A Simple Strategy For Subsurface Delivery of Effective Development Wells – Field Examples

Abstract

Well delivery is an expensive scope in the exploration and field development process. Among other drivers, an ideal well must be delivered safely while achieving top-quartile performance on cost, schedule and business objectives. However, delivering an ideal well amid subsurface uncertainties and tightening budgets is usually challenging. As part of the drive for continued value creation, this paper presents an empirical process-improvement initiative for de-risking and optimizing the landing of the drain-hole sections of highly deviated wells amid subsurface uncertainties and at minimal costs. A review of the conventional procedure for executing subsurface scope of the delivery of development wells has been accomplished. The review takes advantage of a combination of recent experiences in delivering four horizontal development wells in an offshore field in the Niger Delta, in addition to a catalogue of available knowledge and best practices from other fields and operators. This review culminates in an improved well delivery optimization process and practice. In addition to promoting operational HSE excellence, it increases the chance of delivering an ideal well, including the mitigation of a subsurface-related non-productive time (NPT) and other related costs. As a complement to the practice, a simple workflow is provided to aid robust decision-making and facilitate applications in practice. For completeness, relevant examples are included to demonstrate the applicability of this new process.