WELL COMPLETION

Assoc. Prof. Issham Ismail

School of Chemical & Energy Engineering,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia,
Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

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WHAT IS WELL COMPLETION?

 An important phase in well construction.

 Is an important sub-discipline of petroleum

engineering.

 A series of activities to prepare an oil well or

a gas well, so that the well can be flowed in a
controlled manner. All wells have to be
completed.

 Cannot operate alone - must joint effort with

other sub-disciplines such as production
engineering and reservoir engineering.
TYPES OF WELL COMPLETIONS
Four basic categories:
 Open hole completions - Production casing to be set
above the zone of interests and prior to drilling same.
 Liner completion:
(1) Screen liner - Casing is set above the producing
zone, and an uncemented screen and liner
assembly is installed across the pay zone.
(2) Perforated liner completion - Casing is set above
the producing zone, the pay is drilled, and liner
casing is cemented in place. The liner is then
perforated selectively for production.
 Perforated casing completions - Production casing is
cemented through the producing zone and the pay
section is selectively perforated.
 Tubingless or reduced diameter completions -
Production tubing is cemented and perforated for
production.
OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

Production casing
 OPEN HOLE COMPLETIONS
 Advantages:
(1) Mud wt & chemistry can be controlled to minimize formation
damage within the zone of interest.
(2) No perforation expenses.
(3) Log interpretation is not critical.
(4) Max. diameter opposite pay zone.
(5) Easy to deepen the well.
(6) Easy to convert to screen liner completions.
 Disadvantages:
(1) Excessive water or gas production is difficult to control.
(2) More rig time is required to set production casing above the
production zone.
(3) Pay zone cannot be selectively stimulated.
(4) Open hole section may require frequent clean out.
 LINER COMPLETIONS
 Two types, namely screen and liner completions, and perforated
liner completions.

Screen and Liner Completions

 Advantages:
(1) Fm damage minimized when drilling pay zone.
(2) No perforation expenses.
(3) Log interpretation is not critical.
(4) Adaptable to special sand control techniques.
(5) Clean out problems avoided.
 Disadvantages:
(1) Excessive water or gas production is difficult to control.
(2) Production casing set before drilling the production zone. rig time.
(3) Pay zone cannot be selectively stimulated.
(4) Well is not easy to deepen.
(5) Diameter across the pay reduced.
SCREEN AND LINER COMPLETION

Production casing

Screen and liner assembly

 OPEN HOLE &
SCREEN LINER COMPLETIONS
PERFORATED LINER COMPLETION

Production casing

Liner

Perforation
 LINER COMPLETIONS
Perforated Liner Completions

 Advantages:
(1) Fm damage minimized when drilling pay zone.
(2) Excessive water or gas production can be controlled.
(3) Pay zone can be selectively stimulated.
(4) Adaptable to additional special sand control techniques.
(5) Well can be easily deepened.
 Disadvantages:
(1) Smaller wellbore diameter across the pay.
(2) Good quality liner cement jobs is more difficult to obtained
than primary casing cement jobs.
(3) Log interpretation is not critical.
(4) Additional costs to cover perforation, cementing, and rig time.
PERFORATED CASING COMPLETION

Production casing

Perforation
PERFORATED CASING COMPLETIONS
 Most commonly used especially in Malaysia.
 Advantages:
(1) Excessive water or gas production can be controlled easily.
(2) Pay zone can be selectively stimulated.
(3) Improved primary cementing (compared to liner cementing).
(4) Full diameter through pay zone.
(5) Easy to deepen the well.
(6) Easy to adapt to special sand control techniques.
(7) Requires log assistance to set casing.
(8) Adaptable to all types of multiple completions configurations.
(9) Minimum rig time required.
 Disadvantages:
(1) Log interpretation is critical.
(2) Significant perforation expenses.
(3) May damage severely the pay section.
CASED HOLE COMPLETIONS
 TUBINGLESS COMPLETIONS
 Advantages:
(1) Reduced completion cost.
(2) Multiple completions less difficult to install.
(3) Wells can be worked over selectively.
 Disadvantages:
(1) Lower maximum potential productivity.
(2) Lower maximum potential stimulation rate.
(3) Paraffin, scale, and corrosion problems are more
critical.
(4) May be difficult to get primary cementing job.
 FACTORS INFLUENCING THE WELL
COMPLETION SELECTION/DESIGN

 Natural occurrences of the field.

 Potential of oil production and the planning of
tertiary recovery.
 Limitations within the operation and the field.
NATURAL OCCURRENCES OF THE FIELD
 Location of the oil field.
In remote area, use simple well completion configurations.
 Depth of the reservoir.
Cementing of liner may face difficulties.
 Physical condition of the reservoir.
Consider the thickness and no. of layers. Are they
connected?
 Reservoir pressure.
Does the well requires artificial lift? Separate flow paths?
 Drives mechanism.
Relate with the perforation!
 Fluid properties.
Can be commingled? Production from different zones
 simultaneously through different conduits!
 Rock properties.
Is it a consolidated formation? Homogeneous formation?
 POTENTIAL OF OIL PRODUCTION AND THE
PLANNING OF TERTIARY RECOVERY
 Production rates.
 Need to predict as accurate as possible. Do not exceed critical flowrate!
 Type of production.
 Uses primary drive mechanism…or artificial lift.
 Future workover.
 Should be able to predict what type of workover!
 Stimulation jobs.
 If stimulation required in the future, consider the material used. Avoid
using screen and liner completions.
 Secondary recovery.
 Producer can be converted to injector at minimum cost.
 Tertiary recovery.
 Materials used in the well can resist chemical attack.
 Termal recovery.
 Give attention to the temperature rating of the equipment.
LIMITATIONS WITHIN THE OPERATION AND THE FIELD
 Subsurface equipment.
 Selection of completion depends on the type and number of
subsurface equipment used, i.e. single tubing to dual tubing strings.
 Quality of primary cementing.
 Cementing in screen and liner completions is more critical than primary
cementing.
 Deviation of the hole.
 Minimize the number of subsurface equipment used in the well.
 Water or gas coning.
 Perforated casing or perforated liner completions could be used to face
this problem.
 Formation damage.
 Perforated casing or perforated liner completions may cause serious
formation…should exercise extra precaution!
 Mechanical Considerations

(1) Simplicity
(2) Reliability
(3) Safety
(4) Anticipation of operating
conditions
(5) Economic
 TYPES OF FLOW
Three types of flow, namely casing flow, tubing and annulus
flow, and tubing flow.

(1) Casing flow

Large flowrate. No tubing is required. Used in Middle East.
(2) Tubing and annulus flow
Large flowrate. Flow segregation.
(3) Tubing flow
Used widely especially in Malaysia. Due to safety. May use one
tubing string or more.

Our future discussion will be based on the tubing flow only in a

perforated cased hole completion.
SINGLE COMPLETION
MULTIPLE COMPLETIONS
Advantages of Multiple Completions

(1) Segregating production flow from

several zones in the wellbore.
(2) Higher producing rates and faster
payouts.
(3) Separating different types of
reservoirs.
(4) Proper reservoir controlled.
HORIZONTAL COMPLETION
MULTILATERAL WELLS
A MULTILATERAL WELL

Rapid Connect Multilateral

Completion
COMPLETION AND
WORKOVER FLUIDS
 WHAT IS COMPLETION &
WORKOVER FLUIDS?
 Is a fluid that placed against the producing
formation while conducting operations such as
well killing, cleaning out, hardware replacement,
gravel packing, etc.

 Workover fluid is used when a workover job is

done on a well. In this discussion, it refers to the
same completion fluid.

 Workover fluid does not include well stimulation

fluid, fracturing fluid, cement slurry, etc.
PRIMARY FUNCTIONS
 Control formation pressure via density.
 Minimize formation damage.
 Facilitate the removal of solids from the
well.
 Protect downhole equipment from the
corrosive damage.
 SELECTION CRITERIA
 Fluid density
(1) 100-200 psi above formation pressure is adequate.
(2) Balanced pressure may be used with extra precaution.
 Solid contents
(1) Fluid should contain no solids to avoid formation damage.
(2) Particles up to 5 micron size caused more plugging than 2
micron size.
 Fluid loss
(1) Reduce fluid loss.
(2) Bridging material should be of acid-soluble particles.
 Filtrate characteristics
(1) Must be tailored to minimize formation damage.
SELECTION CRITERIA (CONT’D)
 Viscosity-related characteristics
(1) Gel strength, yield point, and plastic viscosity must be tailored
to provide sufficient fluid lifting capacity.
(2) Many viscosity builders can cause permanent plugging.
 Corrosion products
(1) Fluid should be chemically stable so that the reaction of free
oxygen with tubular steels is minimized.
(2) A reasonable upper limit of corrosivity for a completion fluid
is 0.05 lb/ft2 (about 1 mil) per well completion/workover.
 Mechanical considerations
(1) The availability of mixing, storage, solids removal, and
circulating facilities. Must be serviced periodically.
 Economics
(1) Use the most accessible and compatible source of water that
causes minimum damage. Use less additives and environmental
friendly.
 TYPES OF FLUIDS
 Water base
(1) Solids free: Clear brines (i.e. KCl, NaCl, CaCl2 NaBr, etc.)
(2) Solids laden: Acid soluble, water soluble, and oil soluble.
 Oil base
(1) Solids free: Oil.
(2) Solids laden: Viscosified oil, invert emulsions, and chalk
emulsions.
 Air/mist
(1) Foaming agents.
 PERFORATING FLUID
 Is a fluid that placed against the producing formation
during perforation.
 Ideally, fluid with no solids.
 Fluids to be considered:
Salt water: Clean water poses no problem. When overbalanced, may
push charge debris into formation.
Acetic acid: Excellent perforating fluid under most conditions. The
presence of H2S may magnify corrosion problems.
Nitrogen: Useful in low pressure formations, or when associated with
high rig time or swabbing costs, or when a special test
requires formation to be free from contamination.
 PACKER FLUID
 Placed above the topmost packer.
 Avoid using WBM as packer fluid.
 Must be chemically stable. Acceptable
upper limit of corrosivity is 5 mils per year.
If possible, about 1 mil per year.
 Two major criteria must be met by packer
fluid:
Limit settling of solids.
Provide protection for corrosion or embrittlement.
COMPLETION INTERVAL AND
PERFORATING PRACTICE
 INTERVAL SELECTION

 Referred to the pay zones that need to be perforated to allow

oil/gas to flow into the well.
 Underbalance perforation.
 Factors influencing interval selection (to be perforated):
• Types of drive mechanism available.
• The predetermined oil rates.
• Heterogeneity characteristics.
• Completion efficiency considerations: partial penetration and
coning effects
• Summation of pressure drops effect
• Future stimulation!
• Future workover!
• Economic considerations.
 Perforation

 Hole made in the casing, cement, and formation, through

which formation fluids enter a wellbore. Usually several
perforation are made at a time.

 Use jet perforation: thru tubing or casing guns.

 May consider TCP for long interval perforation.

 Use underbalanced perforation for better results.

 Factors Affecting Perforation
 Perforation plugging
 Cleanout of plugged perforations
 Effect of pressure differential
 Effect of clean fluids
 Cost
 Pressure and temperature limitations
 Casing and cement damage
 Need for control of gun clearance
 Effect of compressive strength
 Perforation density
 Well control
 Depth measurements
 Oriented perforating
 Penetration versus hole size
 WELLHEAD ASSEMBLIES

 Comprise x-mas tree, casing head, and tubing head.

Wellhead is referred to casing head and tubing head.

 X-mas tree is installed on top of the wellhead.

 Tubing head in located above the casing head.

 Subsea Completion System
 A submersible apparatus similar to a bathysphere in which
men are lowered to ocean bottom to work on the wellheads of
completed wells. The wellhead contains a cellar to which the
system is attached, allowing the men to work in a dry
atmosphere.

 Basic equipment use is similar to a conventional system.

THANK YOU