More Oil and Less Water: Autonomous Inflow Control Devices AICD in New and Old Producers in Heavy Oil Fields from South of Oman

Abstract

Abstract This paper summarizes the integrated technical learnings from the successful application of a an Autonomous Inflow Control Device (AICD) in new long horizontal wells producing heavy oil in multiple fields and show the result of extending this technology to the old producers in the field. It details the facts and observations that multidisciplinary authors have captured. The AICD was completed in more than 40 new oil wells in multiple fields. It comprises of mechanical devices installed with the sand face completion, which react in real time to the properties of the flowing fluids, decreasing/delaying the water influx from high productivity zones, promoting increased oil production from other compartments of the formation, therefore, equalizing the drawdown along the horizontal section of the well and performing a dynamic water shut-off operation. The great successful result from new oil wells with this technology AICD opened the door to do few trials in existing producers. The AICD-completed wells showed initial water cut in the range 1% to 2%. Which had reduced significantly in comparison to nearby analogues. The initial net oil rate resulted to be more than 2 times of the expected one, with an acceleration of ~10,000 bbls of net oil during the first month. After the initial production period, the technology is still delaying the aggressive water cut development usually observed in these fields, having provided 2 times the expected net oil rate during the first 3 months, with an acceleration of approximately 20,000 bbls of net oil over this period. It has been concluded that the application of the technology is successful and already deployed as a baseline in all future horizontal wells drilled. Also this technology was tried in old producer wells and already 15 wells completed with AICD completion which shows good reduction in gross/water and increase in oil production in some of the wells by more than 30%. With these successful results, 35 wells from existing producers were planned to be completed by AICD in 2020 from multiple fields. The authors have summarized the results from the AICD deployment and presented it as a practice worth replication in a similar heavy oil environment, due its many benefits in optimizing field development. AICD in new and old wells will be a game changer in all filed to reduce the water and increase the oil.