Best Practices and Lessons Learned in Openhole Horizontal Gravel Packing Offshore Brazil: Overview of the Achievements from 72 Operations

Abstract The challenge of the alpha/beta waves gravel packing open hole in the Brazil offshore is how to successfully displace the proppant slurry in a large wellbore with a low fracture gradient formation, deep to ultra-deep water depths, and extended reach horizontal section. Since 2001, job data from more than 72 open hole horizontal gravel packings have been compiled into a database. This paper reviews the well information and the key gravel packing parameters: pump rate, fluid density, injection proppant concentration, inner/outer annulus area ratio, dune ratio, packing rate, packing time and packing efficiency during alpha/beta waves. The engineering implementations and challenges, the best practices and lessons learned for open hole horizontal gravel packing are also summarized. The data analysis yields a better understanding about the open hole horizontal gravel packing in the Brazil offshore and provides a good guideline for future practice. A historical review is also presented showing how the gravel packing methodology has improved packing efficiency and success rate. Case histories are provided demonstrating how to deploy the single trip system and pack the extended reach wellbore utilizing ultra-light-weight (ULW) proppant under extreme with improved packing efficiency and the success rate.