Progressive sanding evaluation at different stages of the Geographe field development, Otway Basin
Ahmadreza Younessi A * , Abbas Khaksar B , Charles Hogue B and Peter McKenzie BA Baker Hughes, Perth, WA, Australia.
B Beach Energy, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62 S209-S214 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21165
Accepted: 23 March 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
Sanding risk assessments were conducted at different stages of development of Geographe field in the Otway Basin, Australia. The initial sanding analysis was conducted using the exploration and appraisal wells data in 2010. This analysis showed low sanding risk for the planned wells with the expected production plan. The sanding model was then updated in 2014. Logs, core tests and sand-free production data from the early production wells were used to improve the initial sanding model. The updated model reconfirmed the low sanding risk for planned horizontal wells and suggested no sand control would be required even at high depletions. The last model update was conducted in 2019 taking the advantage of about 5 years of sand-free gas production from two long horizontal laterals, with no downhole sand control. As of early 2022, the horizontal wells are still producing sand-free with depletion approaching more than 75%. A geosteered long horizontal well (approximately 2.1 km) at a different azimuth was drilled in the latter part of 2021. As the updated sanding model showed negligible risk of sanding for the planned well, a sand-face completion with pre-drilled liner was implemented. The progressing sanding analyses helped to augment the reliability of the initial prediction by calibrating against the actual production data from two horizontal wells. Drilling and production experiences are used to optimise geosteering and confirm suitability of the completion system for the well including later life of the field at high-pressure depletion condition.
Keywords: Australia, completion, Geographe field, geomechanics, horizontal well, offshore, Otway Basin, sand production prediction.
Ahmadreza Younessi holds a BSc in Mining Engineering (2004), MSc in Rock Mechanics Engineering (2006) from Amir Kabir University and PhD in Petroleum Engineering (2012) from Curtin University, Australia. He has been working in Oil and Gas industry as a Geomechanics consultant since 2006. He joined Baker Hughes Geomechanics team in 2012. Since then, he was involved in numerous projects including 1D and 3D geomechanical modelling, wellbore stability analysis, near-real-time analysis, sand production prediction, sanding rate quantification, compaction and subsidence analysis, 4D geomechanical modelling and fault reactivation analysis mainly in Asia-Pacific region. He is the regional advisor in 3D/4D geomechanical modelling applications. He also actively contributes to technology and software development. He has more than 20 publications in peer reviewed journals, SPE papers and conference presentations. He has served as technical committee in several SPE conferences and technical workshops. |
Abbas Khaksar, holds BSc in Mining Engineering (1989) from Tehran University, MSc in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (1994) and PhD in Rock Physics (1998) both from the University of Adelaide. He previously worked for Iran Geological and Mineral Exploration Organisation (1989–1992), a post-doctoral researcher at University of Adelaide (1998–2000), Geomechanics Specialist with Geomechanics International (2000–2005), Principal Geomechanics Specialist with Helix-RDS (2005–2009) and since 2009 has been with Baker Hughes. He currently is a Global Geomechanics Advisor and Subject Matter Expert for Sand Production Prediction, based in Australia. In the past 24 years he has worked extensively in Petroleum Geomechanics involving with more than 250 studies globally in many aspects of Geomechanics. He has in excess of 150 journal publications and conference presentations. He is a member of Society of Petroleum Engineers and American Association of Rock Mechanics. He was a SPE Distinguished Lecturer in 2019–2020 on Geomechanics of sanding. |
Charles Hogue graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BSME in 1989. Starting his career with Baker Oil Tools in Houston and then Baker Safety Systems in Broken Arrow, he transferred to Perth Australia in 1994 as District Engineer. After 3 years with Baker in Australia, Hogue joined Advanced Well Technologies in Perth, working as an Embedded Client Completion Engineer and Offshore Supervisor for Woodside, BHP, Apache, AGIP (ENI), Nexen, Santos, Cairn Energy, Petrofac and Galoc among others over a 10-year tenure. A staff Senior Completion Engineer position at BHP followed for the Pyrenees and Macedon developments, and from there the Jubilee deepwater subsea development at Tullow Oil in Ghana. He has been contracted since 2018 to Beach Energy Ltd as Senior Completion Engineer for the Otway Offshore development, and has been an SPE member since 1994. |
Peter McKenzie graduated from the University of Queensland with a BSc Hons 1st class in 1980. He started his career in Oil and Gas in 1983 with Delhi Petroleum in Adelaide and then Santos focussed for many years initially on the Cooper/Eromanga and then Amadeus Basin. In 2001 he joined OMV in Austria working on development opportunities in Iraq and Iran, and in 2004 he returned to Australia to work on OMV’s field developments in Bass Strait and the Taranaki Basin in New Zealand. In late 2004 he joined Woodside Energy in Perth, working initially on the Enfield oil development in the Carnarvon Basin. Secondment to Woodside Libya in Tripoli, North Africa followed in 2006 for a further 3.5 years before he returned to Perth to focus on various projects including CO2 disposal for the Browse Basin gas fields and subsea tiebacks on the North West Shelf. McKenzie joined InterOil in Singapore in 2015 where he worked on the appraisal operations of the giant Antelope Field in the East Papuan Basin in PNG. In late 2018, he joined Beach Energy in Adelaide as a Subsurface Manager where his primary focus has been exploration, and evaluation and execution of the Otway Offshore development of Geographe and Thylacine gas fields. |
References
Beach Energy (2021) Otway Offshore Project – Update on drilling campaign. Beach Energy Report, 21 December 2021. Available at https://www.beachenergy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/211221-Beach-Energy-Update-Otway-Offshore-Project-Geographe-wells-completed.pdfRahman K, Khaksar A, Kayes T (2010) ‘An Integrated Geomechanical and Passive Sand-control Approach to Minimize Sanding Risk from Open Hole and Cased and Perforated Wells.’ (Society of Petroleum Engineers)
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Willson SM, Maschovidis ZA, Cameron JR, Palmer ID (2002) ‘New Model for Predicting the Rate of Sand Production.’ (Society of Petroleum Engineers)
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