Paper: Packer Hookups for Triple and Quadruple Completions

Since the cost of producing oil is continually increasing, oil operators have found themselves in a position of having to determine more economical production methods in order to make a profit. One of the first steps in this direction was the dual completion which enabled the operator to produce two zones, isolated from each other, through the same well bore, at the same time. Although the dual completion is not necessarily new, vast improvements have been made both in technique and equipment and a present day dual completion, producing through parallel strings of tubing is quite commonplace. The dual completion therefore provided the basic principle of multizone completions and was the forerunner of triple and quadruple completions. Also, since the economic aspect of the dual completion has been proved, it was felt that further development in technique and equipment would enable operators to produce three or four zones, isolated from each other, through the same well bore, at the same time, thus providing additional economic gains. Although triple completions are not an everyday occurrence they are no longer a novelty and several quadruple completions have been made successfully. It is the purpose of this paper to present several methods by which three or four zones, isolated from each other, may be produced through the same well bore.