Well Completion and Simulation

The development of horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing has allowed operators to develop unconventional plays once considered uneconomical. As operators move toward drilling more complex sections in these plays, proper placement of a competent cement plug on the first attempt becomes increasingly challenging. The use of a bottom hole kickoff assembly (BHKA) minimizes risk and increases reliability for all cement plug operations; plugback, kickoff and/or abandonment.

Corrosion enhanced abrasive wear is a common cause of failure in sucker rod systems. The combination of high side loads caused by deviation and the presence of corrosive chemicals creates a very difficult environment for operators. The cyclical loading nature of sucker rod system adds to the problem, leading to premature failures in rods and tubing. Operators are turning to many technologies to increase mean time between failures (MTBF) in these challenging wells. Thermoplastic liners is one of the many options to extend run life in deviated wellbores.

Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2) has been used as a well damage removal and stimulation fluid since the late 1980’s. It was originally investigated as a means to remediate reservoirs of the permanently damaging effects of polymer, monomer, and polyacrylamide floods popular in the 1980’s across many conventional oilfields, including those in the Permian Basin of West Texas, U.S.A. Chlorine Dioxide is a strong oxidizer and highly effective biocide, very popular today for preparing frac waters and aiding in recycling produced waters, also to be used in fracturing.

During the life of Yeso horizontal oil producers, well intervention and remediation is an essential step to ensure the maximum inflow volumes are being obtained and recovered volumes are matching the established production decline curves. Utilizing a Jet Junk Basket BHA with stick pipe has enabled Concho to successfully clean out a wellbore without the added cost of energized fluids and minimize the risk from getting stuck due to lost circulation. Frac sand that migrates into the wellbore during production and scale precipitation can hinder the well’s drawdown.

This paper discusses Permian Basin examples of a modern epoxy resin system that is compatible with most water- and oil-based wellbore fluid systems. Its unique mechanical properties and resistance to contamination make it a good solution for issues too complex, costly, or difficult to resolve using traditional remediation methods and materials.

Perforating systems are rapidly adapting from the tools that originally evolved for vertical wells.  Many factors in the configuration of the perforating system impact fracturing efficiency and well performance.  Tools designed for clusters intended to be fracture treated have clear advantages over conventional well constant phase, constant shot density systems.

Reservoirs having clays that swell/migrate can potentially impair production. When these clays are present, it is advantageous to use clay stabilizers to mitigate this damage potential.  The industry has adopted several clay assessment methods including analytical procedures such as XRD, SEM and performance testing methods such as capillary suction test (CST) and roller oven test. This paper will describe a new performance test method for inhibitors used in shale reservoirs that complements the existing methods.

Understanding natural fracture systems plays a key role in tight carbonate fields where production is dependent on secondary porosity and pore connectivity. Locating geographic and stratigraphic areas with high natural fracture density and optimizing horizontal well plans to connect fractures can enhance well performance and asset value. A workflow to identify the influence of natural fractures on well performance was conducted in the stacked carbonate play in east Texas. Density, resistivity, and gamma ray logs were used to generate an index curve to identify natural fractures.