SPE

Swelling Packer case histories in open hole

Rune Freyer/EWS Stephen Kent/EWS

Copyright 2004, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

mechanical properties of the rubber like hardness, tensile
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2004 SPE Technical Symposium of Saudi strength and modulus. With decreased hardness, the rubber
Arabia Section held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 15-17 May 2004.
conform well to irregular shapes, like deformed hole
This paper was selected for presentation by the Technical Symposium Program Committee
following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of
geometry. Swelling is a time dependant process. The dynamics
the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are controlled by fluid viscosity, where lower viscosity result
are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily
reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. in faster swelling.
Reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without
the written consent of the authors is prohibited.
Positive swelling pressure exceeds the surrounding pressure
by a few bar. The swelling pressure is very different from the
Abstract sealing pressure of the packer.
Wells are today drilled to drain more than one zone or The sealing pressure is the max estimated pressure difference
reservoir. Zonal isolation is a requisite for inflow control or across the element. The sealing ability depends on the absolute
stimulation placement in open hole to maximize productivity swelling (hole size versus packer dimensions), not the
and recovery from each zone. Annular isolation is the key, but swelling fluid.
has until now been difficult because of complex rig operations
and systems that have not adapted to the formation. An The operational and tested boundaries are found in table 1:
annular packer based on the swelling of rubber in Table 1
hydrocarbons has been a facilitator for other technologies in
different applications including carbonate stimulation, smart Current operational limitations
Operational long term temperature Max 200°C
wells and multilaterals. Project ecomonics and operational Well fluids 1300°cP crude – dry gas
results will be discussed. Differential pressure Depending on dimensions, but
generally 200-300bar in gauge hole
Introduction Chemical resistance All tested commonly used well fluids
The lack of reliable open hole annular sealing has limited the Well conditions H2S, CO2, high water cut, crude, rich
gas
application of open hole completion solutions. No zonal Size ranges All concievable pipe and OD
annular isolation means that zones can not be independently combinations
inflow controlled or stimulated. Previous technology has been
inflatable elements (external or inflatable casing packer) or the Packer construction
more commonly used cementing and perforating. The packer consists of a standard oilfield grade tubular with
layered rubber bonded for the length of the element. The
Rubber swelling in hydrocarbons packer outer diameter is chosen to suit the ID of the hole, and
Rubber swelling is a thermodynamic absorption process. The generally relatively tight tolerances to maintain the max
absorption process does not degrade the molecular bonds, so possible differential pressure in overgauge hole.
this is not degrading the material, just filling it. The rubber can
be considered to be crosslinked oil. The rubber molecules are Case histories
entangled and crosslinked. When the thermodynamic A multitude of different case histories and applications has
properties of the rubber and the oil are close to each other, the emerged. Different operators see different applications. A total
attraction between the molecules causes the molecular of 41 wells have now been installed successfully with more
structure to be stretched and oil to enter the structure. Swelling than 200 packers. 9 wells including 71 packers have been
can cause several 100% volume increase of the rubber. verified downhole. Downhole verification is smart well
Typically the swelling in crude is 300-400% for the Swell pressure measurement, compelling production evidence or
Packer rubber unconfined, but sealing is achieved with other types of measurement of pressure differential.
significantly less swelling. Swelling in gas is less, but will in
many applications be sufficient to seal efficiently. Swelling is
homogenous along the element length. Swelling reduces the
2 [AUTHOR NAMES] [Paper Number]
3 zone marginal smart well offshore Nigeria
The operator needed a completion solution with open hole
sand control and surface controlled inflow valves to control 3
zones independently. To be developed economically, the
application required a minimum of downtime and reliable
isolation. The Swell Packer was found to provide the simplest
installation method due to the absence of rig operations, and
the most reliable long term sealing due to the thermodynamic
absorption process and packer length. Due to the absence of
operations, tools and specialist attendance, it was also the
lowest cost option.
In each of the 3 zones, one packer was installed at the top
part of the permeable zone against early gas influx, one packer
was installed in the bottom part of the zone against early water
influx and one in between the zones in barrier rock against
crossflow between the zones. 8 packers in total were installed
with a downhole static temperature of 98°C. 7” slotted liner
with sized slots was selected for sand control. 7” liner was
used to allow the concentric string with surface controlled
inflow.
Operationally, no challenges were experienced during
installation of the packers through a milled window and out
into the open hole. After installing the outer string with slotted
liner and packers, the smart well equipment was installed as an
internal string. The smart well equipment consisted of
hydraulic on-off valves controlled from surface with fiberoptic
gauges for pressure and temperature.
At initial testing of the downhole valves, 15 days after
installation of the packers isolation between the zones was
observed on the gauges.
The well has at the time of writing has produced
selectively for 8 months with clear proof of isolation.
Selective stimulation of carbonate horizontal
The operator of tight carbonate formation on a offshore
installation in the North Sea needed sequencial stimulation of
the formation. The requirement was to divert the treatment
along the 1400m long wellbore and achieve a well distributed
inflow profile. It was very important to control flow in the
reservoir.
Previous practice had been drilling long horizontal drainholes
and cementing liners for zonal isolation. After cementing, a
process involving perforating, large volume pumping
operations with boat based fracturing skids and running
packers with sliding sleeve assemblies. After running the
sliding sleeve assemblies, the operation was repeated with new
perforations, new stimulation etc. This sequence may be
repeated ten or even more times. The financial impact of this
was that a coiled tubing spread, an expensive fracturing vessle
and a rig was occupied for a long period with long inactive
periods.
To make this process more efficient, the operator chose to
use a single string with alternating blank pipe, sliding sleeves,
and Swell Packers. 10 packers were installed at different
depths.
The previous method required between 10 and 30 runs in the
hole. The method using Swell Packers required only a single
trip.
A full scale test of a tailored packer was executed to
determine the swell time in the oil based mud (OBM), when a
first seal can be expected and full sealing capability.
A reservoir completion string consisting of 11 intervals
with intermittent Swell Packer, injection sliding sleeve (with
built in nozzles) sliding sleeves and blank was installed
efficiently. The well was completed to surface. The rig
continued operations on the next well while the packers
developed sealing through swelling in oil based mud for 2
weeks and coiled tubing was mobilized. Simultaneous coiled
tubing operations were commenced. The pressure in each
interval was measured by opening one and one zone
independently. A small stimulation operation was injected
through coiled tubing. A water fracturing operation with the
water injection facility was injected at max rate. The
differential pressures across intervals during operation was in
the range of 100bar. The completion method saved several
weeks by eliminating cementing and running liner,
perforating, cleanups, running of sliding sleeve assemblies .
Eliminating cementing and perforating in slimhole
through tubing rotary drilling
A through-tubing rotary-drilling campaign in a North Sea
targeted low cost development of marginal reserves. The
project was deemed very successful from a technical point of
view but was not on track to deliver economic targets. The
challenges that prevented the campaign's cost savings were
cleaning out of debris after the liner cement jobs, perforating
the wells with coil tubing and achieving zonal isolation.
Alternating zones of strong water drive and lower pressure oil
zones were anticipated and therefore zonal isolation was a
requisite for the economy of the projects. Precise depth
location of isolation was important to target the reserves.
A thorough and in-depth programme was completed to
qualify the vendor quality system. A full scale test including
simulated washout was successfully executed to exceed the
2300psi open hole sealing requirement.
The well was successfully drilled and the 2.875" liner with
12 Swell Packers with 4.2" outer diameter elements were run
through the 4.5" window without any weight indication going
through the window or any other installation challenges. The
well produced at a higher than predicted flowrate with low
water cut and the sustained low water cut confirmed the
functionality of the packers.
[Paper Number] [PAPER TITLE] 3
The well cost was within the cost target, with the main
difference in well cost attributed to reduced downtime,
avoiding cementing, cleanout operations and perforating
including coiled tubing deployment. An improvement of zonal
isolation was seen compared to offset cemented wells.
Replacing gravel pack offshore Norway
A mature offshore field in the North Sea has many small
accumulations. Sidetracks and subsea tiebacks can extend the
field economic life significantly. The field was originally
completed with perforated liners and when sand production
occurred, the monobore completions were gravelpacked
through tubing. Severe production impairment was
experienced due to fines migration and scale deposition. For a
period, open hole gravelpacking was therefore the preferred
sand control method. Due to cost, operational complexity and
continued plugging challenges even in open hole, the practice
had limited application. Limiting production rates combined
with oriented perforation became the dominant sand control
solution.
Through 4D seismic and other methods, accumulations with
remaining reserves are identified. A reservoir segment was
identified in an interval that is prone to sand production. The
operator required demobilisation of fluid flow and particles in
the annulus to avoid plugging of the screens with potential
production deferrment and screen failures. The slot size of the
wire wrapped screen was tailored according to the Rogaland
Research model. This model considers sieve analysis from all
available cores from different intervals to take into account the
heteregenity. The slot of the wire wrapped screen is designed
to let through the fines, but contain the coarse particles.
temperature of 170°C and initial pressure of 900bar. At about
450bar, compaction forces will cause sand control problems. 3
main zones exist. The bottom zone has the highest
productivity while the top zone has the largest reserves..
Between these two zones is an unstable shale interval of 30m
TVD thickness. After production startup it will become
progressively more difficult (or impossible) to drill any new
wells in the area due to depletion. Interventions to internally
gravel pack will be complex or impossible and predicted to
have unsatisfactory productivity performance.
A qualification programme has been completed in
conjunction with the operator for developing a packer suitable
for the downhole conditions with reservoir gas and the higher
temperatures.
The operator choses to install primary open hole screen
completions with isolation above and below the shale. The
wells are drilled with brine based drilling fluids to be flowed
back through the screen. These measures are used to minimize
plugging of the wire wrapped sand screens.
For later well operations, shutting off the lower zone will
be performed by setting a plug across the interval of the shale
and Swell Packer.

A short slip-on-pipe version of the Swell Packer was

utilized on every (30ea) screen joint to eliminate plugging of
the screens by eliminating annular flow. The string was
installed without any problem of any sort. Changing the fluids
in this well would be expensive and might have caused hole
stability problems. In addition, the cost of an open hole
gravelpack would be prohibitive. The only real alternative
would be a cased and perforated completion likely with
reduced production rate.

Some planned, but not yet executed operations

Multilateral
At the time of writing, these jobs are planned, but not yet
executed. An US operator is drilling and completing
multilateral wells in an enviromentally sensitive area. The
downhole temperature is slightly above 30°C and the oil is low
API. Each lateral is completed with slotted liner. To be
prepared for later interventions and setting of plugs in each
lateral to control water, the operator has chosen to apply Swell
Packers. The packer will be installed in the top end of the
lateral and at certain points in the horizontal section.

HPHT
A North Sea operator is developing a HPHT condensate field
with subsea installations. The field has an operating