Unique Zone Switching Technique Unlocks Barrels of Stranded Oil

Abstract

Abstract Getting oil and gas from some reserves using conventional technologies would afore-time have yielded unfavorable cost-benefit due to the challenge of excessive water production which could have resulted from a water coning situation from a previous perforation done. Today, the high prices of oil and natural gas have forced operators to go back into their reserves to uncover sections they would not previously have brought to the front of their job's sequence for the period. Every operator wants to achieve this safely, with minimal or no community exposure, environmental impact, and low costs. Studies and several techniques such as cementing of the perforation zone, plug, etc. that can be deployed via rig-based and coiled tubing possess the challenge of high cost, longer operational time and significant environmental impact. Zone switching practice is now the commonplace and the technologies used to achieve it is vast. Depending on the well configuration, completion, and plans, zone switching execution cost can be very minimal or get massively out of budget with varying results obtained. Zone switching in deviated and horizontal wells scenarios increases execution cost and reduces the chances of success, thus, finding the optimum point for cost and results is critical. The technique, dealt with in this paper, is an innovative and uncommon approach where an Isolation system that embeds a plug with a bi-directional anchor for permanent positioning, a healing system that keeps elastomer seated, with high expansion capabilities that enable it pass through small restrictions and set in casing diameters up to 3-1/2 times its run-in diameter, and a rig-less workover/well intervention solution deployed via E-line or slickline. This technique used to unlock a stranded reserve stated in this paper showed how using existing technologies of deployment, teamwork (between operator and service provider), planning and a new isolation system (Seal III Plug) can produce optimum results.