Guest Editorial: Ensuring Success of the 4th Industrial Revolution Downhole: Why Downhole Wireless Communication, Command Are Critical to the Transformation

In the past 30 years the rapid growth of wireless technology has transformed the workplace and our lives from cellular phones to Wi-Fi, smart phones, and other connected smart devices. At the surface this transformation is also ongoing in the oil field, however the benefits of downhole wireless command, control, and monitoring are yet to be fully exploited.

A fully realized digital transformation in the oilfield sector should offer increased operational efficiency, the ability to respond in real time, improved workplace safety, and a more efficient usage of resources including both people and assets. This transformation has been focused mainly on the surface where the implementation of off-the-shelf technologies and artificial intelligence is more easily customized, and the technical challenges of the downhole environment are avoided.

Intelligent Completions

Historically, the only way to extend real-time monitoring and control downhole was by using cables, control lines, and powered control and monitoring devices that must be integrated into and installed with the completion. These are known as “smart” or “intelligent completions” which have been commercially available for the past 20 years (SPE 90664).

This technology is not new. However, its application is not widespread mainly due to a combination of cost and complexity. The lack of widespread industry adoption is evident in market surveys demonstrating no significant change in this trend over the past 5 years.

A number of technical papers comment on the underutilization of intelligent completions and propose strategies to overcome this from improved candidate selection workflows to advanced project management (SPE 209965, SPE 122855). In SPE 209965, Nelson et al. provide insight into the complexity and engineering considerations for the design and implementation of intelligent completions. In his paper, .the sheer complexity of control lines in intelligent completions is underscored by the level of attention and detail required for the design of control fluids from fluid conditioning to mitigating thermally induced control-line pressure gains that can lead to unintended valve movement.

Although there is a significant, global well stock that would benefit from enhanced downhole control and monitoring, the application of intelligent completions cannot always be economically justified or is simply not technically feasible.

Wireless Systems

The focus on smart wells and intelligent completions technology has been predominantly on permanent installations of surface-powered or -controlled monitoring and control systems. There has been limited consideration of implementation of wireless monitoring and control systems to achieve the same. It is important to consider the benefits of this technology to enable a cost-effective expansion of command and control to a wider range of downhole assets.

Wireless downhole communication overcomes the challenge to instrument and add functionality to wells without the use of control lines, feedthroughs, and interfaces while enabling the installation in new completions or retrofit into existing completion architecture (SPE 107117), Naldrett 2012). There are a range of downhole communication platforms available in the industry, each with their pros and cons extensively reviewed by Bouldin et al. in 2021. Bouldin’s paper provides a summary of the state-of-the-art in 2019, yet more recent publications demonstrate that the development and application technology is progressing rapidly (SPE 221054).

What Are the Benefits?

Wireless command, control, and monitoring technology overcomes the scalability challenges associated with addressing a diverse and aging well stock. Removing the complexity of cables and control lines makes this technology simple to deploy with the completion and easily retrofittable into existing completions via straightforward intervention techniques such as slickline or coiled tubing.

These devices can be commanded from surface or programmed to operate autonomously and react to the downhole environment without command from surface. Surface monitoring or control equipment is then easily integrated with surface infrastructure or existing monitoring and control systems.

System performance is routinely monitored at surface to plan service or timely replacement of these devices and ensure continuity of operations. This technology can often function easily without integration into existing control systems, which can always be done at a later date when required.

What Are the Limitations?

Wireless command, control and monitoring technology is mainly limited by the available power which today is based on lithium battery technology. The working life of these devices is dictated by the power consumption or usage and available battery life.

Although power-generation solutions such as turbines exist for downhole tools, there is currently no reliable rechargeable battery for long-term application at high temperatures. The industry continues research and development to both reduce power usage of these devices while extending the downhole longevity of battery technology.

Applications

These systems provide real-time monitoring of downhole parameters and wirelessly relay this data to surface for reservoir- and production- optimization or well-integrity monitoring. Monitoring is often combined with control to enable remote control of flow at desired locations in the upper or lower completion.

This technology continues to be applied in a variety of downhole applications: remote monitoring for well test; well-test valve actuation; replacement of failed permanent downhole gauges (SPE 192940); adding flow control and monitoring to existing wells; multiple devices for control of flow contribution from segmented production intervals; and replacing a failed subsurface safety and downhole barrier monitoring (IPTC 22891).

A Wireless Future

For the full realization of Industry 4.0 and a truly digital oil field, real-time monitoring, command and control are required downhole to optimize reservoir performance, improve production, and enhance safety from the reservoir to the surface. Wireless downhole technology is one of the only solutions that is easily applied to a large, diverse, and increasingly aging well stock that cannot be serviced by intelligent completions. These wireless systems are more cost effective and have a lower environmental impact by avoiding recompletion and minimizing intervention, thereby also reducing CO₂ emissions while extending the life of existing assets.

For Further Reading

SPE 221054 The Future Is Wireless Control and Monitoring by K. Forrest and J. Abbott.

IPTC 22891 Integrated Wireless Barrier Monitoring System Improves CO₂ Well Intervention Efficiency by V. Azevedo, F. Paluruan, and R. Skwara.

SPE 192940 Development and Field Trial of the World's 1st Cloud-Connected Wireless Intelligent Completion System by A. Green, P. Lynch, and B. Bugten.

Wireless Wellbore–The Way Ahead by G. Naldrett and T.I. Asen. Journal of Petroleum Technology (2012).

SPE 209965 System Engineering Recommendations To Improve Intelligent Completions by R. Nelson, E. Handley, J. Joubran, R. Musayev, and D. Patel.

SPE 90664 Design of Intelligent Well Downhole Valves for Adjustable Flow Control by M. Konopczynski and A. Ajayi.

SPE 122855 The Promise and Challenges of Digital Oilfield Solutions—Lessons Learned From Global Implementations and Future Directions by S. Sankaran, J. Lugo, A. Awasthi, and G. Mijares.

SPE 107117 Achievements of Smart Well Operations: Completion Case Studies for Hydro by I. Raw and E. Tenold.

 

Jonathan Abbott, SPE, is the chief technology officer at TAQA Well Completions where he is responsible for a range of technologies designed to optimize the interface between the well and the reservoir. He has more than 23 years of international experience in operations, sales, technical support, product development, and project management. Abbott holds an MEng and a master’s degree in German from the University of Sheffield, UK. His career includes stints in Canada, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. He has significant expertise in reservoir-centric production and completion optimization, with a proven track record of multiple technical industry firsts, supported by technology patents and industry-recognized publications.