Multilateral Technology Innovations Help Maximize Field Development

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 219367, “Multilateral Technology Innovations Ready To Maximize Field Development,” by Matthew Kelsey, SPE, and Thomas Fanchin, SPE, Halliburton. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ This paper discusses recent multilateral technology developed for operators in the Middle East. It highlights the continuous improvement of multilateral technology by demonstrating how application of multilateral well strategy is a proven and reliable method to reduce time-intensive operations by eliminating additional vertical wellbore sections and using existing surface infrastructure. Wells originally planned as a single wellbore or a simple dual lateral are now drilled and completed using intelligent flow control and, in some cases, installations with pressure-controlled junctions. Introduction Multilateral installations in the Middle East have seen sustained success for more than 20 years. While early multilateral wells were rudimentary in their construction and capabilities, multilateral systems continue to evolve to meet new challenges faced by operators. Continuous improvement efforts have widened multilateral system capabilities, leading to numerous completion options addressing operator focus on well productivity and operational success. Current technological innovations in multilateral completion systems are focused on integrating advanced completion capabilities, increasing operational efficiency, reducing complexity, and increasing field development viability. Through-Completion Intervention Multilateral Window System A multilateral completion window system provides through-completion intervention capability in Technology Advancement of Multilaterals (TAML) Levels 2 and 4 wells, eliminating the need to pull the upper completion (Fig. 1). Intervention access to the lateral improves the efficiency of future workover operations. The system incorporates a completion window equipped with a landing profile and sealbore that enable the setting of a deflector for lateral access or an isolation sleeve for lateral control. Optional intelligent-completion interfaces allow for monitoring and flow control of each lateral branch. This incremental modular system can be used to upgrade existing junctions. The completion window uses additional components to provide lateral access and lateral control. Integrated landing profiles and sealbores are used to anchor, orient, and seal a deflector and isolation sleeve. These components are installed in the completion window and retrieved through coiled tubing or slickline. The deflector provides lateral access through the completion window. The isolation sleeve provides a barrier enabling separation of lateral and mainbore fluids. Feed-Through System Integration Operators were challenged with a requirement to integrate previously separate capabilities into a multilateral solution. These requirements included rigless intervention access for remedial operations and near-reservoir flow control and monitoring in multilateral wells. The integration of control line feed-through capability into the field-proven through-completion intervention multilateral-window system evolves a process that has been used in the Middle East for more than 25 years. The integrated system is designed to interface with intelligent completion tools, enabling flow-control valves and permanent monitoring systems to be deployed below the window closer to the target reservoir.​​​