Saudi Aramco’s upstream strategy aims to implement the intelligent field concept in all of its upstream operations by 2016–2017 so it can better understand reservoirs and improve efficiency.
Going by the names of intelligent oil field, smart oil field, and digital oil field, the concept is an array of interactive and complementary technologies that enable companies to gather and analyze data throughout the job site. Intelligent wells provide constant data through fiber-optic sensors in the drilling apparatus about the well and its environment, which enables operators to respond to changing circumstances in real time. The intelligent field is where operators, partners, and service companies seek to take advantage of improved data and knowledge management, enhanced analytical real-time systems, and more efficient business models.
In the Middle East, Saudi Aramco currently has 19 intelligent fields in operation, which enables the company to monitor reservoirs and intervene immediately in case of any damage because of the real-time monitoring system.
Saudi Aramco’s first use of intelligent fields started with its Haradh III Increment project, which included multilateral wells, all equipped with smart completions and real-time data. Haradh I was developed exclusively with vertical wells, whereas horizontal completions provided the primary configuration for producers/injectors in Haradh II. Haradh III was developed by relying mainly on smart maximum reservoir contact (MRC) completions within an intelligent field framework. Total Haradh production capacity is 900,000 B/D, with equal contributions from the three respective subsegments of I, II, and III.
The Haradh III development at the southern tip of the Ghawar oil field, completed in 2006, has been portrayed by Saudi Aramco as the turning point in the battle between geological adversity and engineering prowess. The poorest reservoir rock in Ghawar has succumbed to the latest in well and drilling technology. Aided by 3D seismic images showing fracture locations, wellsites were optimized and drills were guided by remote control from Dhahran.
MRCs were fitted with monitoring electronics and valves on individual laterals so they could be throttled back as needed to minimize water encroachment. Testing was done, adjustments were made as needed, and everything rolled out ahead of schedule. Goals for individual well productivity of 10,000 B/D were met, and projections indicated a smooth sailing for 10 years or more.
Haradh III became the first Saudi Aramco development project to be developed exclusively with MRC wells with downhole inflow control valves for flow control. Average well production rates were targeted at 10,000 B/D, compared with 3,000 B/D and 6,000 B/D for Haradh I and II, respectively. Smart completions were necessary to ensure production sustainability in the face of premature water encroachment through fault/fracture systems. Saudi Aramco said that the well requirements and relative unit costs would have been considerably higher had vertical or conventional single-horizontal wells been selected instead of MRC wells for Haradh III.
After the Haradh field development, all incremental developments became smart fields including Abqiq and Khurais, which is the largest increment in the world with production capacity of 1.2 million B/D.
For example, at the Manifa field, the company receives the data of the pressure before it put the wells in production.
“Manifa contains the largest number of extended-reach wells (ERW) as two-thirds of the wells in the field are ERWs by industry standards, some with a total depth of 37,000 ft, departing beyond 26,000 ft from surface locations,” said Shadi Hanbzazah, supervisor at the Manifa production engineering unit.
After seeing the benefits from Haradh, company management decided to set up an intelligent field center for real-time operations, which was followed by the establishment of the drilling operations center. Then, the company started a geosteering center. The role of geosteering as an enabling technology became more pronounced at Haradh III because accurate placement of multilaterals within the Arab-D reservoir (and integrity of hole trajectories) was necessary to achieve desired target rates of 10,000 B/D.
Greenfields and Brownfields
Saudi Aramco now plans to have all fields using smart technology by 2017. The development of several fields, including the Abu Hadriya, Fadhili, and Khursaniyah fields, involve transforming mature and remote fields into state-of-the-art intelligent fields, equipped with proper handling facilities for oil, water, and gas.
The three oil fields had been mothballed but were revitalized after extensive drilling workover programs. The latest downhole production technologies were installed in all oil production and water injection wells. Furthermore, the project called for the construction of new oil and gas processing and water injection facilities, all linked to their respective wells via an elaborate fiber optic communication network for optimum control and surveillance capabilities in real-time mode. The production and injection strategies were further optimized making use of permanent downhole monitoring systems, smart well completion multiphase flowmeters, single phase flowmeters, pressure and temperature sensors with specialty tailored monitoring, and simulation software.
In the Southern Reservoir Area, which includes brownfields such as Ghawar, Khurais, and Abqiq, the implementation of intelligent field technology required a strategic surveillance program different from that used in greenfields. For example, Ghawar, the largest field, has approximately 5,000 wells with some of them already depleted. The team working on the field had to find a strategic location to measure the health of the reservoir.
The technologies used in these fields allowed the company to remotely control key parameters and monitor vital equipment in real time to optimize the flow of hydrocarbons from the fields to processing facilities. It also minimized human interaction associated with field operations in a sour crude producing environment.
The implementation of the smart field concept in the Khurais increment project, the world’s largest oil increment development, has proven to be a necessity rather than an upgrade, as it enabled a higher level of control over the reservoir and precision in achieving reservoir management targets.
For Further Reading
Al-Mulhim, W.A., Al-Faddagh, H.A., Al-Shehab, M.A., et al. 2010. Mega I-Field Application in the World. Paper SPE 128837 presented at the SPE Intelligent Energy Conference and Exhibition, Utrecht, the Netherlands, 23-25 March. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/128837-MS
Al-Khamis, M.N., Al-Hamzani, H.J., and Al-Adel, M.F. 2009. Revamping Old Fields Using I-Field Technologies. Paper SPE 123540 presented at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, New Orleans, Louisiana, 4-7 October. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/123540-MS