Maximizing Production Recovery in Challenging Reservoirs: Insights from Autonomous Inflow Control Device (AICD) Implementation in Offshore Malaysia

Abstract Field B is an offshore brown field in Malaysia which has faced significant challenges due to the presence of a thin oil rim amidst complex reservoir conditions characterized by massive gas cap, uneven contacts, strong water drive and high sand production. Historically, early gas and water breakthroughs have been observed, leading to elevated gas-oil ratio (GOR) and high water cut. Autonomous Inflow Control Devices (AICDs) were incorporated in new horizontal infill wells since 2018 to allow production control and mitigate high GOR issues. AICDs have enabled autonomous regulation of unwanted production fluids, leveraging Bernoulli's Principle. The deployment was meticulously assessed based on reservoir characteristics, production objectives, and economic viability. This study thoroughly examines the performance of the horizontal wells equipped with AICDs integrated with openhole standalone screens (OHSAS) completion in Field B. The performance of the wells with AICDs were also compared with similar wells without AICDs to evaluate the value of this technology. Through comprehensive analysis, the investigation addressed the challenges encountered, outlined the best practices, and formulated the effective well production and monitoring strategies to ensure sustained functionality and reliability of AICDs over the production lifecycle. Various factors influencing well performance were explored, providing insights into the role of AICDs in optimizing production amidst challenging reservoir conditions. Since AICDs were adopted in recent infill wells, it was observed that the technology managed to control the gas-oil ratio (GOR) in wells that were located closer to the current gas-oil contact (GOC) and maximized the productivity. This paper features a comprehensive summary of the reservoir management, production strategy and resulting production improvement in Field B with the application of AICDs. Moreover, this paper also highlights on the effectiveness of AICDs in Field B, offering valuable insights for oil and gas operators navigating similar challenging reservoir conditions, ultimately aiming to optimize overall production efficiency.