A Successful Deployment of Level 4 Multilateral Isolation Completion System

Abstract

Abstract In the past, accessing laterals after a multipacker completion system installation in a multilateral well presented significant risks to drilling operations because certain crucial operations, such as acid stimulation, required a rig on location. Recently, a Middle East operator successfully installed an isolated multilateral completion system. The system was deployed in a well located in an onshore field in the Arabian Gulf region. The isolated multilateral system was customized for multilateral wells that require re-entry capability to access the lateral. The system provided a completion window equipped with landing profiles and sealbores that enable deflector settings for lateral access or isolation sleeves for lateral control. Additionally, a unique latch coupling allowed for installation at the optimum azimuth and depth of the system for lateral re-entry operations. Historically, in installations that required access to the lateral, a pilot hole had to be drilled and subsequently plugged and abandoned to avoid running a dual-packer completion, followed by running a single packer as an alternative to enable safe stimulation of the lateral. Using the new multilateral isolation system enabled the first combined observation and producer well with a dual-packer completion string. The well represented a technical milestone for the service company in the development of multiple reservoir fields. Using the isolated multilateral completion system allowed the operator to achieve the following results: Maintain accessibility to the observation bore for future monitoring and producing from the other laterals. Improve surface infrastructure by reducing the number of wells to be drilled. Save on drilling and completion costs with individual observation wells. Achieve accessibility through the completion on either lateral independently. Perform acid stimulation treatments using a rigless unit at any point during the life of the well through a multipacker completion. Risk reduction with drilling rigs because critical operations, such as acid stimulation and well testing, can be satisfactorily performed using a rigless unit instead of a rig on location. The identification of further benefits and lessons learned will be addressed in future work. In conclusion, the Middle East operator had achieved success in the deployment of newly acquired technology for the multilateral/single-bore completion with multipacker systems.