Deep High-Pressure Completions: A Case History Offshore Gulf of Mexico

A Gulf of Mexico case history is presented describing the successful delivery of two deep high-pressure high-rate-designed oil wells in an ultradeepwater environment. Well conditions, coupled with challenging production requirements (depletion of 10,000 psi), posed an arduous design challenge. More than two dozen firsts for the operator, and indeed for the industry, were required to deliver the final completion designs.

Introduction

The Gunflint field is located in five Mississippi Canyon blocks in approximately 6,100 ft of water. The discovery well (MC948 2) was drilled in 2008. The field contains stacked Middle Miocene age reservoirs between depths of 23,800 and 27,000 ft true vertical depth subsea.