Abstract
The drilling and completion of multilateral wells continues to expand and advance within the oil industry after three decades of accelerating adoption. The performance of these wells can be increased when integrated with advanced well completion techniques. The addition of intelligent completions (IC) and inflow control devices (ICD/AICD) enhances well performance and improves field recovery. This paper discusses a reservoir simulation case study that evaluates the productive impact these technologies provide when combined with multilateral technology (MLT), and the mechanism by which they achieve it.
A reservoir model is devised and simulates under dynamic reservoir conditions the field production of dual lateral and single bore horizontal wells. The simulation is conducted for three separate scenarios where AICD and IC are incrementally implemented. The results are compared across the scenarios and their value quantified.
The mechanisms by which estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) is increased will be discussed, including the increase of reservoir contact, drawdown distribution optimization, and the control and delay of water production.
The study will provide an overview on the theory behind the technologies. It will also review the workflow used to conduct the study, utilizing a combination of steady state nodal analysis software and dynamic reservoir simulation software. Additional information about the reservoir model, initial and boundary conditions are detailed, to provide insight into reservoir simulation methodology.
Horizontal well case study under pattern waterflood. Investigation of horizontal well performance in a heterogenous carbonate oil reservoir.
