Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

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JUAN ORTEGON JUAN ORTEGON Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

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Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations. Juan Ortegon. 2010 ALRDC. Major Challenges. Horizontal/Deviated Wellbores Pump Depth (Placement) Solids (SAND!!!) Gas Interference . 2010 ALRDC. Horizontal Wells. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

Page 1: Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

JUAN ORTEGONJUAN ORTEGON

Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

Page 2: Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

Major Challenges

Horizontal/Deviated Wellbores

Pump Depth (Placement)

Solids (SAND!!!)

Gas Interference

2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

Page 3: Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

Horizontal Wells

Vast majority of wells in shale plays are “non-vertical” multi-stage completions

2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

Page 4: Issues with Rod Pumping Wells Completed in Shale Formations

Pump Placement

Optimal Pump Placement?

KOP (vertical section above KOP)

Tangent Section (ex. 50° - 60°)

Lateral (90°)

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Solids

Solids such as sand increase pump failures and sand tolerant pumps (i.e. loose fitting & or trash pumps) ultimately effect pump efficiencies

Possible Solutions

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Gas Interference

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Vertical Wells

Not enough rat hole

Pumping above perfs to get away from solids

Horizontal Wells

Always above perfs

High GLR

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Breakout Summary

2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

Discussion was geared towards horizontal and highly deviated wells as majority of new and future activity revolves around non-vertical wells.

Group brought up that in effort to have a successful chance of being able to rod pump, the best conditions have to be set initially, thus calling for more and improved communication between the drilling goups and production engineers.

Pump placement was briefly discussed as it appeared that most operators usually set pump in the vertical section although an operator in the Bakken Shale stated they are pumping wells in the 60deg marker will relatively some success although noting there are risks are associated with it.

Major discussions regarding the lack of technology to combat major issues with shale wells being both gas and high sand producing plays.

With many individual tools in the market today to handle such issues as gas separation and sand handling, there is still no “magic bullet”!

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Breakout Summary

2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC 2010 ALRDC

Service companies and pump manufactures need to foresee the need for pumps to handle the numerous variables associated with horizontal wells.

Operators need to be willing to share information regarding success and failures with any new technology.

Verdict is still undecided on the ability for rod pumps to be utilized for shale formations which consist of highly of horizontal wells.