Interventionless Reservoir Isolation Valve Removes the Requirement for an Intermediate Completion: A Case Study

Abstract

With the constant push to save rig time and costs, the industry is looking to technology to provide these benefits whilst maintaining the same operating standards and risk mitigation. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology provides the means to remotely actuate downhole completion tools, thus reducing rig time by mitigating the requirement for intervention runs and the risks associated.

This paper will focus on an application of RFID technology to enable an operator to eliminate an intervention run or intermediate liner into a 10,000-ft reservoir section in the North Sea. The case-study well has pre-perforated liner in two zones—a 4-1/2-in. lower zone and a 7-in. upper zone (Fig. 1). These zones are isolated with swellable packers and pressure-actuated annulus packers. The typical procedure is to straddle the annulus packers individually using an inflatable plug, but setting the lower annulus packer incurs additional risk while running in the horizontal for an extended distance.

In this application the client is to use the RFID Reservoir Isolation Valve (RIV) to eliminate an intervention run to set an annulus packer. The RFID RIV provides the means to isolate the lower reservoir section and to provide a closed system to apply tubing pressure against.