The open hole gravel packing completion technology is the main technical means used for sand control production in deepwater gas wells. However, in actual field operations, due to problems such as loose reservoirs, long horizontal well sections, and narrow operation windows in deepwater gas fields, gravel packing sand control operations often end in failure. By finely depicting the pressure distribution regular of each stage, a whole process gravel packing pressure calculation model was established, and a alternative path screen calculation model was supplemented. The influence of key operating parameters on the gravel packing process was analyzed, and the accuracy of this method was verified by comparing with the actual downhole monitoring data of deep water gas well. The results shows that with the increase of pump rate, the filling pressure of α and β wave increased, and the sand to mass ratio gradually decrease. However, the frictional pressure formed in the sand bridge and transmission pipe in the alternative path screen increase rapidly, with a growth rate significantly greater than that of the flushing and screening annulus. The larger the flushing ratio, the greater the flow resistance in the flushing annulus. The optimal design flushing ratio is 0.70~0.83. Compared with the real-time monitoring pressure data of the tubing strings during each stage of the gravel packing operation, the theoretical calculation and actual monitoring pressure values have an error of only 2.1 %, and the final gravel packing efficiency of the well reaches 138%. It provides good technical support for the gravel packing operation in deepwater gas wells from both theoretical and engineering applications, and can provide technical guidance for similar deepwater horizontal well gravel packing operations in the future.
REN Guan-long, DENG Jin-gen, MENG Wen-bo, LIU Wei, ZHANG Chong.
Downhole Pressure Distribution Characteristics during Whole Process of Gravel Packing in Deepwater Gas Wells[J].
Science Technology and Engineering, 2026, 26(14): 5921-5928 DOI:10.12404/j.issn.1671-1815.2506210
水平井裸眼砾石充填完井工艺是指在裸眼井壁下入加筛管并在其外部位置充填挡砂砾石的方法,以避免油井在生产过程中过早出砂。常规砾石充填作业只能通过地面井口操作压力的变化情况来计算井下循环压力摩阻损失及充填效率,无法精细刻画各作业阶段及充填位置的循环压力及摩阻损失情况[5-6]。在砾石充填循环摩阻研究方面,张锁林等[7]将砾石充填全过程划分为3个阶段,研究了超短半径多分支井砾石充填各参数对砾石充填压力和充填时间的影响规律。文敏等[8]建立了水平井砾石充填不同阶段的数值模型,分析了不同因素对砾石充填过程压力的变化影响,得出了特定条件下对砾石充填的影响规律。孟文波等[9]针对海上超浅层气藏水平井砾石充填难题优化设计了旁通筛管结构,其可以有效降低常规砾石充填下的循环摩阻,可完成筛套环空堵塞极端工况下的砾石充填,并成功进行了海上应用。周泓宇等[10]开展了旁通滑套AICD(automatic inflow control device)筛管的水平井模拟充填试验,分析了α波和β波充填阶段的砾石流动特征,为砾石充填施工参数优选提供了依据。在减阻工艺研究方面也有砾石充填携砂液中加入减阻剂,以降低循环流动压力,辅助完成砾石充填作业的成功应用[11-12]。Wen等[13]和袁光杰等[14]建立了描述砾石充填固液两相流的数学模型,唐波等[15]和Nei等[16]实验研究了固液两相流的循环摩阻,分析了固相含量对流动摩阻的影响程度,提出了水平井砾石充填过程中存在拟均相悬浮流、非均相悬浮流、带滑动床的非均相悬流和静态岩屑床4种流态。陈阳等[17]对大排量旁通筛管进行了地面物理模拟试验和现场试验验证,得出了其优异的旁通输送能力和砾石充填效率。Pui等[18]、Gadiyar等[19]和Yu等[20]介绍了多流道旁通筛管在马来西亚等油田的成功应用,得出相对于传统砾石充填方式旁通筛管节约了大量作业时间,并消除了作业中的砂堵风险。
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