WELL COMPLETIONS

Completion - Definition
• After a well is drilled and the hydrocarbon
bearing reservoirs have been established, it
needs to be completed to allow the hydrocarbons
to flow from the reservoir to surface.

• Completions are the interface between the

reservoir and surface production. The role of the
completion designer is to take a well that has
been drilled and convert it into a safe and
efficient production or injection conduit.
 Completion - Definition
• The ideal completion is the lowest cost completion
(considering initial and operating cost) that meets or nearly
meets the demands placed upon for most of it’s life.

• The aim of completion design is obviously to deliver

optimal quantities of fluid with maximum safety and
efficiency throughout the life of the well.

• Completion design is a mix of physics, chemistry,

mathematics, engineering, geology, hydraulics, material
science and practical hands-on wellsite experience.
 Completion - Categories
Completions are categorised in several ways.
Common criteria include:
• Wellbore/reservoir interface
– Open hole
– cased hole
• Production method
– Natural flowing (Self Flowing)
– Pumped production (Artificial Lift)
• Number of producing zones
– Single completions
– Multiple zone completions
 Open Hole Completion
The term open hole covers a variety of completion
techniques:

• Bare foot completions – no tubulars across the

reservoir face.

• Pre-drilled and pre-slotted liners.

• Open hole sand control techniques such as stand-

alone screens, open hole gravel packs and open
hole expandable screens.
 Open Hole Completion
• Many of the simpler multilateral systems
use open hole reservoir techniques.

• The Open hole completions find application

in competent formations – especially
naturally fractured limestones and
dolomites.
 Open Hole Completion
Advantages of open hole completion
• Adaptable to special drilling techniques to minimize formation
damage or to prevent lost circulation into the producing zone.
• With gravel pack provides excellent sand control method
where productivity is important.
• No perforating expenses and hence, saving of rig time.
• Log interpretation is not critical since entire interval is open.
• Full hole diameter is available to flow.
• Can be easily deepened.
• Easily converted to liner or perforated completion.
• Facilitates ultra short radius multiple radial completion.
 Open Hole Completion
Limitations of Open Hole Completion
• Excessive gas or water production is difficult to control.
• Difficult to selectively stimulate producing interval.
• Difficult to fracture selectively.
• Casing set “in the dark” before the pay zone is drilled
or logged.
• Requires more rig time on completion.
• May require frequent cleanout.
• No way to regulate fluid flow from or into well bore.
• Subsequent cased hole completion will restrict well
bore and completion string diameter.
 Open Hole Completion

a – Open Hole Completion Complex open hole

b – Open hole with slotted liner with multi-laterals
Open Hole Completion

Long Horizontal Section completed Open Hole

 Cased Hole Completion
In the cased and perforated completion, Casing is
set into or through the producing formation and
cemented.

The casing is then perforated to provide

communication between the well bore and
formation.
 Cased Hole Completion
• Advantages of the Cased Hole Completion
– Ease of selective completion and workover operation in the
producing intervals.
– Can effectively control gas and water production by
selectively perforating and isolating.
– Can effectively control and monitor zonal fluid production.
– Permits multiple completions.
– Can stimulate selectively.
– Can fracture selectively.
– DST’s Logs and formation samples provide information on
casing setting depth or abandonment.
– Can be deepened, but with smaller hole.
– Can be adopted to sand control, selectively, both as pre-pack
or conventional gravel pack.
 Cased Hole Completion
Limitations of the Cased Hole and Perforated
Completions
– Long interval perforation can be expensive.
– Well bore diameter and productivity may be reduced.
– Good cement job through production interval
required.
– More expensive than open hole completion.
– Not adaptable to special drilling techniques to
minimize formation damage.
– Log interpretation is sometimes critical in order not to
miss commercial sand, yet avoid perforating
submarginal zones
 Cased Hole Completion
• Liner completion is a variation to the cased
hole completion.
• In a liner completion, casing is lowered much
above the pay zone and a liner hanger is set in
the casing. Liner is extended through the pay
zone. Liner is used to control a sloughing
formation.
• Liner Completion reduces casing cost as it
does not reach the surface.
• Liner completion will restrict well bore
completion string diameter.
• Advantages and disadvantages of the
cemented liner are same as the cased and
perforated completion.
 Naturally flowing wells
• These are wells that flow naturally with the
reservoir pressure.

• They do not need any special techniques to

bring the hydrocarbonsto the surface.

• Are typically economical to produce.

• However, in high-temperature, high

pressure applications, a great deal of highly
specialized engineering and design work
will be required to ensure that safety
requirements are met.
 Naturally flowing wells

• In general, naturally flowing wells require less complex downhole

components and equipment.

• In addition, the long-term reliability and longevity of the

downhole components is generally better than that of pumped
completions.

• In many cases, wells may be flowed naturally during the initial

phases of their life, with some assistance provided by artificial lift
methods as the reservoir gets depleted.

• Such considerations must be reviewed at the time of initial

completion to avoid unnecessary expense and interruption of
production.
 Artificial Lift Completions
▪All pumped, or artificially lifted completions require the
placement of specialized downhole components.

▪Such components are electrically or mechanically operated,

or are precision engineered devices.

▪These features often mean that the longevity or reliable

working life of an artificial lift completion is limited.

▪In addition, the maintenance or periodic workover

requirements will generally be greater than that of a naturally
flowing completion.
 Artificial Lift Completions
Pumped or assisted lift production methods
currently in use include the following:
– Gas lift
– Electric submersible pump
– Sucker Rod Pump
– Plunger lift
– Progressive cavity pump (PCP)
 Electrical Submersible Pump System
• Electrical submersible pump systems (ESPs)
operate at the bottom of the tubing.
• Power reaches the motor via an electrical 3-
phase cable banded to the tubing from the
surface down to the motor.
• The motor is at the bottom of the assembly
for cooling from the produced well fluids.
Electrical Submersible Pump System
 Electrical Submersible Pump System
The System comprises of:
– A downhole pump
– Electrical power cable
– Surface controls

ESP Characteristics
The standard 60Hz producing range from 100 bbl/D up
to 90,000 bbl/D
• ESP characteristics are based on a constant rotation speed,
which depends on the frequency of the AC supply:
• 3500 RPM with 60 Hertz
• 2915 RPM with 50 Hertz
• Currently operated in wells with BHT up to 350 degF
• Efficiently lifts fluids in wells deeper than 12,000ft
• System efficiency ranges from 18 to 68%
• Has a narrow production rate range
• It does not handle free gas
ESP Typical Installation
 Sucker Rod Pumps
• A sucker rod is the linking involving the surface pumping
unit and the subsurface pump, which is located at or near
the bottom of the oil well.

There are two types of sucker rods in use these days:

• Steel Rods: which are manufactured in lengths of 25 or 30
ft.

• Fibre-glass Reinforced plastic sucker rods: Which are

supplied in 37 ½ - or 30 ft. lengths.

• Both are connected to the pumps by a 4” long coupling.

 Sucker Rod Pumping
• This system uses a vertical positive-displacement pump
consisting of a cylinder and a hollow plunger with a valve.
• It is run into the tubing screwed onto the end of the rod
string.
• The system is actuated from the surface by a motor that
drives a walking beam or a hydraulic elevator.
Sucker Rod Pumps
 Sucker Rod Pumps
•Beam pumps are the most widely
used artificial lift method in most oil
companies.
•They are best for low to moderate
production, primarily on land based
installations.
•Figure shows a beam pump system,
with the motor, gear box, pumping
unit, well head, rod string extending
to the bottom hole pump, and the
pump with a travelling valve and
standing valve. A tubing anchor is
included to prevent downhole stroke
shortening due to tubing movement.
 Progressive Cavity Pumps (Moineau
Pump Systems)
• PCP systems have been historically used for viscous crude or
to handle solids.
• Operation involves a rotating steel rotor inside a rubber
stator.
• Cavities are generated between the stator and the rotor and
the cavities move upward as the stator is rotated.
 Progressive Cavity Pumps
• The rotor and stator form series
of sealed cavities 180oapart.
• They progress from suction to
discharge end of pump.
• As one cavity decreases the other
increases allowing fluid to move
at fixed flow rate proportional to
speed
• Construction
– Stator consists of steel tube with
elastomer, moulded in double
helix
– Rotor is chrome plated and
machined in stainless steel.
 Progressive Cavity Pumps
• Environmental benefits
– Smaller size, fewer moving parts
therefore causing minimum injuries.
• Application flexibility
– Ranges from API 35o for light oils to API
18oheavy oils.
– Where gas locking or solids create
problems.
– Can be used in regions which are
populated, farms etc.
• Costs
– Typically from $20,000 to $30,000 for
well depths of 2500 to 3000 ft.
• Efficiency
– 60-80 %
– High volumetric efficiency
– Higher speed greater efficiency
 Single Zone Completions
• In single zone completions, it is relatively straight
forward to produce and control the interval of
interest with the minimum of specialized wellbore
or surface equipment.

• Since typically one conduit or tubing string is

involved, the safety, installation and production
requirements can be easily satisfied.

• In most single zone completions, a packer (or

isolation device) and tubing string is used.
 Single Zone Completions
• This provides protection for the casing or liner strings
and allows the use of flow control devices to control
production.

• The complexity of the completion is determined by

functional requirements and economic viability.

• Several contingency features may be installed at a

relatively minor cost at the time of the initial
installation.

• Consequently, consideration must be given to such

options during the initial design phase.
Single Zone Completions
Single String Completions
Single String Completions
Single Zone Completions
 Multiple Zone Completions
• Multiple zone completions are designed to produce
more than one zone of interest. However, there are
many possible configurations of multiple zone
completion, some of which allow for selective, rather
than simultaneous production.

– Produce the zones sequentially through a single tubing

string.
– Produce several zones simultaneously through multiple
tubing strings.
– Produce several zones, co-mingled through a single
production string. (Often difficult)
Multiple Zone Completions
Multiple Zone Completions
 HORIZONTAL WELL COMPLETION
• Horizontal well drilling technology took off in
the 1980’s.
• The main purpose of horizontal drilling was
the desire to increase reservoir contact.
• Other uses include increased gas/water coning
control.
• Water/Steam Injection
• Minimizing surface locations/slot saving
• Recovery of Attic Oil.
HORIZONTAL WELL COMPLETION