Enhancing Intervention Efficiency and Eliminating Uncertainty — First Ever Successful Conveyance of MWD Tools on CT for Multilateral Well Stimulation in a Middle Eastern Gas Well

Abstract

Abstract Drilling technologies are constantly being developed as operators push the envelope limits to maximize reservoir contact and increase hydrocarbon recovery. These advancements in well construction challenge the well intervention community to seek innovative solutions to successfully intervene in these wells. This paper discusses the successful combination of a slim OD measurement-while-drilling (MWD) tool run on coiled tubing (CT) for real-time survey of the open hole lateral wellbore, followed by a stimulation treatment at appropriate depths for all laterals in a single CT run. Saudi Arabia has been in the forefront of maximum reservoir contact well construction with the drilling of multilateral open hole gas wells; thus, the need for CT operations to enhance current offerings and procedures. For this application, several tests were performed to determine the feasibility of the combination of necessary tools to be able to steer, identify, and pump the stimulation treatment in a single run. MWD tools were run on CT in this multilateral gas well, and the stimulation treatment was performed during the same CT run. The common practice in the study area was to run in hole down to total depth (TD) and determine, only by depth difference, in which lateral the CT was located. The uncertainty level increased exponentially when TDs of the laterals were within hundreds of feet because the treatment could potentially be performed in an alternate lateral, rather than the one intended (Ref 1-5). With the use of MWD tools that can relay inclination, azimuth, orientation (steering capacity), pressure and gamma ray, all this uncertainty is eliminated to help ensure a positive lateral identification for proper treatment placement in the well. The MWD tool run on coiled tubing (CT), implemented a procedure explained in this paper to eliminate the uncertainty associated with previous technologies used for in real-time CT positioning inside the wellbore. The CT position is now reliable verified by survey match with real time readings from CT tip, allowing the certification of job placement in the desired wellbore path, to complete the intervention associated to the CT intervention; i.e.,: "a stimulation treatment" to be done specifically and independently for all laterals in a single run on each. This project open the doors for many other MWD-guided CT interventions to be applied in such conditions.