The problem with multi-lateral wells

While cheaper to drill, multi-lateral wells suffer from limited options when things go wrong.

Unfortunately, multi-lateral wells have some drawbacks. An operator recently disclosed to the regulator that he believes many of his laterals have sand influx into the producing legs. This has caused their production performance to suffer.

Because they are multi-lateral legs, they cannot be entered and cleaned out. They must be redrilled.

He proposes to redrill nine multi-lateral legs as horizontal wells. But he won't be drilling from the same pad site and surface hole as the stunted multi-laterals. He will be drilling new horizontal wells, fully tied back to the surface, and starting from a new surface location.

Multi-lateral wells

Eight multi-lateral wells are cheaper to drill than the same number of horizontal wells. With multi-lateral wells, you can skip the cost of wellheads, surface casing, intermediate casing and drilling costs down to the formation.

After a well is drilled, the driller can pull back, set a retrievable whipstock part way down the hole and drill another lateral. Many laterals can be drilled in this manner. The advantage of such a drilling procedure is having many drain holes with only one surface hole, well head and surface pad.

Unfortunately, these multi-lateral wells also can't be suspended, isolated or abandoned. To abandon these laterals, the entire well must be abandoned. If some of the laterals are performing well, abandoning them is not the preferred option.

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Tags: Heavy Oil

  26 Jul 2016

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