G19PA

Production Technology-1 Tutorials

Chapter 2 Conventional
Completion

Heriot-Watt University

Edinburgh EH14 4AS, United Kingdom

Tutorials: Chapter 2 - Conventional Completions 2

CONTENTS

PART1 WELL COMPLETION DESIGNS

PART2 COMPLETION TUTORIAL: SPOT THE ERRORS

Produced by Heriot-Watt University, 2015

Copyright 2015 Heriot-Watt University

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means
without express permission from the publisher.

This material is prepared to support the degree program in Petroleum

Engineering.

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1. WELL COMPLETION DESIGNS

There are numerous well completion designs, as to be expected from the wide range of
operating areas and well environments. The variety of designs reflect:

Well characteristics such as:

Pressure.
Productivity or injectivity index.
Fluid properties.
Rock properties and geological data.

Geographical factors:
Location.
Water depth (if offshore).
Weather conditions.
Accessibility.

Operational design constraints:

Environmental regulations.
Safety aspects.

The number of producing zones.

A number of typical completion types are presented below. These designs have been
chosen to illustrate functional similarities and differences in a range of well
environments. They are all based on the concepts discussed in this chapter.

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COMPLETION NO. 1 (Figure 1)

This completion features VAM tubing with an anchor seal assembly latched into a
permanent packer. The VAM tubing is required due to the production or injection of
gas with relatively high closed in surface tubing pressures. The permanent packer
would have been made up with its tailpipe and run in and set on drillpipe or with an
electric wireline cable. The absence of a moving seal assembly indicates that little
tubing movement can occur, ensuring good differential pressure sealing integrity.

Figure 1 Single zone gas reservoir completion with no provision for tubing movement.

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COMPLETION NO. 2 (Figure 2)

This design allows production through a tubing string with a moving seal assembly
located inside a permanent packer. Additional features include two nipples located in
the tailpipe, the upper one for pressure isolation if the tubing string is retrieved and the
lower one for landing bottom hole pressure survey gauges.

Figure 2 Single zone completion with a locator seal assembly.

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COMPLETION NO. 3 (Figure 3)

This design allows high production rates since the large bore tubing minimises the
frictional pressure drop in the tubing. The packer and tailpipe can be set on electric
cable or coiled tubing and the tubing string subsequently latched into the packer with
an anchor seal assembly at the base of an extra long tubing seal receptacle. The range
of tubing movement is typically 5 15 ft. Production rates of 20,000 30,000 bbl/d or
more are typical for this type of completion.

Figure 3 High flowrate zone completion

with an extra long tubing seal receptacle allows greater tubing movement.

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COMPLETION NO. 4 (Figure 4)

This completion design for high flowrate production or injection is an alternative to

Figure 1. It is referred to as a Monobore as it provides a large, relatively constant,
tubing inner diameter from surface to the reservoir. This consistent diameter facilitates
concentric access and intervention. It utilises a polished bore receptacle at the top of
the 7" liner which seals against a seal assembly installed at the base of the tubing
string. The seal assembly provides a moving seal area to accommodate expansion
and/or contraction of the tubing. This design offers a continuous 7" O.D. conduit for
flow from the wellhead to the perforations. As shown here, there is no facility for
isolating below the PBR. This can be achieved by installing a packer and small tailpipe
containing a wireline nipple below the PBR. Circulation to kill the well is provided by
a shear valve in a side pocket mandrel instead of a sliding side door.

Figure 4 Single zone monobore completion for high flowrate injection/

production using a polished bore receptacle.

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COMPLETION NO. 5 (Figure 5)

This completion provides gas lift, either to initiate production or to increase the
natural-flow production rate. The string contains several side pocket mandrels
containing gas injection valves at various depths. The design utilises a retrievable
packer, a preferable choice if it is suspected that a completion will require mechanical
repair at frequent intervals.

Figure 5 Single zone completion with gas lift.

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COMPLETION NO. 6 (Figure 6)

This complex design introduces flexibility into the completion since it allows for
commingled production of both zones or for selective production from either of the
zones. Continuous gas lift is provided by gas injected down a separate string. Gas
injection using the 2 7/ 8 " tubing avoids excessive gas pressures being exerted on the
production casing (prevents surface casing burst if shallow casing corrosion has
occurred). The small gas injection string and dual packer are also used in offshore
situations when annular gas pressure is not permitted. Here the dual packer is normally
set at a shallow depth.

9 5/8 Production Casing

Figure 6 Single string, selective, dual zone production well with gas lift.

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COMPLETION NO. 7 (Figure 7)

This design features a downhole Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) installed parallel to
a bypass tubing (the Y-tool) which allows access to the producing zone below the ESP
e.g. for production logging surveys, etc. Note that a retrievable hydraulic set packer is
used. This reduces the difficulties in pulling the string should the pump need replacing.
The run life can be as long as several years; but this depends upon the installation
efficiency and the actual operating environment.

Figure 7 Single zone completion with Electric Submersible Pump (ESP)

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COMPLETION NO. 8 (Figure 8)

This completion utilises two tubing strings, allowing separate production from each
zone with its own reservoir management. The lower packer is a permanent packer and
the longer tubing string is connected to it using a seal assembly. The upper packer is a
retrievable, dual packer. All equipment is duplicated, e.g. two sub-surface safety
valves, two circulating devices, etc. Thick walled joints known as Blast Joints are
used to combat erosion on the longer string at the point of entry of fluid from the upper
zone into the wellbore.

Figure 8 Dual completion with segregated production.

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COMPLETION NO. 9 (Figure 9)

This type of completion is both simple and relatively cheap. However, there is no
mechanical pressure Isolation by a packer. Zonal and annulus Isolation from the
reservoir is dependent on performing an efficient cement job. Further, the diameter
and length of the perforations is limited sue to the tubing's small inner diameter. Care
must also be taken to avoid perforating the long string during perforating the upper
zone. It has been applied in some areas, e.g. the Middle East and the USA where a
single, dual and triple completions have been installed. See also Chapter 4 (Artificial
Lift) if the Production Technology module.

Figure 9 A "Tubingless" dual completion.

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COMPLETION NO. 10 (Figure 10)

This subsea production well completion includes:
1) 5 1/2 tubing with Tubing Retrievable Surface Control Subsurface Safety Valve
(TRSCSSSV).
2) Permanent P/T gauge to continuously monitor pressure and temperature via a
surface readout.
3) Tubing Isolation Valve and TRSCSSSV controlled from the surface, allows repair
of Xmas tree, etc. without the need to kill the well.
3) External Gravel Pack provides sand control.

Figure 10 A subsea production well.

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COMPLETION NO. 11 (Figure 11)

This water injection well completion includes:
1) 7 tubing with Tubing Retrievable Surface Control Subsurface Safety Valve
(TRSCSSSV). Tubing has a glass reinforce epoxy coating to prevent corrosion by the
injection water.
2) Permanent P/T gauge to continuously monitor the injection pressure, determine if
(or when) the formation fracture gradient has been exceeded and monitor the reservoir
pressure.
3) External Gravel Pack provides sand control (required during shut-in periods when
back-flow can occur between higher and lower pressure areas of the completion).

Figure 11 A subsea water injection well.

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COMPLETION NO. 12 (Figure 12)

This gas injection well completion includes:
1) 7 OD tubing with Tubing Retrievable Surface Control Subsurface Safety Valve
(TRSCSSSV) minimises frictional pressure losses at high gas injection rates (Tubing
retrievable valves have a wider diameter than the corresponding wireline retrievable
version).
2) Frac and Pack sand control completion to ensure as high as possible injection rate.
3) Fluid loss control valve to prevent fluid loss after the Frac and Pack is completed
and the tubing, etc. is being installed.
4) Permanent P/T gauges to continuously monitor the completion performance (skin)
and the reservoir pressure.

Figure 12 A subsea gas injection well.

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2. Completion Tutorials: Spot The Errors.

Indicate the correct position of the accessories shown (and suggest what two
accessories are missing) on the completion below (Figure 13) assuming it is designed
to be a single string selective, two-zone completion. Multiple copies of this figure are
provided so that you can draw on this figure and then compare it with a solution on the
next page (Figure 14).

Figure 13 A completion with several errors.

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Figure 13 A completion with several errors.

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Figure 13 A completion with several errors.

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Figure 14 A solution.

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