OIL FIELD DEVELOPMENT

ONSHORE OFFSHORE

Oil bearing
layers

Onshore Production generally Offshore Production generally

has vertical wells except has deviated wells.
where access is restricted There is an increasing trend towards
sub surface completions
 HORIZONTAL WELLS

Some Reasons for horizontal wells:

To Maximise Reservoir Drainage from a Single Well

To Reduce the Drawdown on the Well
To Produce From Thin Oil Zones close to Water or Gas
For Low Permeability Reservoirs
To Maximise the Interception of Orientated Natural Fractures

Horizontal wells cannot be logged by conventional methods.

Coiled Tubing or Well Tractors are required.
 Typical Well Completion
Wing Valve
Swab Valve
Production
WELLHEAD
Crown Valve Tubing Hanger

Safety 9 5/8” Completions Appox. 25%

20” Casing Valve 7” Completions Approx. 60%
5” Completions Approx. 15%

13 3/8” Casing Cement

An offshore well will usually start with

Tubing 30” casing. As the well deepens or if
there are drilling problems additional
9 5/8” Casing SSD for strings of 7” and 5” casing may be
Circulation run .
Perforations Packer
End Of Tubing (Usually with restricted ID)
Reservoir A
Reservoir B
The casing is perforated with explosives. Perforation
tunnels are made which extend into the formation.
 Multiple Zone Completions

Single String Dual String

Tubing Long String Short String

In 9 5/8” Casing
4.5-5.5”
SSD’s may be opened and Tubing
In 7” Casing
closed by tools run on In 9 5/8” Casing
3.5”
wireline 2.875”
In 7” Casing
Sliding Side Door 2.375”
(Sleeve Valve)
Zone A

Nipple for Plug

Zone B
Dual Completions offer
Log in tubing with
Dual strings allow more flexibility such as
continuous spinners. injecting down one string
Log in casing with production from zones
and producing the other but
fullbore spinners. at very different pressures
tubing size is limited.
Zone C
Zone D
What makes an oil well flow?
A well will flow if the pressure in the wellbore is less than the pressure in the formation.
The formations below surface are assumed to be full of water except where gas or oil are present.
Hydrostatic Pressure of formation water 0.435 psi/ft
Hydrostatic Pressure of Oil 0.300 psi/ft
Hydrostatic Pressure of Gas (under compression) 0.043 psi/ft
Surface Surface Press. with Oil = 1,350 psi Surface Press. with Oil = 0 psi
Surface Press. with Gas = 3920 psi Surface Press. with Gas = 2570 psi

Without Artificial
Lift as an OIL WELL this
well would not flow

Artificial lift methods:

Hydrostatic Pressure
Wellbore of Oil column = 3000 psi
Downhole Rod Pumped
Downhole Electrical Pump
Hydrostatic Pressure of Gas lift
Gas column = 430 psi

Virgin Reservoir Depleted Reservoir

Reservoir Pressure Reservoir Pressure
10,000 ft 4,350 psi 3000 psi
Downhole
 BEAM PUMP
GAS Artificial Lift “Nodding Donkey”
LIFT Stripper
Weir ELECTRIC
SUBMERSIBLE Rubbers
Compressor PUMP
Separator Fluid
Se Fluid Generator Exit
Exit High Limited
Pressure to vertical
Oil Water
Injection wells
Mixture of Gas Sucker
Gas and Rod
Fluid Fluid
Electric Level
Decreases
Cable
Hydrostatic
Pressure of Gas
Fluid Lift Fluid Travelling
Column Mandrels Level Valve
Retrievable
Plug (can be Electric Standing
replaced by Submersible Valve
Completion logging plug) Pump
Fluid
 Electric Submersible Pump Logging
Fishing neck Deviated Well Grapple
of logging Deviated Well Method 2 taps logging
plug Method 1 plug seals
Extended fishing
neck to protect into place.
wireline
‘Go-Devil’ to
Seals push logging
plug downhole
No-go and into seat.
Pins to prevent
premature
latching

Grapple
sized for
PLT fishing E Distance
neck calculated so
S that top of

Top of
P PLT string is
below perfs
PLT when grapple
string hits.
 Tool Operating Constraints
Subsurface conditions have high pressure and temperature.
Sondex tools are for the most part designed to operate at up to 15,000 psi and 350 deg F.
0 0
Venezuela, Indonesia
Pressure US Gulf Coast etc

1.2 g/cc Temperature

Gradient
Depth, ft Depth, ft

Normal Geothermal
Gradient

20,000 20,000
0 Pressure, psi 10,000 0 Temperature, F 350
Normal Pressure Gradient 8700 psi at 20000 ft Normal Temperature Gradient 360 deg F at 20000 ft
1.2 g/cc Press Gradient 10,400 psi at 20,000 ft High Temp Gradient 833 deg F at 20,000 ft
The properties of electrical components change with temperature. Some tools can only be calibrated
at surface. The electronics of the tools have in built temperature compensation to ensure that a
surface calibration remains valid downhole.
SRO
Blow Out
Protector Lubricator

0 1000 -10 10 0 2
PRESSURE SPINNER DENSITY
-100 100 210 235
LINE SPEED TEMPERATURE
4000 2500
FLUID CAPACITANCE

2200

2300
TOOLS MAY BE RUN ON NON CONDUCTING SLICKLINE OR COILED TUBING