Ok, so there is a little more to it than simply waving a magic wand, but the secret to more efficient lower completion deployment is about keeping things simple and utilizing smart technology. Unquestionably, wells of the future will need to be lower cost to make sustainable business cases in ever more challenging brownfield reservoirs with smaller pockets of recoverable reserves.
In recent years, many operators have reported that the number of engineering hours per well has increased significantly. Compounding the problem is the fact that the cost per engineering hour has also increased in most regions around the world. Add this to the increased cost of completion hardware and it does not make for encouraging reading when reviewing the CAPEX budget for the project.
Thankfully there is a new solution in the completion engineer’s toolbox which is cutting completion time and saving operators millions of dollars. How can this be possible? It’s as simple as disappearing metal, or to be more precise, FADETM engineered dissolvable alloys. It may seem like magic, but behind this miraculous material lies a wealth of very clever engineering and a deep understanding of materials science.
So, what is this wonderous material and how is it used in the completion? The answer to this question will take us deep into the fundamental design principles of well completion and its interface with the reservoir. We will be unlocking simplicity of well design to increase efficiency, minimize formation damage, increase productivity and reduce well costs.
What is FADETM engineered dissolvable alloy?
FADE is a family of dissolvable metal alloys which dissolves or degrades when exposed to commonly used wellbore construction fluids. The alloys have been engineered to dissolve in selected fluids in a time-controlled and predictable manner. Marwell have developed a method of using these engineered materials to create a range of plugs which can be incorporated directly into the liner or into inflow control valves, sand control screens, pre-drilled liners, sliding sleeves and a number of other downhole tools.
The dissolvable materials allow for running the lower completion without an inner string as a continuous unperforated liner with pump-through capability. The plugs are then designed to disappear within hours or days when in contact with the appropriate fluid.
Marwell have an in-house laboratory for the design and testing of FADETM material and compatibility with fluids, where an extensive database has been built up from hundreds of tests. When the FADETM plugs are combined with the TIME toe valve, they create a fully fluid activated washpipe-free lower completion system.
Removing the need for washpipe
By utilizing FADETM dissolvable alloy and applying this to radial plugs installed directly into the lower completion, it is possible to create a closed liner system with full pressure integrity and the ability to circulate fluids to the toe and out into the open hole / lower completion annulus.
Having circulation capability while deploying the lower completion can aid in improved installation time and increased safety through better well control options. The FADETM plugs can withstand high temperatures and pressures of over 10,000psi, which provides the operator with the ability to pressurize the entire lower completion and activate liner hanger, mechanical open hole packers and other devices. By removing the need to run washpipe, operators are saving over 24 hours of rig time on most wells.
Enabling placement of breaker fluids
One of the benefits of having pressure integrity of the liner is that fluid trains can be pumped all the way to the toe and up the open hole annulus of the well. This allows for the precise placement of breaker systems and suitable low solids fluids, to aid in filter cake removal and mitigate screen plugging and formation damage. This simple technique is allowing operators to increase productivity from the reservoir, by improving the interface between the sandface and the completion.
Reducing completion time
The use of FADETM allows operators to utilize standard completion equipment and upgrade its functionality into a system which is greater than the sum of its parts. The controlled dissolution of the FADETM plugs provides a predictable operating window for deploying the lower completion, placing fluids in the annulus and then setting hanger and open hole packers. The TIME toe valve then permanently closes the toe (shoe) and the FADETM plugs are dissolved, at which point the well can then be placed on immediate production or injection. This improves deployment time and the cleanup time needed for flow back prior to well handover.
Installing longer lower completions in extreme ERD wells
The high differential pressure capabilities of the plugs make it possible to maintain a buoyant volume in the liner by using air or a lighter density fluid, to float the lower completion / liner into the open hole. This drastically reduces drag and enables longer completions to be run in a single trip.
The benefits of utilizing FADETM engineered dissolvable alloy are numerous and the solution can be tailored to work with many types of completion designs. The result is a simple, flexible and robust system which does not require electronics, timers or pressure pulses to activate it. Marwell’s team of expert completion advisors are helping operators around the world leverage this disruptive technology, realizing significant cost savings and performance gains. Some people say it’s like magic but to us it is the embodiment of our ‘Well-First Thinking’. With clever engineering and a deep understanding of materials science we ‘Marwellize’ lower completion designs.
To learn more about this technology and how it can be applied to your operations, you can reach out to us via our website: www.marwell-tech.no
