P R O D U C T I O N

O P E R A T I O N S

PROFILE MODIFICATION IN
HORIZONTAL SLOTTED LINERS
The Prudhoe Bay field contains approximately 1,200 wells that produce approximately 775,000 B/D oil and natural gas liquids, 1.3 million bbl water, and 7.5 Bscf gas.
Water-processing costs are high, and no
market currently exists for gas from the
North Slope. The field is gas-compression
constrained, and oil production is limited to
a marginal gas/oil ratio (GOR) in each well.
The field has an overlying gas cap and an
underlying aquifer that both feed into the
original oil zone. The field is under waterflood and miscible-gas flood in the oil rim.
The remaining portions of the field that
underlie the gas cap are produced through a
gravity drainage process.
To obtain the greatest standoff from the
encroaching gas cap, more than 85% of the
newly drilled wells and sidetracks of older,
conventional wells are horizontal through
the producing interval. Remedial operations in horizontal wells have been limited, and this technology lags behind the
drilling technology. Stimulation or remedial treatments in horizontal wells are
most effective when the treatment zone is
isolated from the remainder of the wellbore. In cased holes, and, to a lesser
extent, in open holes, this is achieved by
mechanical means, such as inflatable
packers. When a screen or liner has been
run but not cemented, such mechanical
devices are ineffective in isolating the
open annular space left behind the pipe.
The majority of wells drilled during the
last 3 years contain cemented and partially
perforated liners, making remedial operations somewhat easier to perform. Most
horizontal wells drilled in prior years (and
certain recent wells) contain slotted liners.
These older wells are the target of remedial
operations as their water cut (WC) or producing GOR increase.
PROFILE MODIFIC ATION

Gel Technology. Aqueous polymer gels are

designed to fill either pore space or fractures and block undesired gas or water production. An aqueous polymer solution is
mixed on the surface with crosslinker, then
pumped down the well. The gelant viscosity is several orders of magnitude lower than
that of the final gel. As the gelant flows
1136

through the reservoir, the injected solution

builds viscosity with increasing time and
temperature. After the job is completed, the
well is shut in for several days to allow for
complete gelation.
The polymer gel systems used for waterand gas-shutoff applications at Prudhoe Bay
are low-molecular-weight (matrix-penetrating) and high-molecular-weight (fracturepenetrating) polyacrylamides. Both systems
are partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides
crosslinked with chromium acetate. The
low-molecular-weight gel has been used
with mixed success at Prudhoe Bay for gasshutoff applications. Use of these gels
requires selective placement with coil tubing (CT) on top of sandbacks or bridge
plugs covering oil-bearing zones. A cooldown pad of injected water delays gelation,
allowing longer pumping times at reservoir
temperature (190 to 215F). Nearly 70
treatments have been performed, with a
success rate of approximately 50%. Some of
the failures are attributable to the inability
of the rigid gel system to block gas influx in
fractured or faulted systems. Gel volumes
used are relatively small (100 to 250 bbl)
compared with those used with high-molecular-weight gels (1,000 to 10,000 bbl).
The smaller low-molecular-weight treatments are designed to penetrate the matrix
rock 5 to 10 ft, while the high-molecularweight treatments are designed to penetrate
hundreds of feet into a fault or fracture.
The high-molecular-weight gel system
was used at Prudhoe Bay for water-shutoff
applications. The majority of these treatments have been full-bore applications and
have not required the use of CT. The greatest successes have been in wells with highly conductive water channels, such as a
fault or hydraulic propped fracture connecting to the aquifer. The high-molecularweight polymer gels are designed to have
minimal leakoff and to plug fracture networks. Approximately 15 of these treatments have been performed, with a 70%
success rate.
Several studies demonstrate that these gels
can also have a disproportionate relative permeability effect. In coreflood studies, Cr3+
polyacrylamide gels reduce water relative
permeability more than oil relative perme-

ability. Post-treatment oil rates are often

higher than pretreatment rates as a result of
the higher drawdown possible on treated
wells because of reduced total fluid rates.
The low- and high-molecular-weight gel
systems require selective placement behind
a slotted liner for profile-modification treatments. This has led to the development of
the annular chemical packer (ACP) that
allows zonal isolation with CT-deployed
packers or bridge plugs.
ACP

The concept involves placement of a fluid

into the annular space between an uncemented pipe and the formation. The fluid is
conveyed to and injected at the treatment
zone with CT and a straddle-packer assembly. The fluid is placed between the straddle
packers to fill the annulus over a selected
interval. This fluid is designed to set in this
position, forming an impermeable highstrength plug, fully isolating that area of the
annulus (Fig. 1).
Challenges. ACP is designed to achieve full
circumferential coverage over a relatively
small length (tens of feet) while leaving the
liner free of material that would obstruct
flow or tool passage through this section.
For placement, the fluid must have a suffi-

Fig. 1ACP.
OCTOBER 1997

P R O D U C T I O N

ciently low viscosity to be pumped from

CT, through a straddle assembly, and out
through the small slots in the pipe.
Once stagnant in the annulus, the fluid
must develop high gel strength within a
matter of seconds to prevent slumping,
which would leave a channel on the high
side of the hole, compromising isolation.
Any fluid in the liner immediately after
placement must be washed out before the
cement set time. This leaves the plug in the
annulus unsupported before it develops
any solid-like properties. The high gel
strength must therefore also prevent the
slurry from falling back into the liner or
from being washed out at the slots during
the cleanup operation inside the liner.
Finally, and on a much longer time scale,
the slurry must solidify into a strong,
impermeable plug.
Performance Targets. To accelerate development, the following set of criteria was
agreed to within the project. The fluid must
(1) be mixable with standard field equipment, (2) be pumpable in 11/2-in. CT and
be movable in this tubing even after a 2hour static period, and (3) attain a static gel
strength greater than 500 lbm/100 ft2 within 10 seconds after cessation of shear. The
gel strength should remain constant at this
level until the setting process begins.
On a longer time scale, the standard API
thickening time of the slurry should be
greater than 5 hours at reservoir conditions and a minimal compressive strength
of at least 500 psi is required in 24 hours.
Compressive strength is not a key property for this application. In addition to the
fluid development, the ACP concept
requires development of a placement
process that provides (1) 100% coverage
at approximately zero standoff; (2) a stable, but not set, plug during the removal of
the inflatable packers and washing
through of the liner (the liner itself should
be substantially clear of any debris after
washing); and (3) a competent and impermeable barrier to flow in the annulus once
the plug is set.
Testing. Following laboratory testing,
fullscale placement and pressure testing of
the ACP was conducted at surface conditions in a purpose-built simulator. A 41/2in. slotted liner in a 6-in. casing was used
for all tests, and results indicated excellent coverage over the full circumference.
The ACP leading edge maintained a reasonable profile without significant slumping. Tests also demonstrated a hydraulic
seal up to 1,00 psi.
OCTOBER 1997

O P E R A T I O N S

FIELD IMPLEMENTATION

Well A. Well A was drilled and completed

in September 1995 as a horizontal well into
the southern periphery of the field. This
area of the field is under active waterflood.
The well contains more than 2,100 ft of
41/2-in. horizontal slotted liner. During
drilling of the horizontal section, 11,000
bbl of drilling fluid was lost to the formation. Geologic interpretation suggested that
the well crossed one or two faults.
The initial production rate was 7,600
BOPD (19% WC) at 1,400 scf/STB. Within
3 months, WC reached 80%. The expected
WC was only 25% at the stabilized rate.
After 9 months of production, the well averaged 800 BOPD (82% WC) at 1,700
scf/STB. The conductive fault(s) feeding the
water were determined to extend approximately 1,500 ft into the slotted liner. By the
time a remedial treatment was performed,
the production rate had fallen to 450 BOPD
(91% WC) at 600 scf/STB.
A 6,500-bbl high-molecular-weight gel
treatment was bullheaded from the surface. The treatment was sized to penetrate
hundreds of feet into the suspected fault.
The polymer concentration was increased
from 3,000 to 9,000 ppm throughout the
treatment. The pump rate started at 6
bbl/min, which decreased to 4 bbl/min by
the end of the job. Approximately 1,200
psi of wellhead-pressure increase was
experienced during the job. The well was
shut in for 5 days after treatment to allow
the gel to set thoroughly.
Stabilized post-treatment production rates
were 600 BOPD (81% WC) at 600 scf/STB.
The water rate decreased approximately
2,000 BWPD, while the oil rate increased by
150 BOPD. The oil rate increase is attributed
to improved tubing hydraulics after the
reduction in water production.
Well B. Well B was drilled and completed in
August 1995 as a Zone 4 CT-drilled sidetrack in the waterflood area of the field. A
33/4-in. horizontal hole was drilled with
approximately 500 ft of horizontal section in
which a 2-7/8-in. uncemented solid liner was
placed. During drilling, severe lost returns
were encountered at the end of the well.
The initial production rate of the sidetrack was 750 BOPD and 7,500 BWPD. The
production rate and drilling history indicated that the excess water was being produced from the very end of the well by
means of a conduit (fault or natural fracture) to the aquifer. Because a mechanical
plug would be ineffective, a gel treatment
was selected for water shutoff.

In December 1995, the production rate

was 600 BOPD and 7,200 BWPD. A 3,650bbl high-molecular-weight gel job was
pumped with CT. While the gel was
pumped down the CT, seawater was slowly
pumped down the back side of the CT to
prevent the gel from coming up the hole
and into the oil producing zones. The polymer concentration was increased from
5,000 to 12,000 ppm throughout the treatment. The pump rate started at 2 bbl/min,
decreasing to 0.9 bbl/min by the end of the
job. Approximately 150 psi of wellheadpressure increase was experienced during
the job. The well was shut in for 5 days after
treatment to allow the gel to set thoroughly.
Stabilized post-treatment production
rates were 650 BOPD and 6,000 BWPD.
The treatment shut off enough water to
allow the well to produce competitively for
another year.
Well C. Well C was drilled and completed
in December 1994 as a lower Zone 1 horizontal well in the gravity-drainage area of
the field. The well contains more than700 ft
of 41/2-in. horizontal slotted liner. There is
a slight inversion in the toe of the horizontal section.
The initial production rate was 4,800
BOPD at 1,400 scf/STB. However, within 3
months, the GOR had reached 13,000
scf/STB at which point the well was put on
cycle production to be competitive. By
February 1996, the well averaged 1,300
BOPD at 18,000 scf/STB. A CT-conveyed
memory production log was run that indicated matrix-gas entry into the toe of the
well. The ACP technique was chosen to
establish a competent plug around the slotted liner. A subsequent inflatable bridge
plug (IBP) was set to shut off the gas coming from the toe of the well.
The ACP was placed just below a collapsed shale. A dual-inflatable-packer straddle assembly was placed 25 ft downhole
from the shale on the assumption that a
symmetrical ACP would be achieved centered at the dual-IBP assembly. The following steps were used in placing the ACP.
Wellbore cleanout was run, and the
drift/tie-in was run with CT.
The dual-IBP assembly was set with CT.
The ACP slurry was end loaded into the
CT and held in place with a shear disk.
The CT was run into the hole and latched
into the dual-IBP assembly.
The CT was pressured to shear the disk,
and the slurry was carefully displaced
through the dual-IBP assembly and into
the slotted-liner annulus.
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P R O D U C T I O N

The dual-IBP assembly was released and

the packers allowed to deflate.
A jetting pass was made across the interval and any excess slurry was circulated
to surface.
The liner was milled and drifted with a
3.70-in.-outer-diameter mill after 2 days
of cement set time.
After the drift, an IBP was set in the top
one-third of the anticipated ACP. The well
still tested with a high GOR after setting
the IBP, indicating that some part of the
system failed to shut off the gas. Four
potential sources of gas communication
were identified: a leak past the IBP, a channel through the ACP, migration of the gas
through the formation that entered above
the ACP/IBP, or an improperly located ACP
that rendered the IBP ineffective. Multiple
tag and logging runs with CT indicated
that the IBP was set well and that the gas
was entering near the top of the ACP/IBP
system. Because of the profile and complexity of the well and because of the
ACP/IBP configuration, more specific diagnosis would prove to be costly and difficult, if not impossible. Hence, the well was
left in its current state and is still being
cycled at current rates averaging 1,400
BOPD and 16,000 GOR.
While the job was not an economic success, it did prove the operational feasibility
of the ACP technique. The lessons learned
from this trial were that (1) thorough well
preparation is necessary (e.g., cleanout,
drifting, tie-in), (2) the ability to identify
the top and bottom of the ACP is necessary,
and (3) diagnosis of failure mechanisms is
difficult and must be well thought out to
minimize costs.
Well D. Well D was drilled and completed
in February 1993 as a horizontal well in the
gravity-drainage area of the field. The well
contains more than 1,000 ft of 41/2-in. horizontal slotted liner. The initial production
rate was 4,800 BOPD (0% WC) at 900
scf/STB. However, within 6 months, the
GOR had reached 15,000 scf/STB, a marginal GOR for the field, while the oil rate
had dropped to 1,400 BOPD (0% WC). The
GOR continued to climb and reached
25,000 scf/STB by January 1995. The well
was only on production 11% of the time in
1995, and the GOR would not heal with
extended shut-in periods. A production
profile run with CT electric line showed a
major gas influx in a small section of the
slotted liner. That information, combined
with geological analysis, indicated that the
well intersected a fault estimated to be 300
ft into the slotted liner.
1138

O P E R A T I O N S

An ACP was placed around the slotted

liner approximately 100 ft below the main
gas-entry point. The ACP location was
selected near a collapsed shale to provide a
backstop for one end of the chemical packer. A dual-inflatable-straddle-packer assembly was used to inject the ACP cement
through the slotted liner. This chemical
packer was then used to isolate the remaining wellbore with a second dual-inflatablepacker assembly during the subsequent
combination low- and high-molecularweight gel squeeze. The thixotropic cement
was tagged with radioactive scandium, and
a spectral gamma ray log was run to determine cement placement. The log indicated
that the cement had moved uphole approximately 60 ft from the ACP injection point.
Knowing the ACP location improved placement of a second dual-IBP assembly before
pumping the gel squeeze.
A pressure/temperature gauge was placed
below the dual-IBP assembly to monitor for
fluid injection past the ACP/IBP. A 3,000bbl high-molecular-weight and a 200-bbl
low-molecular-weight gel treatment were
bullheaded from surface. The polymer concentration was increased from 3,000 to
7,000 ppm throughout the treatment. An
800-psi wellhead-pressure increase was
experienced during the job.
The dual-IBP assembly was retrieved, and
the well was placed on production. The
pressure/temperature gauge indicated some
leakage of the chemical packer and/or dualIBP assembly. There was initial concern that
the remaining wellbore might have been
damaged by the gel treatment. However, the
initial post-treatment production rate was
3,000 BOPD (4% WC) at 2,700 scf/STB.
The oil rate increased by 1,700 BOPD,
while the gas rate decreased by 15 MMscfD.
The oil rate gradually declined, while the
GOR gradually increased. Within 4 months,
the oil rate was 1,200 BOPD (2% WC) at
18,000 scf/STB. The pressure response to
the gel was not as great as anticipated, indicating that the treatment may have been
undersized. A gel retreatment is pending
the results of future production logging.
Well E. Well E was sidetracked with CT
and completed in March 1995. The well
targeted the base of Zone 1 to maximize
standoff from the gas cap in the gravitydrainage area of the field. The well contains
approximately 600 ft of horizontal 27/8-in.
slotted liner.
Near the end of the intended horizontal
section, the well experienced a drilling
break and a 30-ft section of high-permeability sand was drilled. The initial produc-

tion rate was 3,000 BOPD (0% WC) at 700

scf/STB. Within 2 months, the GOR began
to rise, reaching 15,000 scf/STB in a little
more than 1 year, while the oil rate fell to
1,100 BOPD.
The drilling break and abnormal GOR
justified targeting the last 30 ft of the horizontal section for profile modification. This
involved placing 2 bbl of thixotropic-chemical-packer cement around the end of the
slotted liner. The final joint at the end of the
slotted liner was solid 27/8-in. tubing containing an O-ring sub for circulating when
running the liner. With a stinger on the end
of CT to stab into this O-ring sub, the
thixotropic chemical packer cement was
pumped out the final joint of tubing and
around the slotted liner. After 2 days waiting on cement, the well was placed on production. The initial production rate was
1,100 BOPD (0% WC) at 6,000 scf/STB.
CONCLUSIONS

Proper problem diagnosis is critical to success in any profile modification operation.

Profile modification in horizontal slottedliner completions was successful.
Polymer-gel technology can be used for
profile modification in slotted-liner completions that cross faults, high-permeability streaks, and natural fractures.
A new cement-based technology has
proved to be a viable alternative for performing profile modification treatments
in wells with slotted liners.
Thixotropic cement (ACP) has been
placed outside slotted liners with a straddle assembly consisting of two conventional inflatable packers.
The ACP can be used as a stand-alone
profile-modification technique or as a
means to isolate portions of a horizontal
slotted liner.
This article is a synopsis of paper SPE
38832, Novel Approaches to Profile
Modification in Horizontal Slotted
Liners at Prudhoe Bay, by A . B o n d ,
SPE, and C. Blount,, SPE, Arco Alaska;
S. Davies,, SPE, Schlumberger Cambridge Research Ltd.; R. Keese,, SPE,
Schlumberger Dowell Inc.; Q. Lai,, SPE,
Arco E&P Technology Inc.; and K.
Loveland,, SPE, BPX Alaska, scheduled
for presentation at the 1997 SPE
Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, 58
October. Please read the full-length
paper for additional detail, illustrations,
and references. The paper from which
this synopsis has been taken has not
been peer reviewed.
OCTOBER 1997