Wellbore restrictions limit access and damage swell packers
An oil producer well was drilled in 2017 in the Bekhme Formation of the
Tawke Field Cretaceous reservoir in Iraq and the openhole section stimulated
with a limited coiled tubing acid wash. Production results were disappointing,
and the operator prepared to recomplete the well.
The new completion was designed to compartmentalize two key segments of
the well with sliding sleeves, enabling more precise targeting of the acid and
ensuring thorough treatment in each segment. The operator usually ran swell
packers to isolate the annulus between sleeves.
However, this well was drilled with DLS up to 28°/100 ft, and
wellbore restriction limited access to the openhole segment. As a result,
conventional swell packers could not be used in the well.