Hall vas, Woo. 1SAga low development walls are very common in western Texas, and the following example is typical of y driled to the San Andres dolomite in that area. Permits are easily obtained, and site preparation only three or four days in terrain that is primarily flat and treeless. Rigs are contracted on a day or per-foot basis, and a well can often be driled and completed in eight days. The typical slopment well is drilled on 20-acre (81,000 m2) spacing. San Andres dolomite is encountered at about 5000 ft (1524 m) and is usually about 400 ft (122 m) 1. . Se .elu en eAuu Fe (uy nye writ ULI Be uur Ly wu ur nee wate may ont -ssary to reach the total depth of about $000 ft (1524 m). Logs are run, and casing may be set gh the productive zone or above it, depending on whether a cased and perforated or an open hole sletion is desired. At this point, the driling rig may be replaced with 2 completion rig. ‘openhole completion is pianned, the productive interval is cored using fluid produced from nearby 48 2 diling Lid. The wells normaly stimulated with 6000 gal (22.7 m3) of 26% HCI mixed with gen. Some was are abo fsctured. 427 inch (7.3 em) tubing suing witha tubing anchor (a packer aut seals) is run into the well and set at around 4800 ft (1463 m). Because artificial itis usualy ‘ssary, 2 1 2 or 2 inch (4.5-5 cm) sucker rod pump is run into the hole, with 2 inch (2.2 cm) sucker ‘A pumping unit is placed on a concrete slab and power hookups are completed. Wells usually 3 ni rm ce 50 to 200 2 (6 to 32 =) intially and stabiize at about 20 to 40 bbl/day (3-6Mune Guy, ne hhoe Bay, which is on the edge of the Beaufort Sea, 250 miles (490 km) north of the Arctic Circle, is location of the lergest known oii reservoir in North America. Discovered in 1968, the productive vval is the Sadlerochit formation, a Permian/Triassic sandstone and conglomerate system. The ‘voir is about 9500 ft (2900 m) deep and normally pressured. 1s area of arctic permafrost, criling is done from a large gravel pad to minimize environmental age. Up to 30 wells are drilled, some directionally, from these "platforms". The average time required ‘il and complete 2 well is 25 days. r the pad has been constructed, 4 ft (1.2 m) deep cellars are dug and 2 36 inch (91 cm) conductor is dug at the center with 2 mechanical auger. The rig is moved on location and a specially insulated +h (13 cm) thick, double-walled conductor pipe is set at 80 ft to 100 ft (24 m to 30 m) below ground ause the surface formations are permanently frozen down to 1800 ft (550 m), the driling uid perature must be maintained below 40 deg F (4 deg C) to reduce erosion of the sides ofthe hole. fh water bentonite mud is used, and the casing point is reached in a day or two. Surface casing is 13 ch (34 cm) in diameter and is landed with @ hanger that simply rests on top of the conductor pipe. A cial cement is used that promotes setting at low temperatures. A 12 inch (31 em) hole is thenweight of about 7.8 to 9.0 ppg is used to drill down to the shale interval immediately above the ‘srochit formation. An intermediate 9 5/8 inch (24 cm) casing string is set at 9500 ft (2400 m), using ‘ent around the casing shoe, end a nonfreszing grease in the casing annulus above 2200 ft (670 m). lly, an 8 4 inch (22 cm) hole is died out of the intermediate casing to 10,500 ft (3200 m), using 9.7 (0.2 ppg mud and an insert bit. Stuck pipe and lost circulation are generally problems in this part of hole. Higher mud woights would help provant sloughing chale, which can stick the pipe, but wrtunately contribute to lost circulation in the productive zone. Lost circulation material must be 3. With the & 3 inch (22 cm) hole finished, open hole logging is carried out, and a 7 inch (18 cm) liner ‘nto the bottom on chilpipe. The liner is reciprocated up and down while cement is circulated around insuring a good bond. After the cements set, the liner hanger is tested to 3000 psi (20,700 kPa). typical completion at Prudhoe Bay includes a conventional 9 5/0 inch (24 em) permanent packer with 15, or 7inch (1,34, or 18 cm) intemal plastc- coated tubing, Ten or twelve gas-lift valve drels are installed along the tubing string in anticipation of a need for artificial lift in the future. At point, it is not unusual for the rig to be moved and the perforating of the well carried out after the pletion interval has been decided upon, four to six weeks later. Wells are perforated through tubing g hollow carrier steal guns with four holes per foot anc 2 phasing dependent on reservoir conditions. ting the hole with diesel oll allovis 2 700 to 900 psi (400 to €200 kPa) underbalance for an efficiant ‘up. after perforating, the well is produced for four or five days and then shut-in for a 48 hour =in pressure measurement, as required by the Alseka Oll and Gas Conservation Commission. Full-time luction begins seon thereefter. Ven ery eure yn rer Seu overed in late 1969, the Ekofisk fiald was the first major discovery in the North Sea. The field is 180 (290 km) offshore in 230 ft (70 m) of water. Following an initial test phase in which 4 exploratory ‘were completed as subsea producers, continued development has resulted in the setting of 11 ig and production platforms, and the driling and completion of a total of almost 140 wells from these orms. The Greater Exofisk Area now inclides the Ekofisk, West Ekofisk, Edda, Eldfisk, Tor, Cod, and skjall fields. The Ekofisk area production is found in the Danian and Upper Cretaceous lime-stones. 2 formations are found at 10,000 ft (3000 m) in a typical well, and the limestone is naturally ured. ‘ur of the original subsea wells were driled from semisubmersible rigs. The extreme weather itions of the North Sea resulted in frequent retrievals of the criling riser, broken anchor chains, ed rig moves, and disrupted logistical support. All driling and completion procedures had to be sJe enough to handle these problems. The subsea wells were driled by frst driling a 36 inch (91 cm)1 (51 cm) string of casing was cemented and hung off. A 20 inch BOP system was installed on top of casing, and used whe ding to £000 FE (2624 m), where 13 £ inch (36 em) casing wae run and 3 13 ch 0 stack was in stalled to replace the earler stack The hole was then contnued through 3 troublesome, absomaly prssured cholo secten to tho tap of th Danian fmestone at about 300 fr (2000 m). Here, 9 © inch (24 cm) casing was sat before driling through the pay sections. At 2 4 depth of 11,000 ft (3350 m) a 7 inch (18 cm) liner was cemented through the pay. The wells were: ‘orated and drilstom tested before baing temporary abandoned. After a data-evaluation period, the 5 were reantered and completed. ‘single tubing string completions of the cubsea walls were performad with deiling mud in the subsequent complations from the platrorms were complated with clean water. Because the dilstom perforations had been squeezed off with cement, the temporary cement plugs set curing Adonmant had to be drilad cut and the 7 inch (18 cm) liner raparforated. A production packar was con wireline in side the 9 # inch (28 cm) casing, above the 7 inch (28 cm) ner. The tubing run in the sea wells was 4 J inch (11 cm) above the packer and 3 # inch (9 cm) inside the liner. Sub-sea ‘stmas trees were installed after the tubing strings were lowered, and the wells were flowed to the fag vessel through a high-pressure riser in order to clean them up. This procedure was followed by an Iireatment to correct wellbore damage from drilling mud invasion, and another cleanup flaw period, F connecting the flow lines to the wells, all the wellhead systems were checked for leaks, and divers aived the wellheads and trees for the first 20 hours of production. awing the initial subsea testing period, the completion procedura for wells driled from the driling and {uction platforms was improved in several ways. Rates of 10,000 2°. (1600 7") were obtained from subsea wells, and 20,000 2 (2200 7) rates were expected on the platform wells that were[LUpnly waumy Lampe mad 141 W LUMperbote 1 EApeNRAY oinu LaiaLUUI UF ute Wy Lay g caused by temperature changes during production and during corrosion treatment phases. A need low the bottom perforations to be selectively shut off in case of water production prompted the gre to incorporate two packers into the completion, with the bottom cne set between the Danian Cretaceous perforations. ‘example was cbtained from material in two Journal of Petroleum Technology articles (Luppens 1982 Hoe bie, Sau oie overed in 1948, the Ghawar field of Saudi Arabia stretches along 150 miles (240 km) of desert, and is of the largest oil fields in the vrorld, Production is from several zones at about 7000 ft{apx. 2130 m), ultimate recovery of about 75 billion barrels (12 billion m3) is expected. ng a rig onto a location in this field is not usually a problem, since the desert is largely uninhabited the sand fairly compact. An access road and rig location are usually built up about 12 inches (30 from ground level using locally available marl. “the rig on location, a short conductor hole is driled in a previously dug cellar. Usually a 24 inch (61 ner er rim creer aw ar wag ye ay goer (Nay4 for the earlier portion of the hole: a bit, near bit reamer, shock sub, dril collar, stabilizer, two more collars, another stabilzer, and several more chil collars. The driling fluid usec so far is water or 2 thin cer and clay mixture. This portion of the hole will require one or two bits, and lost circulation is ‘times a problem in the Umm Er Raduma formation. When the hole reaches a shale interval normally id at about 2500 ft (760 m), a string of 13, : inch (34 cm) casing is set. This casing string has a ling base at the top, wihich simply sits on the upper end of the previous (18 = inch (47 cm)) casing. next portion of the hole is the most challenging interval, because of water-sensitive shales in the sia and Biyedh formations and potential lost circulation problems in the Shuaibe, A 12 + inch (31 cm) tis drilled with a dispersed lignosulfonate mud. The rig's desanders and desilters must be used to ce the solids in the mud and keep the mud weight low, to aveid lest uk 4700 ft (1400 m) is reached. vera the gare 9 inch (24cm) casing by about 300 (91m), andthe ier conection sure tested before drilling further. ly, 2 6 inch (16 cm) hole is driled through the objective, using a diesel-water emulsion Fuid. The is cicculated clean and logs are run. Tubing is run and hung off in the tubing hanger at the surface. BOP equipment is removed and the Christmas tree added. ause these wells are completed "open hole", there is no need to perforate. The flow of oil from the oir is up the casing-tubing annulus, rather than up the tubing. The tubing is run primarily so that well can easily be “killed” by using the tubing to pump heavy fluid to the bottom. Some wells in this do have conventional tubing flow completions, and in these cases a 4 5 inch (11 cm) tubing is often | to permit high flow rates. ‘Which of he folowing i typical of deiing and well completion programs in West Texas? A. Wls requte stinuiation duo to dolomde formations. BB. Diling ud used is weigted brine because of salt formations C. AandBomni ve rnin ony age pss mani 1. rnmze envionment! damage B. marian anpertue of ing hs promo cement seta ow temperate D. Bandc haar Fw wes ne pou wee prOUULUUN a HT Ue ExONSK He UN und COMPRA case? ‘A. The bottom perforation was selectively shut of B. Aside-pocket gas valve mandrel was un C. Anexpansionjnt was run, ‘aur Une RUM SEERA FUE HUT Re tea He eRe |A. The desanders and desiters were used to reduce mud weight and avoid lost ‘erculaton. B. The walls were cased toe perforated C. Tho fow of ail rom reservoirs up the casing fubing annulus D. Aandc FA Ronde