SPE-170009-MS

New Art of Building Horizontal and Highly Deviated Wells Help Maximize
Recovery and Production from Heavy Oil Fields in Colombia
Patarroyo Mauricio, Carvajal Gloria, and Quintero Milena, Mansarovar Energy Colombia Ltd.; Urdaneta Javier,
Gomez Alberto, and Pacheco Jaime, Halliburton

Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Heavy Oil Conference-Canada held in Alberta, Canada, 10 –12 June 2014.

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Abstract
An increasing energy demand combined with the natural decline of old field discoveries has forced oil
producers to develop and improve returns from existing assets. In Latin America, many major oil
companies have been interested in heavy oils. Higher oil prices and improvements to technology allowing
recovery factors up to 30% have made these reservoirs more attractive to operators.
In Colombia, heavy oil fields are being developed in the Magdalena Medio area using steam injection
as a thermal recovery method. Cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) is used and consists of three stages:
injection, soaking, and production. Steam is first injected into a well for a certain amount of time to heat
the oil within the surrounding reservoir to a temperature at which it flows. After sufficient steam has been
injected, the steam is usually left to “soak” for a predetermined time period. Finally, oil is produced out
of the same well. This process can cause high stress in the wellbore because of the high temperatures used
and the cyclical nature of dramatic temperature changes. The elevated temperatures can reach up to 350°C
(650°F) during thermal cycling, which, in turn, can potentially cause radial fractures or debonding of the
cement, thus potentially compromising the zonal isolation.
Achieving zonal isolation within these shallow vertical and horizontal wells (90° and 2,200 ft measured
depth [MD]/1,396 ft true vertical depth [TVD]) and avoiding water communication between zones are the
primary challenges encountered during these projects. This paper presents a successful methodology,
lessons learned, and engineering design changes applied during the past three years to more than 200 wells
in the Magdalena Medio area.

Introduction
The Middle Magdalena basin is located along the central reaches of the Magdalena River Valley between
the central and eastern Cordilleras of the Colombian Andes. Nare Block B is composed of the Abarco,
Girasol, Jazmin, Under River, and Moriche fields, which are principal oil fields within this area (Fig. 1).
These fields produce heavy crude oil (10.5 to 12.5° API) from Oligocene structures known as Grupo
Chuspas (1,100 to 1,300 ft and 1,100 to 2,200 ft), which are separated by two zones (Zones A and B). The
reservoir consists of soft and unconsolidated sand, with a porosity of 24 to 30%, and permeability between
500 and 2,000 md. The wells within these fields have exhibited production potential between 20 to 35
2 SPE-170009-MS

BOPD during cold production; during hot produc-

tion, the expected production is within the range of
70 to 90 BOPD.
Zone A is composed of unconsolidated sands
and conglomeratic sands composed of primarily
quartz (fairly selected) with excellent porosity and
permeability; additionally, Zone A is interstratified
with gray and green clays. These are continental
sediments deposited within braided stream envi-
ronments.
Zone B is composed of a thin bed of quartz
sands (fine- to medium-size, unconsolidated, fair-
to good-selection) and interstratified with green
Figure 1—Puerto Boyacá location in Colombia. clays and siltstones (Fig. 2).
To increase oil production within the Grupo
Chuspas formation, a well construction project was
developed using steam injection as a thermal re-
covery method. The principle of this thermal re-
covery is based on reducing the viscosity of oil by
heating it within the reservoir. It is considered an
enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method and the pri-
mary type of thermal stimulation employed within
oil reservoirs.
The thermal method selected was CSS. CSS
consists of three stages: injection, soaking, and
production. Steam is first injected into the well for
a certain amount of time to heat the oil within the
surrounding reservoir to a temperature at which it
flows. After enough steam has been injected into
the well, the steam is usually left to soak for some
time (typically not more than a few days). Then, oil
is produced out of the same well. This process can
be quite effective, particularly during the first few
cycles. However, it is typically only capable of
recovering approximately 20% of the original oil in
place (OOIP) compared to steam flooding, which
has been reported to recover more than 50% of
OOIP (Morlot and Mamora 2007).
Figure 2—Nare Block B: stratigraphic column.
For this heavy oil technique, specialized meth-
ods of drilling and completion systems are neces-
sary to maintain capital expenditure (CAPEX) and throughput economics.

Horizontal Wells (Abarco, Girasol, and Under River Fields)

Horizontal wells are completed using one of four methods: (1) openhole, (2) casing packers, (3) slotted
or perforated liner, and (4) cemented casing or liner. Completion Methods 1 to 3 are generally known as
drainhole completions. Method 4 is commonly known as cased hole or stimulated completion (Sabins
1990).
SPE-170009-MS 3

Horizontal wells present an effective method for maximizing production potential and reducing the
development cost of some oil and gas fields. There are several challenges during the construction of a
horizontal wellbore; some are similar to those on any cement job, but are aggravated by wellbore
orientation and gravitational forces. Deposition of solids and poor displacement efficiency on the lower
side of the annulus or achievement of good standoff are principal concerns when cementing operations are
planned.
Optimum drilling mud properties, adequate mud conditioning parameters, hole quality, proper cement
fluids rheology, and appropriate casing attachment design are the principal engineering parameters
considered for achieving a good zonal isolation in horizontal wells.
In the past, cement quality results in the Girasol, Abarco, and Under River fields have not been the best
for helping to ensure hydraulic sealing in cyclic steam injection wells. Cement bonding degradation, loss
of hydraulic seal, water communication, and no cement return at the surface were some problems
encountered more than five years ago.

Abarco, Girasol, and Under River Fields Conventional Design

Well construction in these fields presented several challenges. The primary objective for the well is to
produce from the Oligocene, formation Grupo Chuspas. The first 17 1/2-in. section is drilled to 245 ft and
using 13 3/8-in. surface casing. The second 12 1/4-in. well section was drilled from 2,200 to 2,400 ft MD
(1,200 to 1,498 ft TVD) at an angle of 89°. The casing point for the 9 5/8-in is the top of the reservoir
zone (sand correlation with offset wells Figs. 3 and 4).
The conventional method for cementing these wells involved two slurries, a lead slurry of 14.5 lbm/gal,
and a tail slurry of 15.8 lbm/gal. A conventional shoe and float collar, bow centralizers, and an excess of
30% were used during cement operations to obtain the return of cement until surface. Thixotropic mud
was used to drill the well, and the same parameters were maintained during the cementing job. The string
could not be reciprocated, or the wellbore condition allowed two or three reciprocations before becoming
stuck. An inflatable packer was sometimes used as a secondary barrier to isolate the water reservoir from
the pay zone.
Several wells exhibited poor cement bonding with the casing and formation. No cement return until
surface, cement contamination, and high canalization were observed from the cement bond logs. Water
communication and high water production were also observed.
Surface water treatment and cement remedial jobs were performed to expense and did not represent a
guarantee of good zonal isolation throughout the life of the well. The primary challenge was designing a
new methodology for achieving an excellent bond between the casing-cement-formation to help avoid
superior water communication with the reservoir (Fig. 5).

New Zonal Isolation Strategy for Horizontal Wells (Abarco, Girasol, and
Under River Fields)
Changes have been introduced for building a new strategy and methodology to help improve job
performance, cost efficiency, safety, and environmental issues.

Wellbore Conditioning
Drilling fluid properties play a key role in cementing results. Drilling fluid performance affects hole
conditions (washouts), mud filter-cake thickness and gel strength, mud mobility, fluid and formation
compatibility, and the bonding of cement to the formation (API 65: Part 2 2010).
A thixotropic mud fluid was used to drill the well. After the 9 5/8-in. casing reached the desired depth,
the rheology of the mud was adjusted to low values with flat gel behavior. The wellbore was conditioned
properly by pumping at least two hole volumes.
4 SPE-170009-MS

Figure 3—Structural section, offset wells correlation.

Throughout the industry, it is accepted that increased displacement and circulation rates offer
direct improvements to mud removal, allowing better bonding to pipes and formations, as well as
improved zonal isolation (McPherson 2000).
In these fields, 30 bbl of water-based washer, followed by a specific rheological design spacer and high
pump rates, were used to improve mud displacement.

Centralization
The primary purpose of centralizers is to help minimize the difference in flow area or frictional forces
between the narrow and wide sides of the annulus. Centralizer is one of the five primary mud displacement
best practices. In high deviated and horizontal wells, high standoff is necessary for the success of zonal
isolation.
A one-piece integral centralizer, combined with zero start and running force, designed for highly
deviated, horizontal extended-reach drilling (ERD) wells was implemented within these areas (Fig. 6).
Casing centralization is a primary parameter considered during successful zonal isolation. A computer
simulator is used to determine the best centralization option design depending on wellbore geometry and
deviation. Two and three centralizers per joint were implemented at the horizontal section to increase the
standoff (Fig. 7).
SPE-170009-MS 5

Figure 4 —Horizontal well schematic.

Cement Design
In the past, two slurries were used to fill the annular
(14.5 and 15.8 lbm/gal) space. Currently, a thermal
cement slurry design of 16 lbm/gal is often used for
the entire hole.
The concept of rheological hierarchy is based on
how thin fluids are more likely to channel through
thick fluids than thick fluids would channel through
thin fluids (Kulakofsky 2010).
Density and rheological behavior were improved
to achieve a better displacement efficiency from
shoe to surface.
Special software was used to determine cement
pressure drop (Fig. 8). Fig. 8 calculates the pressure-
drop curve at the zone of interest for each pumped
fluid versus rate.
Combinations of different particle sizes were used to
help reduce permeability and to help quickly develop
Figure 5—Cement log evaluation for conventional design.
compressive strength at low temperatures (Fig. 9). Glass
fiber was incorporated as another special engineering
change to increase the tensile strength of set cement without significantly decreasing the compressive strength. This
increased the thixotropic properties of the cement slurry by forming a fiber mesh network and helped cure lost
circulation within these unconsolidated formations. Additionally, 40 to 45% of cement volume excess was imple-
mented instead of the 30% used previously. Generally, robust cement capable of withstanding these thermal cycling
stresses, which was initially designed for shallow conditions (i.e., 38°C [100°F]), was implemented.
6 SPE-170009-MS

Figure 6 —Conventional centralizers vs. new one-piece revolutionary centralizer

(Halliburton Casing Sales Manual 2006).

Figure 7—Casing standoff profile.

Displace Three-Dimensional (3D) Simulation

The 3D simulator and interactive 3D visualizer provide foundational tools to model multiple aspects of
mud displacement, including key factors (e.g., eccentric annuli, fluid-fluid mixing, and casing movement).
These tools can help enable more economical and more successful cementing jobs, as well as promote
efficiencies with respect to prejob design and post-job analysis (Savery et al. 2008).
This robust software can simulate the top five steps related directly to the success of the cement job
in 3D. Fluids rheology, compatibilities, centralization, pump rates, and pipe movement were modeled
using this powerful tool. Various parameters could be adjusted to help achieve a good zonal isolation
during the first simulation.
Casing rotation and rheological improvement of the fluids were necessary to help achieve better cement
results. Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate 100% displacement efficiency of the slurry in the entire hole by adjusting
all the parameters previously discussed.
SPE-170009-MS 7

Figure 8 —Hierarchy rheological of cement fluids.

Figure 9 —Compressive strength of the cement at low temperature.

Vertical and Highly Deviated Wells (Moriche Field)

Moriche Field Conventional Design
The well construction in these fields represents presents challenges. The primary objective for the well
was to produce from the Oligocene, formation Grupo Chuspas. The first 12 1/4-in. well section was drilled
to 200 ft. After cementing the 9 5/8 in. surface casing to 200 ft, the second 8 1/2-in. well section was
drilled until the TD of the well was reached at 3,159 ft MD (2,747 ft TVD). Electric logs were run to
identify the reservoir and water zones. The primary criteria for the identified reservoir zones were water
saturation less than 50%, shale volume less than 50%, effective porosity more than 15%, and a resistivity
8 SPE-170009-MS

Figure 10 —Annular fluid behavior.

Figure 11—Displacement efficiency at 9 5/8-in. shoe.

Figure 12—9 5/8-in. casing shoe set point and oil/water zone.
SPE-170009-MS 9

Figure 13—9 5/8-in. casing shoe set 6 ft above the reservoir zone.

Figure 14 —Conventional wellbore schematic design.

cutoff more than 9 ⍀. It was necessary that the 7-in. casing shoe be set above the reservoir zone and below
the water zone (Fig. 12).
The conventional method for completing these wells was setting a temporary cement plug 50- to 80-ft
in length at 2, 450-ft MD. This was used as a barrier to help prevent slumping and boycott effects, as well
as reduce or eliminate downhole fluid movement, allowing the setting of a 7-in. casing at 2, 445-ft MD
(6 ft above the cement plug) and placement of cement into the 8 1/2- to 7-in. annulus.
In some wells, a cement plug was placed in front of the oil sand zone, creating a mechanical skin
(formation damage) into the reservoir (Fig. 13).
10 SPE-170009-MS

Figure 15—Wellbore schematic of FPS.

Figure 16 —New wellbore schematic.

After the 7-in. casing was cemented, a drillout of the casing shoe track and cement plug was performed.
Furthermore, an under-reamer trip within the entire openhole section was completed from 8 1/2 to 11 in.
The conventional completion method was running a slotted liner across the production zone combined
with blank pipes to isolate the shale zones present. After the slotted liners were run to final depth, a gravel
pack job was performed (Fig. 14).
Disadvantages using this drilling and completion methodology are presented as follows:
● Additional waiting on cement time and trips to perform a cement plug job.
● High risk of sidetracking during the drillout of the cement plug (unconsolidated formation).
● Limited open flow area and collapsing issues using slotted liner.
The primary challenge to reduce both time and costs during the construction of wells in the Moriche
field.
SPE-170009-MS 11

Figure 17—Cement evaluation results: conventional vs. new methodology design.

Moriche Field New Well Building Design

Drilling cost is a principal influence when determining the economic returns from oil and gas investments.
Significant investment is necessary compared to conventional wells for thermal recovery projects.
Because of the average productions from these wells is approximately 80 BOPD, reducing drilling and
completion costs of wells was viable for project development.
To reduce time during well construction and to help avoid nonproductive time (NPT), a special tool
(i.e., formation packer shoe [FPS]) was selected and implemented as a new strategy.
FPSs are designed to be installed on the bottom of the casing during applications where casing will be
set on top of a producing formation. This tool is used to pack off an open hole below the casing to help
protect low-pressure formations against cement contamination, a process often referred to as off bottom
cementing.
FPS
During this study, a FPS was added onto the bottom of the casing string set within a vertical or deviated
well on top of a predrilled low-pressure formation. A mechanical packer element sealed the annulus
between the casing and wellbore, allowing cement to be pumped into the annulus above the packer
element. All of the 8 1/2- to 7-in. annulus was cemented from 2,405 ft MD to the surface. A large volume
12 SPE-170009-MS

of cement was used, and the packer element provided an effective mechanical barrier, avoiding reservoir
contamination, loss of circulation (long column of cement), thus reducing operating time because the
cement plug was no longer necessary (Fig. 15).
Completion Strategy
Additionally, previous issues with the slotted liners run in some wells exhibited a high level of
deformation and collapse, reducing well production capacity. Erosion within slotted liners caused early
and massive sanding within the completed wells. Mechanical studies showed that some slotted liners were
closed or plugged by corrosion and collapse during steam injection. Based on this, a deep study was
performed to change the completion technique (Lopez et al. 2011).
The new well completion strategy was run using 5.5-in. mesh sand control screens, and eliminating the
practice of enlarging the productive openhole section (Fig. 16).
The six primary advantages were (1) large inflow area, high porosity and permeability; (2) maximized
flow capability and antiplugging; (3) minimized pressure drop during completion; (4) pore size distribu-
tion⬎ particle size distribution; (5) filter open area reaching 92%; and (6) reduced operational time.

Conclusions
The following conclusions are a result of this work:
● More than 200 wells were drilled and completed using the new methodology for horizontal and
high deviated wells, yielding excellent results with a time reduction of 27%.
● Mud properties exhibited a direct relationship with the cement bond formation result.
● One-piece integral centralizers allow casing movement (rotation and reciprocation) during ce-
menting operations. This is an important parameter to be considered during a successful cement
job.
● The implementation of team building and use of 3D simulation for wellbore analysis was
invaluable to the engineer design.
● FPSs, which incorporate appropriate design features, proved to help reduce NPT, avoid reservoir
contamination, and allowed the use of a long column of cement during one job without contam-
ination or loss circulation within the reservoir zone.
● Cement evaluation logs exhibited improvements in bonding between the cement, pipe, and
formation (Fig. 17).
● The productivity of the well with the previous completion (enlarged open hole from 8.5 to 11 in.
and gravel pack) was slightly less than the new completion method.
● The use of a sand control technique helped reduce operational time without compromising oil
production.
● The new implemented drilling and completion methodology helped reduce the days of deferred
production (at least 600 days of NPT were reduced within one year).

Acknowledgments
The authors thank the management and engineer staff of Mansarovar Energy and Halliburton for their
contributions and permission to publish this paper.

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SPE-170009-MS 13

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