Novel Technique to Drill Horizontal Laterals Revitalizes Aging Field

Abstract

Abstract Upward trends in oil prices and the proliferation of new technology enable operators to capitalize on new opportunities. Horizontal drilling and completion are opening up reserves in many fields that were not previously economically viable. This trend is not limited to previously undeveloped fields or by lithology. Operators are also able to gain higher recovery from old fields where production has declined over time, making new opportunities for matching technology to economies of scale for such marginal projects. This paper outlines the recompletion of a portion of a 40 year old field using radial jet drilling, RJD. The reservoir is a carbonate formation with low permeability. The combination of low permeability, low productivity from traditional vertical completions in a thin net pay, and lack of low cost techniques to improve well productivity caused the production to dwindle. After acquiring the lease in late 2010, the new operator implemented a program of radial jet drilling and acid/nitrogen fracturing to enhance field production. Radial jet drilling is a low-cost, environmentally-friendly method to drill numerous small diameter horizontal laterals from a vertical or near-vertical wellbore. It works in both new and old wells that already have a production history. A general overview of radial jet drilling technology is presented, and the completion and production history of the field is outlined. The present paper summarizes the workover effort and the production data before and after the workovers. The results show that nearly a two-fold production increase was obtained. It can be clearly seen that radial jet drilling can be a viable alternative to improve productivity of shallow reservoirs that still have significant oil in place that can't be produced with the existing conventional completions.