Deepwater Technology

Completing water injectors in deep water with sand control is inexact science

BP’s case study of 29 West-of-Shetland injection wells yielded some simple criteria for selecting either cased-and-perforated or sand screens as viable completion solutions. Yet, the process remains less than perfect.

Alistair Roy and Allan Wilson, BP, Aberdeen, Scotland, and Allan Twynam and Dave Thrasher, BP, Sunbury, England

Water injection (WI) completions in sand control environments have gained a higher profile within Britain’s West of Shetlands (WoS) area, and the industry in general. No clear consensus exists on an optimum completion design. A variety of completions has been installed. Areas causing particular concern are well longevity and near-wellbore injection conformance, both of which link to producer performance and reserves recovery. A range of injection completions, installed in 29 injection wells drilled in WoS fields, has been studied. Areas examined were completion design parameters and their origins; completion selection; impact of drilling fluid conditioning; formation damage; well clean-up and completion performance in terms of efficiency; injection conformance and life-of-well.