REAL-TIME OPTICAL MONITORING OF BOTTOMHOLE PRESSURE DURING EXTREME-OVERBALANCED PERFORATING AND PRODUCTION TESTING OF A REMOTE ALASKAN EXPLORATION WELL

Permanent downhole pressure gauges are becoming a standard completion component in many production wells. However, their use in exploration wells to date has been limited. Wireline deployed memory gauges are more likely to be used to obtain downhole pressure data during testing of exploration wells. Unfortunately, pressure data from memory gauges does little to help the operator manage and optimize the completion and testing of a well where uncertainties in rock strength, pore pressures, and production rates can be high. Installation of a permanent downhole gauge in an exploration well can provide valuable data for real time management of the production testing process.

This paper discusses the installation, application, and value of a permanent optical sensing pressure and temperature gauge system installed in an exploration well (Carbon #1) in the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA) during April 2004. The well was a delineation/confirmation well in a large hydrocarbon accumulation discovered during previous winter drilling seasons. All exploration work in the NPRA is done from ice roads and pads and therefore the season is limited by weather. Challenges and unique aspects of the installation included arctic winter operations, flawless integration of the data into surface well testing data acquisition systems and the ability to monitor real time bottom hole treating pressures during an EOB (extreme overbalanced) perforating treatment.

The real time data proved to be invaluable for determining the effectiveness of the stimulation treatment as well as optimizing the duration of the production test and final pressure build up test. The ability to monitor pressure data real time rather than having to run and retrieve multiple memory pressure gauges provided nearly B_textbookB_ data quality during multi rate testing. The well is now temporarily abandoned and is available for use as a pressure monitoring well during future development.