Frac-Packing Previously Gravel-Packed Well Offers Alternative to Expensive Sidetracking

This paper details the design and execution of what the authors say they believe is the first successful frac-pack operation in a previously gravel-packed well. The well, in China’s Bohai Bay, exemplifies a new method of recompleting mature wells to enhance production without performing a sidetrack, thus significantly reducing costs. Challenges and solutions are discussed as well as the methods used to squeeze fluid and proppant into the formation.

Introduction

For the past 13 years, a single-trip multizone (STMZ) gravel-packing system has been widely used in Bohai Bay for sand control. The practice has been to run single-trip, multizone, wire-wrapped screen in the casing and then perform a gravel pack for each stage.