Published on 21 November 2018
The zonal isolation with Saltel Xpandable expandable steel Annular Zonal Isolation Packer
Compartment isolation between sliding sleeves, prior selective acid stimulation
Objectives
- Effective isolation prior to performing selective acid stimulation
- Enhance production rates from fractured carbonate reservoir.
Challenges
Guarantee sufficient robustness to:
- withstand tough run in hole (RIH) conditions (tight spots) due to high dogleg severity (DLS)
- allow limited and controlled push/pull/rotation in case of a tight spot.
Context
The oil producer well was drilled in 2017 in the Bekhme formation of Tawke Cretaceous reservoir, in the Middle East.
The client requested an alternative to traditional swell packers for
isolating compartments between sleeves during acid stimulation.
The completion would include:
- Robust metal expandable packers designed for high DLS (up to 28°/100 ft)
- Sliding sleeves (SSD) for selective acid stimulation and clean-up.
A selective acid stimulation would be conducted after the rig had moved out, to counteract the relatively poor initial stimulation treatment (limited coiled tubing acid wash).
Proposed solution
To provide reservoir compartmentalization in high DLS and tight spot environment, Saltel AZIP Packers were used to create a solid metal barrier against the 6-1/8in formation.
The short length (4ft) of sealing element enabled to pass the kick-off point, while the 5.5in RIH OD ensured a smooth entry through the restriction.
