Autonomous Inflow Control Device (AICD) completion was successfully designed and applied in a horizontal well drilled in a deep reservoir in an extra heavy oil field located in South America where the average total depth of the targeted reservoir is around ten thousands feet and the in-situ viscosity is 600 cps while API Gravity is ranged between 8.5–9.5.
Due to geological and petro-physical features in this area which turns into permeability variations and thick transition zone across the reservoir, a horizontal well of 2500 feet length was drilled and completed with a standalone screen along with Autonomous Inflow Control Device (AICD) to avoid sand production and delay water production. The initial design for the AICD considered the variation of permeability, rock quality, pressure differential across the horizontal length including the operational factors. Accordingly, multiple scenarios using reservoir simulation built-in model (Petrel-RE) and Netool for ICD selection, design and placement where the geological properties of the model were updated based on the run NMR and Caliper logs while geo-steering the well. Also, a fine grid sector model was generated to assess optimum well completion design.
The AICD completion was successfully deployed and resulted in extending the well life by delaying water production and it is expected to get its ultimate benefit whenever starting the implementation of a water flood project near that producer well.
