Unique Engineered Completion Using Horizontal Cemented Liners Improves Stimulation In West Texas Low-Permeability Carbonate Reservoirs

This paper presents two field case histories from multiyear horizontal completion projects in west Texas that were very successful at exposing the "false economy" of not cementing casing in horizontal wells drilled in low-permeability reservoirs. Moderate increases of 20 to 25% in initial well costs yielded a 3- to 10-fold increase in discounted cash flow through improved hydrocarbon recoveries. Case histories are developed for adjoining wells with similar reservoir characteristics and differing completion techniques. Comparisons of single lateral cemented liner completions to openhole completions and uncemented liner completions will also be presented.