing method was used despiste of all difficulties to find the correct tool positions in a semi submersible. That operation was the first one in the world from a semi submersible. The decision to use sand control mechanisms was based on the results of production tests. The limit of 0.01% v/v of sand production was used to determine sand control mechanisms installation. In shallow water, gravel packing installation was not mandatory, but when we moved to deepwater projects, the presence of unconsolidated sandstones required the intensive use of this technique. When field development moved to deeper waters by 1987, some fields like Marimba and Albacora were tested and sand control was installed only when the established limit of 0.01 % v/v was overcome. By that time, only slurry pack system was used either with squeezing tools or reverse circulation tools, but the results were poor, due to the high skins and subsequent low productivity observed after the gravel pack installation. With the Marlim field development after 1991, sand control mechanisms were mandatory and the slurry pack system was also used, showing also poor results despite of the perforations in underbalance, the perforations cleaning with the well flow, adequate cleaning of the casing/string and nominal filtering of the brine. Significant drop in the productivity index was still observed and acid jobs were required.

In 1995 the water pack system was introduced for sand control and showed an improved productivity index if compared to the slurry pack system. Nowadays we use High Rate Water Pack (HRWP) technique in perforations up to 12 meters long and where the water/oil contact is present. In 1998, frac pack systems were introduced for sand control and over 120 operations have already been performed. Frac pack operations are performed after wireline high density perforations thus allowing great cost reduction if compared to the underbalanced perforations required for other sand control methods. Frac pack operations are standard in deviated and vertical wells in deep and ultra deepwater, including the Roncador field wells where selective frac pack operations have been performed up to three intervals. Moreover, frac pack operations have also been performed up to 50 meters of perforated intervals, mainly in reservoirs with shale intercalation or low vertical permeability. Sand control optimization in horizontal wells was of utmost importance for deepwater field development. Initial sand control techniques in horizontal wells used stand alone systems, which showed to be troublesome in production wells due to sand production. In 1998 the openhole gravel pack (OHGP) technique was successfully introduced for sand control in horizontal production and water injection wells, despite of the need to perform acid jobs in the last ones in order to remove the filter cake. Over 100 OHGP operations have been performed up to date in Campos Basin, including the pioneer use of external casing packers (ECP) in conjunction with diverter valves for zonal isolation. This method was also used in the Jubarte field at 1,300 meters WD with 1,076 meters of horizontal section and three ECP. Zonal isolation with OHGP has been successfully tested in Marlim field, isolating a lower water production interval and recovering the initial total production of 12,000 bopd. For sand control in water injection horizontal wells selective tools with coiled tubing and one-trip tools have also been successfully used to acidize the formation to remove the filter cake. Expandable screens (one horizontal producer and one highly deviated water injection well) and large bore OHGP (6 5/8 base pipe screens) with ECP in 9 horizontal well have also been successfully used in the Marlim field. Sand control operations are required in several deep and ultradeepwater projects being carried out in Campos Basin and over 80 operations are foreseen for the next years. Nowadays, sand control mechanisms are installed in unconsolidated sandstones and where sand production is feasible either to the increase of water/oil ratio or reservoir static pressure decrease, without any test. Well Control With the development of deepwater fields, several actions were taken to preclude the occurence of blowouts and decrease the rig downtime due to well control equipment. The actions were related to the personnel qualification, well control equipment and well control procedures.

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Personnel qualification required the need of supervisory or fundamental well control certification for all Petrobras and third party companies and frequent pit and trip drills. For well control equipment, acceptance tests and annual audits are performed in all well control hardware. Nevertheless the most important decision was taken in 1996, as part of the Safety Program for DP Rigs, in conjunction with all drilling contractors was related to the deepwater well control procedures: the well shut in without flow check, the use of the hard close-in method and the use of the drillers method for kick circulation. A Blow-Out Contingency Plan is in place as part of the overall Campos Basin Contingency Plan. Dynamic Positioning Rigs DP rigs have been used since 1984 in exploratory campaign in deepwater and besides the operational difficulties due to the deepwater drilling, which was a new challenge, the use of DP rigs came up with other concerns like power generation and distribution failures as well as station keeping problems. From the first DP rig in 1984, the number of DP rigs increased to continue the deepwater exploratory and appraisal campaign. These rigs showed very good results mainly due to the speed that they could be moved from one well to another, thus decreasing the costs. Shallow water field development happened in a somewhat uncontrolled manner, it caused a cluttered subsea layout creating several difficulties, and even, in some cases, restraining the mooring of conventionally moored rigs in workovers. This was the main reason why DP rigs were first used to perform workovers in shallow waters. Moreover, the fastness that these rigs could move from one well to another made them the ideal for quick workovers like for instance, slickline operations to change a downhole safety valve (DHSV). This increasing activity of DP rigs, led Petrobras to create in 1992 the Dynamic Positioning Safety Program (DPPS) which is a partnership program with the DP rigs contractors to minimize the risk of station keeping failure to avoid its catastrophic consequences. The main projects and results were: 1. Risk Equivalence it created the so called Restriction Diagrams, with the minimum distance between the production units and the DP rigs. This project was very important because it allowed a better layout for the deepwater field development. 2. Emergency disconnection procedures - EDS: It was established a Degraded Operating Status for each DP vessel working in Brazil. This status was defined as one step before the yellow or red alarm due to a malfunction or a high solicitation of an essential DP equipment or sensor. This definition brought the reduction or elimination of the surprise factor, gave the supervisor more anticipated decision power, and more time to prepare for a safe EDS. Moreover, standard guidelines for a correct disconnection were also written for all drilling and completion operations.

DP vessels system specs and audits: Specs and audits in the power generation, thrusters and propulsion, DP system itself, reference systems (acoustic, riser angle, DGPS) and sensors (VRU, gyro, and wind). Nowadays there are 10 DP semi submersibles and 10 DP drillships working for Petrobras offshore Brazil, in deep and ultra deepwater developments and exploratory drilling. Challenges for the Future Petrobras as a natural sequence of the most recent breakthroughs achieved in ultra deepwater acitivities that led the Company to be recipient of the 2001 OTC Award, now prepares itself to operate in an even more remote scenario, at 3,000 meters WD. This goal, that will allow Petrobras to produce from several already found fields, constitutes the main objective of PROCAP 3000, the Petrobras in-house Technological Program on Ultra-Deepwater Exploitation Systems. More specifically, it seeks to find solutions that will make oil found at depths of up to 3,000 meters technically and economically viable to be produced. Some of the areas to be developed will be addressed below. Spud in. In order to improve the estability of the wellhead in ultradeepwater, Petrobras is developing a new guide base integrated with its 30 structural casing as an alternative to the existing jetting procedures. Well Design. To cope with high productivity and heavy oil wells in ultradeepwater the well design is being modified. PETROBRAS historical production at high rate started with the completion of the well 7-MLS-42H-RJS in the Marlim Sul field, starting with a production of 36,000 bopd in December of 2001. It was possible due to a horizontal well design ending with a 9 5/8 production casing a 7 production string. The modifications in the well design alters the production casing from 95/8 to 10 or 11 thus allowing the use of 7production string and the optimization of the electrical submersible pumping system with the following advantages: 1) use of a 862 series motor in 10 casing with a greater efficiency and smaller length, 2) use of a 950 series motor in a 11 casing with the previous mentioned advantages, 3) use of a Y bock system in the 11 casing, 4) a less lengthy pumping system, and 5) a reduction in the bending effort for a given dog leg level due to the ID and the length reduction, especially in the 11 casing. Moreover these modifications make possible the use of permanent downhole gauges for production monitoring purposes with 7production strings. The use of this kind of wells are to start throughout the current year in Roncador field with the use of the 10 casing and in the Jubarte field with the 11 one. Simultaneously a research project has been initiated considering required equipment for large diameter lengthy horizontal wells to handle heavy oil. The expected result is to optimize the drilling operations of the Roncador field with the enlargement of the final phase from 12 to 14 in a high inclination in order to run the 10 casing.

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Surface BOP in Ultra deepwater. The need of an efficient, safer and faster ultra deepwater exploration program brought this idea back. The reason is the capability of avoiding the installation of the traditional subsea BOP. It also broadens the use of upgraded third generation rigs in a so far exclusive market of fourth and fifth generation. In order to accomplish with the adoption of this idea PETROBRAS started a series of studies such as: 1) risk assessment, 2) riser analysis, 3) riser and connector selection, 4) contingency plans, 5) standard drilling procedures adjustments and modifications and 6) definition of sub sea shut off system to improve safety issues. A field trial will be carried out this year. Dual Gradient Drilling. The use of dual gradient drilling (DGD) systems for drilling offshore is of particular interest to the industry, since a significant amount of oil reserves are located offshore in deep and ultra deepwater. This particular scenario is characterized by the occurrence of a narrow operational margin between pore and fracture pressures, which have been commonly, associated with some drilling problems, such as loss of circulation and well control events. Under these operational circumstances, the use of dual gradient drilling systems introduces the possibility of being able to drill successfully in ultra deepwater wells. A field test will be performed by the end of the current year. Completion. Completion technology is of utmost importance to make ultradeepwater developments successful. It must reduce workover costs and increase flexibility to a better reservoir management. With these principles in mind, the use of smart completions is envisaged in deep and ultra deepwater fields. Two smart completions will be installed this year in Marlim Sul and Roncador fields. Moreover Petrobras is also developing the following technologies: Well monitoring and control using fiber optics. Optization of Subsea Submersible Pumps. Gas Lifting optimization and automatization in ultra deepwater. Downhole separation system. Gravel Pack. As longer horizontal sections and larger wellbore diameters are foreseen to be widely used in deep and ultra deepwater, the challenges to be overcome in sand control operations are: To improve the drill in filtercake removal in water injection wells. The development of selective OHGP that would allow the isolation of any interval. Nowadays we can only isolate the lower interval. Development of mechanisms to acidize horizontal wells. Radioactive tracers for frac pack operations

Conclusions Campos Basin drilling and completion operations have faced and surpassed many challenges along these 25 years of production, from the first oil produced by the Early Production System of Enchova to the ultra deepwater development in Roncador. The need to accelerate production led the Company to develop the Early Production Systems with subsea wells while fixed platforms were being built. Later on, the experience acquired with subsea drilling and completion was of utmost importance when deeper water fields were discovered. In 1984, with the exploratory campaign in WD deeper than 500 meters, several modifications had to be introduced in spud in operations in order to overcome the problems like the inclination of temporary base and to decrease the spud in time. The basic drilling design has not changed significantly along Campos Basin development, due to the particular geological characteristics, but the introduction of horizontal wells and slender technologies were of utmost importance to decrease the costs and improve the productivity of the deep and ultra deepwater wells. Horizontal well technology has been in continuous evolution, not only in drilling operations with larger wellbore diameters and longer horizontal sections but also with the improvement in the sand control operations. Initial sand control operations in vertical and deviated wells caused significant drop in the productivity which was surpassed with the use of frac pack systems. Open hole gravel packs in horizontal wells have also allowed the introduction of external casing packers for zonal isolation. The implementation of a safety program for the dynamic positioning rigs operations has contributed significantly to reduce the inherent risks of these rigs. Important actions were also taken regarding to well control operations with the definition of the drillers method for well control in deepwater. Many challenges have still to be surpassed to allow production in 3,000 meters WD. Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank PETROBRAS for the authorization to publish this paper and all colleagues that have contributed to Campos Basin drilling and completion technologies evolution along these 25 years of production. References
1. Barcelos, A. et al: Deepwater Activities Offshore Brazil: Evolution on Drilling Technology, paper SPE 28004 presented at the 1994 University of Tulsa Centennial Petroleum Engineering Symposium, Tulsa, OK, USA, Aug. 29-31.

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Bastos,B.L.C.X.: 20 Years of Drilling and Completion Experience in Campos Basin: A Result Review, paper OTC 8488, presented at the 1997 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, USA, May 5-8. Bonesio, P.A. et al: Marlim Field Development Overview, paper OTC 10716, presented at the 1999

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5.

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7. 8.

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Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, USA, May 3-6. Nakashima, F.K. et al: The Evolution of Spud In and Conductor Cementing in Deepwater Wells, presented at the 1995 Deep Offshore Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Neumann, L.F. et al: Lessons Learned from a Hundred Fracpacks in the Campos Basin, paper 73722, presented at the 2002 Formation Damage Conference and Exhibition, Lafayette, USA, February. Martins, F.S.B. et al: Well Control in Campos Basin Brazil, paper IADC/SPE 59244 presented at the 2000 IADC/SPE Drilling Conference, New Orleans, LA, USA, February 23-25. Oliveira, R.L.L. Multilateral Wells in Campos Basin Overview, presented at the II Petrobras Multilateral Wells Workshop, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2002. Juiniti, R. et al: Restriction Diagrams: How to work with DP Rigs in Close Proximity, paper OTC 8852, presented at the 1998 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, USA, May 4-7. Juiniti, R.: Evaluation of Drilling and Completion Techniques Used in 10 Years of the Deepwater Marlim Field Development, paper OTC 14280, presented at the 2002 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, USA, May 6-9.

Figure 2 Early Production System installed in Enchova Field in 1977.

Figure 3 Garoupa - Namorado Production System, installed in 1979, with the atmospheric manifold and the dry trees enclosed with atmospheric chambers. The system was replaced by subsea trees after 1984. Figure 1 Drillship Petrobras II which drilled the wildcat well 1-RJS-9A, Campos Basin discoverer well.

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Figure 6 Slender Well Casing design compared to Conventional Casing design.

Figure 4 Production string o the first subsea completion in Campos Basin well 4-RJS-38, WD = 189 meters.

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Figure 7 The wells 8-VD-6HP and 8-VD-7HP were the worlds first multilateral level 5 completed from a floating rig.

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Figure 5 Guidelineless guide base with jetting BHA introduced in 1993. Later on, in 1995 the 30 conductor was installed directly in the guidebase.