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PCB 3043
Well Design & Completion

WELL COMPLETION
CONCEPTS

Introduction

Design & completion of both production and injection must

satisfy the following objectives:

Provision of optimum production/injection performance.

Ensure safety.

Maximize the integrity and reliability of the completion

over the envisaged life of the completed well.

Minimize the total costs per unit volume of fluid

produced or injected, i.e. minimize the costs of initial
completion.

Can also fulfill specific objective, i.e. sand control, etc.

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Introduction
Four (4) principal decision needed for
fundamental design of completion:
1. Bottom hole completion technique
2. Production conduit selection
3. Completion string facilities
4. Multiple Zone Completions

Bottom hole completion techniques

After drilling engineers have drilled the borehole to

the zone of interest, the communication between
reservoir and borehole has to be initiated.
Therefore, bottom hole completion need to be
accomplished before the completion of the drilling
operations.

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Bottom hole completion techniques

There are 3 approaches for the completion of the

reservoir zone:

OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

SCREEN OR PRE-SLOTTED LINER COMPLETIONS

CEMENTED AND PERFORATED CASING/ LINER

COMPLETIONS

Bottom hole completion techniques

OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

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Bottom hole completion techniques

OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

The simplest approach is to leave the entire drilled reservoir section
open after drilling.
Sometimes referred to as barefoot completions and the
technique is widely applied.
No equipment requires to be installed, savings in both costs and
time.
The entire interval is open to production and provides no real
selective control over fluid production or injection.
Not recommended for wells where distinctive variations in layeral
permeability.
This lack of zonal control for production or injection is a major
limitation on the application of this technique.

Bottom hole completion techniques

OPEN HOLE COMPLETION

Open hole completions should only be applied in

consolidated formations

Currently open hole completions are applied in a

range of environments:

a)

Low cost / multi well developments

b)

Deep wells, consolidated with depletion drive

c)

Naturally fractured reservoirs

d)

Some horizontal and multi lateral wells

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Bottom hole completion techniques

SCREEN OR PRE-SLOTTED LINER COMPLETIONS

Bottom hole completion techniques

SCREEN OR PRE-SLOTTED LINER COMPLETIONS

Once the drilling through completed reservoir section has
been completed, a wire-wrapped screen or steel pipe which
has slots or alternative sand control screen.
The principal purpose of the screen or liner is to prevent
any produced sand from migrating with the produced fluids
The success of the completion in controlling sand
production is dependent upon the screen or slot sizes and
the sand particle sizes.
Slots may quickly become plugged and impede flow
resulting in a loss in productivity.

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Bottom hole completion techniques

SCREEN OR PRE-SLOTTED LINER COMPLETIONS

This system is sometimes used in inclined/high angle angles to
prevent major borehole collapse or facilitate the passage of
logging tools.
This technique also suffers from the same inability for zonal
control and may only effectively control sand.
Low cost technique since the cost of a screen to cover the
reservoir interval is much less than the cost of a casing,
cementing and perforating.
An alternative to the open hole completion in situations where
the reservoir rock consists of relatively large and homogenous
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sand grains.

Bottom hole completion techniques

CEMENTED AND PERFORATED CASING/ LINER COMPLETIONS

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Bottom hole completion techniques

CEMENTED AND PERFORATED CASING/ LINER COMPLETIONS

The final choice is to install either a casing string which
extends back to surface or a liner which extends back into
the shoe of the previous casing string, which would then be
cemented in place by the displacement of a cement slurry
into the annular space between the outside wall of the
casing and the borehole wall.
To provide flow paths for fluid to enter the wellbore from
the formation, or vice versa, the casing and cement sheath
will be perforated at selected locations using explosive
charges contained in a perforating gun.

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Bottom hole completion techniques

CEMENTED AND PERFORATED CASING/ LINER COMPLETIONS

The integrity and selectivity of the completion depends to a
great extent on an effective hydraulic seal being located in
the casing-formation annulus by the cement.
Greater costs and time than the previous options. (cost of
casings, cost of perforating, cementing and the additional
time necessary to complete the borehole)
Ability to control zones efficiently!!, thus will enhance
reservoir management capabilities.
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SELECTION OF THE PRODUCTION

CONDUIT

In the selection of the method, a range of

considerations may influence the choice including:

Cost
Flow stability
Ability to control flow and
Ensure well safety or isolation; ensuring that the
integrity of the well will not be compromised by
corrosion or erosion.

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SELECTION OF THE
PRODUCTION CONDUIT

For a single zone completion, the following

alternatives exist:
1.
2.
3.

Tubingless casing flow

Casing and tubing flow
Tubing flow with/without annular
isolation

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SELECTION OF THE
PRODUCTION CONDUIT

Figures showing different Completions

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Tubingless casing flow.

Advantages:
Fast, simple and minimizes costs
Disadvantages:
Flow area is so large that the fluid superficial velocities
are low enough for phase separation and slippage to
occur,
Only applicable for high rate wells.
The fluid is in direct contact with the casing and this could
result in any of the following:
Casing corrosion, if H2S or CO2 are present in produced
fluids.
Casing erosion, if sand is being produced.
Potential burst on the casing at the wellhead if the well
changed from oil to gas production.
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Casing and tubing flow

Advantages:

Good for highly productive wells

providing a circulation capability deep in the
well where reservoir fluids can be displaced
to surface
removes the necessity for re-injection into
the reservoir

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Tubing flow with annular isolation

Advantages:

Good for all types of wells

The most widely used
Offers maximum well security and control

Disadvantages:
Does not provide a circulation capability
because of packer

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Completion string facilities

BASIC WELL SCHEMATIC

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Completion string facilities

These are the essential attribute of completion string

installations:

The ability to contain anticipated flowing pressure and

any hydraulic pressures which may be employed in
well operations and conduct fluid to surface
(production) or the reservoir (injection wells) with
minimal flowing pressure loss and optimal flow
stability.

The ability to isolate the annulus between the casing

and the production tubing if flow instability is likely or
it is desirable to minimize reservoir fluid contact with
the production casing.
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Completion string facilities

In the event that isolation at surface is not
possible, the ability is needed to shut-in
down-hole either by remote control or directly
activated by changing well flowing conditions.
A means to communicate or circulate
(selectively when required) between the
annulus and the tubing.
A provision for physical isolation of the tubing
by the installation of a plug to allow routine
isolation e.g. for pressure testing of the
tubing.
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General Completion String

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Multiple Zone completions

Concepts

Multiple zone completions are employed on

reservoirs where more than one distinct
reservoir layer is to be produced by a single
well and for which the requirement is to
produce these layers separately.

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Multiple Zone completions

Multiple zone completions is categorized as

follows:
1. Co-mingled Flow (Flow from various zone)
More than one zone flows into the tubing
string
2. Segregated-Multiple Zone Flow
Use multiple production conduit within the
same well-bore; requires one tubing for one
production zone
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Multiple Zone completions

1.

Co-mingled Flow (Flow from various zone)

Advantages
Low capital investment needed as more than one zone produced from
one tubing string
Drilling cost is minimized
Disadvantages
Mixing of produced fluids in the wellbore can be disadvantageous if one or
more fluid have any of the following characteristics
-Corrosive material, e.g. acids, H2S, CO2
-When one of the zone is producing sand.
-When fluids have been different hydrocarbon compositions
-Different WOR and GOR as this would influence vertical lift performance
Injection of stimulation fluid cannot be diverted easily into individual layer
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Multiple Zone completions

2.

Segregated-Multiple Zone Flow

Advantages
Production rate from each zone can be independently control
Changes in production characteristics of one zone will not affect other
zone
Stimulation can be applied to each zone
Disadvantages
Since each zone needs a tubing string and other completion
equipment, additional expenditure and installation time is needed
The possibility of component failure is increased with the amount of
completion equipment.
Using of two small tubing sizes to fit in production casing string may
reduce total flow capacity of the well
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Multiple Zone completions

Configurations
Dual Zone Completion

Casing/Tubing Flow
Dual Tubing Flow
Single String Selected Producer

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Multiple Zone completions

Casing/Tubing Flow
Single tubing string is run with a
single packer installed to
provide isolation between
zones.
One zone will produce up the
tubing, while other will produce
up the casing tubing annulus.
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Multiple Zone completions

Casing/Tubing Flow
This configuration needs
one tubing string, two
packers and a crossover tool

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Multiple Zone completions

Dual Tubing Flow
In this type of completion, a separate tubing string for
each zone is to be installed with two packers; one to
isolate between zones and the other to upper zone
from the upper casing annulus

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Multiple Zone completions

Single String Selected Producer
In this type of completion, the well is
completed over two zones, utilizing
one tubing string designed to
selectively allow the production of
either zone.
The completion requires two
packers; one to isolate between
zones and the other to isolate the
annulus.
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Multiple Zone completions

Triple Zone Completion

Utilizing separate zonal flow into one of three tubing

strings (having three packers for isolation)
Two string completion whereby flow from two zones
is co-mingled into one of the tubing strings
Single zone annular flow and two tubing strings
producing separately from two zones
Single string, triple zone selected completion

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Multiple Zone completions

Four or More Producing Zones

Single string selective producer

Dual string selective producer
Triple string with annular production

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Multiple Zone completions

Equipment
Equipment requirements for multiple completions are largely
based on the equipment available for single string completions
with the following exceptions:
1. Tubing hanger systems
2. Tubing packer systems
3. Special installation equipment
The number of tubing strings will affect the completion
procedure
Sizes of tubing and other ancillary equipment are limited by
casing inside diameter, tensile load and torque capabilities

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Multiple Zone completions

Dual Completion Split Hanger

Dual tubing hanger integral

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Multiple Zone completions

Packers; dual and triple configuration

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