Horizontal well completion

FACT SHEET
Horizontal well
completion
Maersk Oil - an industry leader and pioneer in
horizontal well drilling.
Maersk Oil has been a pioneer and industry leader in horizontal
drilling for over 25 years, with lessons learned in North Sea
developments being transferred to other areas such as the Al-
Shaheen field in Qatar.
However, it is our ability to extend the distance of intelligent
well completions, and apply multi-zone reservoir management
techniques that has allowed us to truly maximise flow rates and
optimise recovery within our extended reach horizontal wells.
Maersk Oil pioneered the application of
horizontal drilling techniques which the
whole industry has adopted.
Intelligent completions
Horizontal well completions involve
lining off and selectively perforating the
extended horizontal reservoir section before
deploying flow control and monitoring tools
and connecting them to the surface via
production tubing and then stimulating
the individual zones as required and
preparing the well for production. Intelligent
completions include implementing
technologies and components enabling
surface monitoring and control of the
producing zones along the entire reservoir
section of the wellbore.

In the Al-Shaheen development in Qatar
specialists from Subsurface, Wells and
Production Operations teams are designing
and constructing advanced wells with
intelligent completions, which so far have
been deployed in well lengths to around
18,000 ft (5,500 m). In particular for relatively
shallow located reservoirs, this is well beyond
the industry standard of approximately
15,000 ft (4,500 m). With some of our Al-
Shaheen wells reaching distances of over
30,000 ft (9,000 m) our goal, via progressive
technology development and staged trials, is
to push intelligent completions deployment
to the full drilled length of these ultraextended
reach wells distributions in 3D.
Our specialists use multi-zone reservoir
management techniques to improve
production rates and total recovered oil
volume, primarily in carbonate reservoirs
like those in Qatar and Denmark. Reservoir
management techniques such as
surveillance, modelling and data collection
provide a holistic approach to production
optimisation.
These techniques allow operators to monitor
the pressure, temperature and movement of
hydrocarbons in the wells and enable them
to better control flow rates within each zone.
The understanding gained through collecting
and analysing data allows us to optimise the
production over the entire life-cycle of the well.
Multi-zone
reservoir
management
techniques
improves total
recovered oil
volume

Multi-zone wells
Maersk Oil’s extended reach wells, which
average lengths of around 25,000 feet (7,600
metres), traverse many zones within the
formation that present varied subsurface
characteristics.
Our engineers have designed techniques to
segment zones and control the flow of fluids
within each to ensure the fullest flow rates
and maximum oil recovery.
Zones are defined by unique constraints and
rely on flow control through inflow control
valves and inflow control devices. Inflow
control valves allow operators to adjust the
flow as needed from the surface (i.e. the fluid
intake can be regulated from the surface
depending on how open the valve is).
Inflow control devices are put in place for ongoing
production optimisation (i.e. they are
designed to create an even inflow across the
entire production well).
For example, our engineers may detect a
water breakthrough in a particular
zone and adjust the inflow
control valve to reduce the flow of
water and ensure the continued,
uncompromised flow of oil.
Multi-zone well
One control line
Electrical coupler
Station
Station
Upper completion
Lower completion

New Wells Technology Programme
The Maersk-led development of the Al-
Shaheen field in Qatar has been successfully
managed through an active New Wells
Technology Programme, a systematic
approach to technology development based
on a sequential, staged growth in capability.
The programme develops and incorporates
technology advancements in a logical
progression.
At Al-Shaheen, the New Wells Technology
Programme has driven technology and
deployment advances with horizontal
completions, culminating in the world’s first
installation of a surface-controlled, flow
control completion in a horizontal extended
reach well.
Manara
Manara is Schlumberger’s surface-controlled,
flow control completion that was first
installed in well GD-12 at Maersk Oil’s Al-
Shaheen field in July 2015.
It is the most recent intelligent completion
system from Schlumberger that enables
operators to monitor and control multiple
zones continuously, simultaneously and in
real time.
It also represents the deepest extended
reach well installation to date anywhere
in the world and a new type of intelligent
completion that is designed to help reduce
well interventions during the entire production
life of the well; something that will result in
substantial OPEX cost savings and reduced
safety risks for the life of the well.
This type of intelligent completion is
something Maersk Oil plans to implement in
other feasible wells.
Extended-reach well
Sand Screen
Sand Screen
Sand Screen
Sand Screen
Lower completion
Swnel
Female Coupler
Station
Station
Station
Station
One control Line
Male Coupler
Upper completion