Overview

David Norman, ChevronTexaco EPTC

This year has been another bountiful year for case history papers about frac-packing technology. We have certainly been very busy improving this area of completions. The 2002 SPE International Symposium on Formation Damage Control provided most of the papers for this issue. I recently attended a conference on sand control best practices where the statement was made, which I think is very appropriate, that the single most important advancement in production engineering in the last half century was the paradigm shift toward frac packing (high-permeability fracturing and its inclusion) in sand-control environments. It has relegated matrix treatments to the role of deposit cleanup, drastically reducing the number of these treatments associated with stimulation. The advancement of this technology has continued with the papers featured in this issue. This years feature illustrates advances in this technology. The use of frac packs in the Brazilian Campos Basin has proliferated drastically and observations are shared. Another paper discusses how the use of new downhole equipment has made it easier to apply frac-pack technology in complicated environments. But at the same time, the measurements to demonstrate the effectiveness of the device also opened another can of worms. They demonstrate how regularly and inaccurately that we model these treatments, with a focus on how poorly we calibrate the models we use. During the middle of the treatment, temperature behavior indicated that a different zone opened and took slurry. This slurry was 6-lbm/gal-added slurry, and the zone took that slurry without requiring any pad. What a quandary! The last paper in the group takes an aggressive move toward extending the limits of current efforts. The paper documents the results of completions in which openhole environments were frac packed. This action demonstrates our ability to reach new milestones in the evolution of this technology. There is room for only a limited number of papers in the publication. Several other papers illustrate significant advancement in the technology. Please take time to read through those listed below as well. SPE 73776, Field Experience Frac Packing Near Gas/Water Contacts Alternate. This paper provides insights for applying this technique near water contacts. SPE 74351, Innovative Completion Design and Well Performance Evaluation for Effective Frac-Packing of Long Intervals: A Case Study From West Natua Sea, Indonesia. This paper discusses the use of a unique hardware arrangement to overcome formation JPT anisotropy and spacing issues.

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Photo courtesy of ChevronTexaco.

David Norman, is Staff Research Consultant, Completion Engineering Team ChevronTexaco EPTC. Previously, he was with Imco Services and Dowell Schlumberger Inc. Work areas include reservoir stimulation; sand control; completion processes; wellflow efficiency issues; flow-system dependability and assurance; as well as stimulation, drilling, and completion fluids. Norman has contributed to various books on sand control and authored numerous papers. He is a member of SPE and served on the U.S. Council and on conduct committees. Norman worked with the Forum Series in North America, chairing the forum on Frac Packing and Other Sand-Control Methods.

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Lessons Packs in

Learned From Frac the Campos Basin

Typical Frac-Pack Procedures The following steps are the typical sequence used to perform a complete frac-pack operation. Clean the riser and casing and replace used brine with filtered brine. Perforate overbalanced with wireline guns. Install frac-pack assembly. Pickle the work string. Perform calibration tests. Gather bottomhole pressure (BHP) data. Perform on-site analysis and redesign. Pump frac-pack job. Reverse out excess proppant. Test annulus pack. Run production string. Perform production tests and postfracture analysis. Underbalanced or Overbalanced Perforating In early frac packs in the Campos basin, the same kind of perforations were used as had been used for gravel-pack completions. It was common to perforate the target interval underbalanced with big-hole charges and a high shot density. After perforating, the well was flowed to clean the perforations. Underbalanced perforating requires more complex procedures that are time consuming, especially in an offshore environment. Use of overbalanced wireline perforating reduces rig time six-fold. After pseudoradial flow is established, the major flow contribution comes from the tip of the fracture. Table 1 in the fulllength paper compares skin and damage ratios of frac packs performed in the same field. In some cases, underbalanced perforating was used, and in others, overbalanced perforating was used. Whether the perforation was underbalanced or overbalanced does not seem to affect frac-pack performance. Overbalanced perforating became the standard for frac-pack operations. BHP Measurements Because of large variations in permeability and rock properties in the
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 73722, Lessons Learned From a Hundred Frac Packs in the Campos Basin, by L.F. Neumann, SPE, and C.A. Pedroso, SPE, Petrobras, and L.M. Neto and R.C. Bezerra de Melo, SPE, BJ Services, originally presented at the 2002 SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control, Lafayette, Louisiana, 2021 February. For a limited time, the full-length paper is available free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

The full-length paper presents the state of the art in frac packing learned from more than 100 frac packs performed in the Campos basin offshore Brazil. Reservoirs in the Campos basin are clean, tertiary-age unconsolidated sandstones with high to ultrahigh permeability. To obtain low-skin completions, high-conductivity fractures must be created. Since the first frac-pack job in February 1996, many challenges have been overcome. Introduction Sand control is necessary in the highpermeability soft formations of the Campos basin. Until 1996, the usual completion method for sand control was conventional gravel packs that resulted in high skin factors. The first Campos basin frac pack was completed in 1996. Frac-pack completions resulted in completions with much lower skin. The change from gravelpack completions to frac-pack completions brought new questions. First was if frac-pack operations should follow the strict procedures used for gravel packs such as high-density underbalanced perforating, pickling string, cleaning risers and casing, and prejob acidizing. Second was if commercial simulators could be used to design this kind of fracture and if live-annulus pressure measurements were sufficiently accurate for calibration test analysis and to make corrective actions during the main treatment. The third was if the constraining formations were sufficiently hard to contain the fracture. The key feature in a frac pack is the tip screenout (TSO). As soon as the proppant-laden fluid arrives at the tip of the fracture, vertical and horizontal fracture growth is arrested and fracture width grows. The result is a short but wide and very conductive fracture. The TSO must be planned and achieved. After the TSO is achieved, it is important to place the correct amount of proppant into the fracture.

unconsolidated sands, there is a need for accurate pressure data. Analysis of surface-pressure data does not provide an accurate, reliable determination of closure pressure, closure time, leakoff coefficient, and fluid efficiency. When closure times are low, results from BHP and surface data are very different. Analysis from BHP data is more accurate and more likely to be correct. Highquality BHP data from electronic gauges installed near perforations or live annulus measurements are an absolute necessity. BHP calculated from live annulus data is almost identical to that obtained from electronic gauges. Because some fractures close in seconds, pressure data is acquired at 1-second intervals. Quartz gauges are preferable because their pressure data correction for temperature is better than that of sapphire gauges. Stimulation Boat and Treatment In frac-pack operations, the choice of stimulation equipment and gel systems is key to achieving good results. Because all Campos basin operations are offshore, stimulation vessels are used. Frac-pack treatments only became common after a stimulation boat designed specifically for frac-pack requirements began operating in the Campos basin. The vessel is capable of

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automated and precise proppant control at rates as great as 15,000 lbm/min. An essential element in any gel system is use of a specific enzyme breaker that ensures high conductivity of the proppant pack by promoting an efficient and controlled gel break. To optimize fracture conductivity, a high-quality ceramic or sintered bauxite proppant was used. The success of the fracpack completions are evidence that there was no obvious formation damage from any gel systems used. Low Temperature Effects Because many frac packs were performed in wells in ultradeep water, temperature effects were a concern. The temperature can drop to 20 to 30C less than the original bottomhole temperature during fluid injection. After the temperature drop was understood, the gel breaker concentration was designed to break the gel at temperatures lower than BHT. Frac Pack in Low Height Sand Well L-1 had a 23-ft perforation interval with a 45 deviation and a 2,600-md permeability to oil. A frac

pack performed in this interval in September 1998 resulted in a 19.4 skin, a 3.3 damage ratio, and a 2,600-psi pressure drop. Analysis of the frac-pack indicated that excess crosslinked gel and narrow fractures caused the poor performance. High leakoff through the fracture walls results in a narrow fracture that is not able to accept high proppant concentrations. The result is a fracture with very low conductivity. These results were not predicted by the fracture simulator, and the actual BHP was much lower than the predicted BHP . Wells G-12, G-13, J-5, and M-3 also had thin sands and high permebility. Sand control was required. The frac-pack completion was changed to a high-rate water pack (HRWP) completion with the carrier fluid the same as the completion fluid, and the proppant concentration was reduced from 10 lbm/gal to 1 to 2 lbm/gal. These completion modifications resulted in successful completions with damage ratios less than 1.7. Results and Analysis In the Compos basin, a successful frac pack results when the TSO occurs as

planned, the final skin is less than 10, and there is no formation sand production. Only a few frac packs resulted in poor results. A TSO was obtained in almost all of the frac packs. A premature screenout was common in the frac-packs performed. Only three acid treatments were required to remove high skins after the frac-pack jobs. No acid jobs were performed on frac packed wells where a TSO occurred. The overall good results indicate that the minifracture analysis was conducted in a proper manner no matter how high the permeability or how fast the closure time. Conclusions 1. The TSO is the key for a successful frac pack in high-permeability formations in the Campos basin. 2. Perforation method does not determine frac-pack performance. 3. In high-permeability formations, a minifracture before the frac pack is indispensable. 4. Accurate BHP gauges with small scanning rates are necessary. 5. An HRWP is a better sand-control technique for thin and high-permeability formations in the Campos basin. JPT

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Sand-Control Screen Assembly Enables Multilobe Frac Packs

Frac-pack completions can provide effective production stimulation and reliable sand control for unconsolidated sand reservoirs. The fulllength paper discusses an innovative screen with a concentric shroud that enables two separate sand lobes to be treated during a single frac-pack operation. Introduction Although conventional screens successfully control sand production in most situations, not every well configuration lends itself to traditional screens. With conventional screens, a screenout in the upper part of the completion can prevent gravel slurry from reaching the lower part of the completion. Because of the more complex completions now attempted, failure incidences have increased. A new type of sand-control screen assembly that can treat two separate and distinct sand lobes during a single frac-pack operation has been developed. In this assembly with an outer perforated shroud placed over a metal-mesh sand screen, the annular space between the outer shroud and screen forms a secondary slurry flow path that allows a blockage in the outer annulus between the shroud and the casing to be bypassed. The perforations in the shroud are designed to balance slurry flow during the treatment and provide minimal flow restriction during production. Concentric Alternative Pathway An extensive testing program was undertaken to define the packing mechanism associated with use of concentric alternative-pathway screens. Flow is split between the three annuli with gravel slurry transported in the outer two annuli (wellbore/perforated shroud and perforated shroud/screen) and filtered sand-free fluid transported in the inner annulus (screen/washpipe). Because the flow channels are in communication, pressure can equalize across the three annuli. Because pressure in each annulus is assumed to be
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the same at any point along the wellbore, the rate in each annulus will be divided according to rate/pressure calculations for turbulent flow. The crosssectional flow areas of the three annuli are designed to facilitate annular packing while providing a low-friction secondary flow path. Gravel deposition in the outer annuli and fluid leakoff into the perforated interval will change the rate/pressure balance. Because the secondary flow path provided by the shroud/screen annulus is designed to have a relatively large area available for slurry, the low-friction pressure minimizes the tendency for additional leakoff or fracture breakdown of upper layers. If the wellbore/shroud or shroud/screen annulus bridges off, the flow will be reapportioned among the annuli remaining open. The flow will reapportion again beyond the bridge so the pressure equalizes in the three annuli. Perforated Shroud. Perforation size and number in the shroud affects movement between the casing/shroud and shroud/screen annuli. A relatively small pressure differential will occur as the number of perforations and/or the perforation diameter is reduced. The slurry will continue to flow down the parallel annuli until a pressure increase occurs because of sand bridge formation in one annulus or from some other changing wellbore condition. This design process balances reduction in the number of perforations in the shroud and the diameter of the perforations with inflow requirements for well production. The perforation pattern in the shroud was designed to allow fluid entry into the casing/shroud and shroud/screen annuli above the perforations. Once the slurry flow apportions between the casing/shroud and shroud/screen annuli, the shroud design facilitates bypassing bridges adjacent to the upper zone, which is expected to fracture first. Perforation density is decreased in the shroud adjacent to this section.

This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 73723, Innovative Sand-Control Screen Assembly Enables Successful Multilobe Frac Packs in Adverse Recompletion Conditions, by Morris Cox, SPE, Tom Roane, SPE, Mike Sanders, SPE, Brad Clarkson, SPE, and Harvey Fitzpatrick, SPE, Halliburton Energy Services Inc., originally presented at the 2002 SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control, Lafayette, Louisiana, 2021 February. For a limited time, the full-length paper is available free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

Case Histories Overview In the two case histories presented in the full-length paper, the wells were completed with frac packs because this method has provided very reliable sand control and high productivity. There were concerns about the viability of this new method because of risks imposed by the permeability and lithological characteristics of the pay intervals. Of primary concern was the possibility that reliable sand control might not be obtained. The second concern was that there might not be effective stimulation of the entire pay interval. Completion intervals of both wells contained a sand layer at the top that could cause a leakoff rate sufficient to cause a wellbore screenout across the upper pay interval. The top layer in Case 1 was a depleted oil sand and in Case 2 was the highest permeability and thickest gas-sand stringer of the pay zone. After the upper-layer fracture screened out, the upper highpermeability sand would continue to allow high fluid leakoff that could cause proppant accumulation in the wellbore and bridging of the screen/casing annulus across the screened out sand. The resulting

annular blockage would act as a barrier to proppant slurry flow downstream, jeopardizing annular packing as well as preventing fracturing of the lower-interval sand layers. Case Histories Case 1. In this case, a large independent operator had experienced a failed gravel pack in a Gulf of Mexico (GOM) shelf completion. The reservoir comprised two productive sands separated by a 36-ft nonproductive interval. Both producing zones had been perforated and gravel packed previously. The two partially depleted sands would have to be completed as one interval for economic considerations. Low bottomhole pressure combined with high permeability in both zones increased the potential for an early screenout in the upper zone. The number of perforations in the shroud adjacent to the lower zone was decreased to promote bypassing any bridges that might form when packing this well section. Shroud perforation design also had to include sufficient flexibility to support fracturing the lower zone first and then treating the upper zone and completing the annular pack. The frac-pack assembly was run to depth, a ball was dropped, and the packer was set. Treatment pumping data was transmitted by satellite link from the stimulation vessel to the service companys Houston office for real-time job monitoring. The pipe was pickled per standard GOM procedure, and the work string was reverse circulated until clean. A prefracture acid job was performed using 2,000 gal of acid formulated to open the perforations while minimizing formation mineral incompatibility. After the acid job, a step-rate test was performed. A 4,200-gal borate crosslinked seawater fluid minifracture was pumped at 10 bbl/min. After the step-rate test and minifracture, completion engineers in Houston redesigned the fracpack pumping schedule. The treatment was spotted to bottom, circulating above the packer with the service tool in the reverse position. Once the treatment was on bottom, the tool was shifted to the weight-down circulating position with the annulus closed so annular pressure could be used to monitor the fracture job. The job was pumped at 10 bbl/min until it

became necessary to induce a screenout. The rate was reduced to 8 bbl/min and then to 6 bbl/min, at which time screenout occurred. Monitoring and real-time analysis of job execution used live annulus pressure, bottomhole proppant concentration, pumping rate, and tubing pressure. The radioactive tracer log provided a record of the placement of proppant stages tagged with radioactive tracers. The live annulus pressure response from the frac-pack treatment indicated a fracture tip screenout occurred by the time the 3-lbm/gal proppant concentration entered the perforations. Data available about this frac-pack treatment are sufficient to make a reasonable case that the concentric shroud and screen assembly provided a secondary slurry flow path that improved frac-pack effectiveness by diverting slurry between the lowerand upper-sand intervals. Results. Successful sand control and fracture stimulation of the zone was confirmed by production results. Production from this well before the workover was 75 BOPD with artificial lift. Initial production after the workover was a sand-free rate of 670 BOPD and 0.5MMscf/D at 680-psi flowing pressure without artificial lift. Analysis of the frac-pack treatment and the radioactive tracer log indicated that the new screen assembly was instrumental in successfully accomplishing sand control and stimulation of both zones in one treatment. The well has produced sand-free for 6 months. Estimated cumulative gross cash flow from this production since the workover is U.S. $2.0 million. Case 2. This GOM gas reservoir contained a 20-ft high-permeability sand layer separated by a 20-ft shale layer from a 50-ft gross laminated shale/sand interval below with a 10-ft net of gas stringers. Economics and spacing dictated that the entire interval should be completed with a single frac pack. The higher permeability of the top sand layer and the shale layer boundary above the lower gas stringer could prevent stimulation and uniform packing of the lower interval. This type of reservoir lithology and permeability profile could cause isolation of the fracture treatment to the upper high-permeability gas sand.

The most appropriate solution seemed to be a frac-pack completion assembly with a concentric alternative-pathway screen assembly across the entire pay interval. The assembly consisted of a 27/8-in., 250 m metalmesh sintered laminate screen and 51/2-in. perforated outer shroud. The treatment could continue through a secondary path to frac-pack the lower interval if the upper sand screened out. Shroud hole-pattern design reflected the variations in the reservoir permeability and lithology to enhance treatment uniformity. Job procedure was similar to that in Case 1. Following the step-rate test, a 7,560-gal borate crosslinked fluid minifracture was pumped at 18 bbl/min. Pumping began at 18 bbl/min but was reduced to 15 bbl/min because of the 6,000-psi maximum-pressure limit. Rate decreased to 12 and 10 bbl/min to initiate a screenout. Monitoring and real-time analysis of the job execution focused on the live annulus pressure, bottomhole proppant concentration, pumping rate, and tubing pressure. Post-job analysis was enhanced by analysis of bottomhole pressure and temperature data from two washpipe gauges positioned in the middle and bottom of the perforated interval. Results. The frac-pack service placed a total of 59,000 lbm of 20/40-mesh lightweight ceramic in the formation. During the higher proppant concentration stages, upper and lower temperature gauges confirmed that the entire interval was treated. The effective stimulation of the zone was confirmed when the well came in at a sand- and water-free 20-MMscf/D rate. Estimated cumulative gross cash flow from this production in the 3 months since the workover is U.S. $4.0 million Conclusions 1. The two frac-pack completions were improved significantly by use of a newly developed screen that diverted slurry to portions of the lower zone that had not previously been packed. 2. The system enabled a multizone frac-pack operation to be performed with a single trip into the wellbore. 3. The concentric alternative-pathway screen assembly bypassed annular restrictions, allowing the proppant slurry to achieve a complete JPT annular pack.

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Frac Packing Openhole Completions: An Industry Milestone

The full-length paper presents a case history of an openhole fracpack application that demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed completion technique. The case history demonstrates that openhole frac packs can yield higher productivities than cased-hole frac packs and openhole gravel packs. Introduction Frac packing has been a popular sandcontrol technique since the early 1990s and provides high productivity and reliable completions. Almost all frac-pack treatments have been performed in cased holes. Although it is generally recognized that frac packs outperform both high-rate water packs and gravel packs in a majority of applications, their limitations in high transmissivity environments are well documented. In high-performance wells, perforations are the dominant restriction to flow. In hightransmissivity wells requiring sand control, openhole completion is the preferred technique because perforations are eliminated. The common practice has been to drill horizontal or highly inclined wells and complete them as openhole gravel packs. An alternative approach for high-performance wells is openhole frac packing, which combines the benefits of an open hole and fracturing and eliminates perforations as well as provides a highly conductive flow path that bypasses near-wellbore damage. One problem encountered in frac packing or gravel packing long intervals is annular bridging that results in incomplete packing of the sections below the bridge. The shunt technique has proved successful in bypassing bridges and yields higher productivity through complete packing of long intervals. This technique also has been proposed for frac packing horizontal wells. Unlike a conventional frac-pack treatment, this approach does not use pads and is intended to simply bypass the filtercake damage. Case History Field Characteristics. The Widuri field is in the Java Sea offshore Indonesia. The target reservoir was a thin sand body with medium-grainsize clean sand deposited in a fluvial environment. It has 1 to 2 d permeability, 29% porosity, moderate consolidation, and sand production tendencies. The reservoir is at approximately 3,550 ft true vertical depth and had a 1,350-psi original reservoir pressure. Rapid depletion of the reservoir pressure resulted in an estimated 600-psi reservoir pressure at the time the well was drilled. Poor sand consolidation and sand production tendencies makes sand control a mandatory component of the completion. Original wells in the area were completed as cased-hole gravel packs. Well Drilling. Widuri B-28 was spudded in February 2000. Two days later, while drilling the 81/2-in. production section, the well experienced complete losses. This occurred upon reaching the target because of an unexpected low reservoir pressure of 390 psi. This, combined with the high reservoir permeability, resulted in hole stability problems. Mud weight was reduced to 9 lbm/gal, and lost circulation material pills were pumped. A total of 4,200 bbls of polymer-CaCO3 mud was lost with an equivalent damaged-zone radius of approximately 22 ft. The decision was made to continue drilling with seawater to avoid continued drilling fluid losses. Seven-inch casing was set prematurely to prevent losing the well. Because of hole collapse, the casing could not be run to depth, resulting in 70 ft of exposed shale above the target sand. The decision was made to complete the well with an openhole frac pack because running an extra 5-in. casing would be too restrictive to flow. An initial attempt to run the completion assembly reached only 30 ft inside the open hole because the reactive shale collapsed on the assembly. A cement plug was set, and the well was suspended until the waterflood pressurized the
This article, written by Assistant Technology Editor Karen Bybee, contains highlights of paper SPE 73757, Frac Packing Openhole Completions: An Industry Milestone, by Pedro M. Saldungaray, SPE, Schlumberger; Juan Troncoso, SPE, Muhammed Sofyan, SPE, Bambang T. Santoso, SPE, RepsolYPF; and Mahmet Parlar, SPE, Colin Price-Smith, SPE, Gary Hurst, SPE, and William Bailey, SPE, Schlumberger, originally presented at the 2002 SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control, Lafayette, Louisiana, 2021 February. For a limited time, the full-length paper is available free to SPE members at www.spe.org/jpt. The paper has not been peer reviewed.

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reservoir sufficiently to hold a column of fluid that would keep the hole stable. Proposed Completion. An innovative combination of screens with shunts and a multizone packer was proposed. The packer is run with the completion below the cross-over port and set inside the 7-in. casing. The slurry would be diverted to the shunt tubes, bypassing the shale and exiting at the formation face where the nozzles in the shunts would be located. Fracture fluid contamination with the shale section was eliminated, ensuring that the proppant and fracture conductivity would be preserved. The shunted screen also would provide a complete pack across the entire deviated wellbore, filling any gap through the shunts and nozzles. The screens and shunts were covered with a protective shroud, and an inner washdown assembly was incorporated into the design. The protective shroud would prevent running damage. A drilling motor and a bit were attached at the end of the completion string in case it were necessary to ream the well to reach total depth. Fluid was conveyed to the motor through the wash pipe.

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Because of the high reservoir permeability and because the fracture would be conductivity limited, an intermediate-strength ceramic proppant was selected. A 30-lbm/1,000-gal delayed borate crosslinked guar fluid was selected as the carrier fluid because it provided the necessary viscosity to propagate the fracture in the formation. Shunted screens were slected because of their ability to produce an efficient fracture and annular pack in highly deviated wellbores and to bypass the shale section. Two large shunts were designed to handle the 15-bbl/min pump rate required during the frac pack. The shunts would extend from above the multizone packer across the shale section and target zone. Only the shunts on the bottom half of the last blank joint and those on the screens would be equipped with exit nozzles to convey slurry to the fracture. Because 100% packing was expected, wire-wrapped screens were selected as the base screens. Both screens and blanks were shrouded to protect them from mechanical damage. The fracture was designed to use the tip screenout (TSO) technique where a screenout is caused by properly sizing the pad volume to limit the fracture penetration. By continuing to pump after the TSO, the fracture is ballooned to create the appropriate geometry in highly permeable zones. The wide fracture created will provide adequate conductivity and also counteract the embedment effect of proppant in soft formations. The frac pack was designed at a 15-bbl/min pump rate with a 5,000-gal pad followed by 21,000-bbl proppant slurried in 3,000 gal of gel ramped from 2 to 12 lbm of proppant/gal of fluid. A propped fracture half-length of appproximately 18 ft, height of 48 ft, and width of 1 in. was expected from the design. Job Execution After 5 months of water flooding, it was believed that the zone was sufficiently pressurized, and a second attempt was made to complete the well. The rig moved to location and reamed the well from 6,736 ft to 6,969 ft. Losses of as much as 125 bbl/hr were experienced. The hole was conditioned and displaced to filtered seawater before running the completion assembly. The main frac-pack treatment was pumped as planned. Because there was

no bottomhole pressure gauge, it was not possible to determine when the TSO occurred. The frac-pack execution went smoothly despite concerns about problems related to the high wellbore deviation, relatively long openhole interval, and high reservoir permeability. The high wellbore deviation coupled with the openhole completion raised concerns regarding initiation of multiple fractures that could lead to early screenout because of insufficient width of the competing fractures. Other adverse effects feared were excessive leakoff through the large wellbore area and poroelastic effects that would make it difficult to initiate and propagate the fracture. None of these effects were evident and apparently a single fracture was inititated and propagated. Production Results When the electric submersible pump (ESP) was run after completion of the frac pack, it was found that the reservoir had not responded to the waterflood. The well was shut in and reservoir pressure monitored through the transducer mounted on the ESP intake.

The ESP would be restarted when reservoir pressure reached 600 psi. Production was restarted on 31 October 2000. Production results were encouraging with an initial 2,000-BFPD gross rate and net greater than 500 BOPD. Even though a direct skin measurement was not made to evaluate the completion, a reasonable indication was provided by the low pressure drop across the completion. The productivity index (PI) was calculated and used to evaluate the completion. Frac packs had an average PI of 2.5 and best PI of 5.8. Cased-hole gravel packs had an average PI of 2.7 and best PI of 4.7. The openhole frac-packed Widuri B28 had a PI of 13.4. Conclusions The combination of shunted screens with a multizone packer to bypass an exposed shale section permitted completion of the well with an openhole frac pack. This innovative technique saved a well that was almost lost because of difficulties encountered during drilling and provided the highest PI of all the frac-packed wells in JPT the field.

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