Alba Field cased-hole horizontal gravel pack: A team approach to design

Journal Article · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1996 · SPE Drilling and Completion

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2118/30941-PA· OSTI ID:218388

Alexander, K ^[1]; Winton, S ^[2]; Price-Smith, C ^[3]

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1. Chevron U.K. Ltd., London (United Kingdom)
2. Baker Hughes INTEQ, Aberdeen (United Kingdom)
3. Dowell Schlumberger, Aberdeen (United Kingdom)

A 700-ft cased-hole horizontal well was gravel packed and completed in the Alba Field, central North Sea. The completion incorporated a number of new technologies adopted for a horizontal cased-hole completion, including both equipment and fluids. The zone was completed in two stages using a horizontal stack-pack approach. Perforation packing was optimized by performing a staged acid prepack with the guns in the hole using a low-density synthetic gravel substitute in a shear thinning carrier fluid. This was a world-first achievement at a cased-hole gravel pack using the stack-pack approach in a horizontal well. A solids-free fluid-loss control material was evaluated and chosen for the high-permeability Alba sands (3 darcies). Extensive lab testing was performed to ensure minimal damage from various fluids. A 30-ft physical model was used to optimize annular pack efficiency. A gravel placement computer simulation was used to design pump rate, sand concentration, and gel loading to optimize annular and perforation-pack efficiency.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 218388
• Journal Information: SPE Drilling and Completion, Journal Name: SPE Drilling and Completion Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 11; ISSN 1064-6671; ISSN SDCOE5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
DESIGN
DIRECTIONAL DRILLING
INSTALLATION
MATERIALS
NORTH SEA
OIL WELLS
PACKINGS
WELL COMPLETION