Page 302 - Intelligent Digital Oil And Gas Fields

250 Intelligent Digital Oil and Gas Fields

this event marked the genesis of the intelligent well era. (Note: “Smart well”
and “intelligent well” are used interchangeably.)
Over the past decade, the use of intelligent well technology in many geo-
graphic regions has “crossed the technology adoption chasm,” as oil and gas
producers are increasingly using this technology in field developments to
improve reservoir management, which is the main benefit that intelligent
well technology delivers. Current technical challenges focus on new and
modified mechanical systems for the valve configurations and alternatives
such as interval control devices and the control strategies to operate the
mechanics for optimal reservoir management such as water or gas
breakthrough. This chapter explains technical aspects of optimizing oil
production with smart wells.

7.1 INTRODUCTION TO SMART WELLS

A smart well can be defined as a well that uses mechanical devices,
which allow control on pressure and rates down-hole, to optimize produc-
tion performance and ultimately improve oil reservoir recovery. The smart
wells are installed with down-hole devices, that is, mechanical and electronic
equipment that enables operators to control the wells remotely, without
intervention using rigs or coiled tubing. A fundamental type of equipment
used in smart wells is a down-hole mechanical valve called an interval
control valve (ICV), which is preset with orifices with different hole sizes.
The ICV is activated using an electronic pulse connected to an electrical
cable embedded with a feedthrough packer. Fig. 7.1 shows the main
components of a smart well.
During 2016, a total of 2200 wells had been completed with installations
of flow-control devices (with and without sensing). Ajayi and Konopczynski
(2008) compiled the value of smart wells from many fields around the world.
They concluded that 9% of total oil recovery could be added by a single

Fig. 7.1 Main components of a smart well.