M. Khodaverdian

Completions and stimulations for coalbed methane wells

Amoco is producing coalbed methane from several hundred wells in both San Juan and Warrior basins. These wells were completed/stimulated in one of two ways : (1) open hole cavity completions, (2) hydraulic fracture stimulations through perforations in casing. Cavity operations are described, and new data from several cavity completions is presented and analyzed. The latest geomechanics modeling of the formation of cavities in coalbeds is presented. The model allows the growth of a cavity as tensile failure occurs, and computes increases in permeability in a stress-relief zone that extends tens of feet from the well. Critical parameters are given for the success of cavity completions. A pulse interference analysis is discussed : as well as interwell permeability, this can provide information on stress-dependent permeability. Finally, some wells which were originally cavitated did not perform up to expectation, and have been recavitated with remarkable success - these are also examined. Amoco has tried several different kinds of hydraulic fracturing treatments. Results of comparisons between foam fracture, slick water fracture, and gel fracture treatments are presented. Statistical comparisons are given for regions outside of the fairway zone in the San Juan Basin. In the Warrior Basin, water fracture treatments with and without sand have been compared. Lastly, foamed water cleanouts, without sand, have been deployed, and their success is reviewed.

Horizontal Wellbore Stability and Sand Production in Weakly Consolidated Sandstones

Long-term stability of horizontal wellbore completions with uncemented liners in weakly consolidated to unconsolidated sandstone formations (e.g. Gulf of Mexico, Nigeria) remains an area of concern. This paper presents the results of dedicated polyaxial cell laboratory experiments addressing this issue. In addition, the influence of rock failure in the near-wellbore region on well productivity was studied. Large blocks of a weak artificial sandstone were prepared. A hole was drilled in these blocks, and production conditions at various values of in-situ stress, drawdown and watercut, both in the absence and presence of a liner, were simulated. During testing, the hole was kept at a horizontal position in order to realistically simulate the influence of gravity forces on the movement of sand debris. The process of hole failure and restabilisation was continuously monitored by an endoscope coupled to a videocamera. The experimental results show that in the presence of a slotted liner, and in the absence of watercut, rock failure leads to a gradual annulus fill-up with loose sand, eventually resulting in a stable configuration in which only a small fraction of the far-field stresses is transferred to the liner. These results are further supported by elasto-plastic calculations. Rock failure around the liner is shown to have only a minor effect on productivity. This result implies that rock failure around uncemented liner completions will generally not be noticed at the wellhead. The introduction of a small (<5%) watercut resulted in massive sand production and subsequent liner collapse. This can be explained by the fact that watercut destroys capillary cohesion, thereby destabilising sand arches over the slots.