Optimizing production rates through enhanced well design

Abstract

For decades, reservoir and drilling engineers have independantly strived to provide optimal production rates through various methods. The method studied for this research was based on a post-drilling analysis of optimizing production rates by designing a well path that could be drilled sucessfully. This was achieved by combining a wellflow simulator, NETool™, with a torque and drag modelling program, Power Plan®, to prove better results could be obtained. The work consisted of creating a methodology that was sucessfully implemented to first optimize the production rates by modifying an existing well path. Each new well path was placed in the torque and drag program to analyze the torque, sideforces and hookloads experienced on the drillsting. The success of the study was dependant on not exceeding the limitations of the system which in this case included the drillstring, connections and topdrive system. A component of cost-based risk was incorporated into the study to add a measure of uncertainty associated with drilling each new well path. This analysis proved very successful in obtaining higher production rates and a future in-depth study is recommended to develop an advanced tool that will integrate the two areas of oil and gas engineering