Summary

This paper describes the design, execution, and performance of an intelligent openhole gravel-pack (OHGP) completion deployed in deepwater Malaysia. It explains how selective zonal control with Vana™ interval control valves, zonal isolation, and sand control were combined in a single wellbore to manage multiple reservoirs, overcome equipment constraints, and achieve targeted production with solids-free performance.

What is intelligent completion with interval control valves and how did it enhance this deepwater development?

An intelligent completion integrates downhole flow control devices, zonal isolation hardware, and monitoring systems to manage production from multiple reservoir intervals without well intervention. In this well, intelligent completion technology was combined with an OHGP to deliver both sand control and selective production.

Key elements of the completion included

• OHGP with shunt-tube technology to achieve complete annular sand placement
• openhole mechanical packers to isolate unwanted gas- and water-bearing intervals
• Vana interval control valves (ICVs) to selectively enable or stop production from upper and lower zones
• integration with subsea trees, tubing hangers, and intervention workover control systems.

Together, these elements enabled controlled production from two zones while maintaining sand-free flow and pressure isolation.

Why was this a breakthrough completion design?

The well targeted two reservoirs with different pressures while also encountering unwanted gas and water zones. Conventional completion approaches would have struggled to deliver reliable sand control and zonal isolation under these conditions.

Several factors made this completion distinctive:

• A marginal fracture pressure window required strict control of gravel-pack circulating pressures.
• A long openhole section required complete sand coverage without premature screenout.
• Subsea tree and tubing hanger designs limited available control-line penetrations.

These constraints were addressed by combining shunt-tube OHGP technology with a customized intelligent completion architecture. The design enabled full gravel-pack coverage while maintaining zonal isolation and compatibility with existing subsea infrastructure.

What value did the completion deliver?

The intelligent OHGP completion met its design and reservoir management objectives:

• Competent sand control was deployed across 858 m of open hole with 100% coverage.
• Target production rates were achieved in a solids-free environment.
• Productivity indices aligned with low-skin design predictions.
• Four openhole compartments were effectively isolated and selectively produced.
• No sand production or crossflow was detected during testing and early production.

The completion architecture also enabled flexibility to address subsurface uncertainties encountered during drilling, including unexpected gas and water zones.

How were limited tubing hanger penetrations addressed?

A key constraint was the limited number of tubing hanger penetrations available for ICVs. Traditional flow control valve systems typically require an N+1 control-line configuration, where N is the number of valves. In this case, only two control lines were available.

This limitation was resolved by deploying Vana ICVs with built-in indexer mechanisms. The selected valves operated in open or closed positions and used four predefined logic combinations to control two production zones using only two control lines. This approach preserved intelligent completion functionality without modifying the existing subsea hardware inventory.

Where was the technology deployed?

The completion was deployed in the Siakap North Petai Field, offshore Sabah, Malaysia, in approximately 1,350–1,400 m of water depth. The well was tied back to the Kikeh FPSO.

During execution and early production

• gravel-pack pressures remained below formation fracture limits
• downhole gauge data confirmed heel-to-toe packing and effective zonal isolation
• selective production testing verified isolation between upper and lower zones.

The well represents the first intelligent openhole gravel-pack oil producer for PTTEP and achieved several field firsts, including the longest shunt-tube OHGP deployed by the operator at the time.

Paper abstract

As fields mature, the drilling and completion design and execution for infill development becomes challenging. In a deepwater environment, one of the strategies to address this challenge is to optimize subsea facilities by targeting several reservoir packages in a single wellbore. However, this technique comes with technical challenges because penetrating different zones requires active reservoir management, an allowance for zonal isolation, and an adequate response to potential crossflow. A smart completion architecture should overcome these constraints and reduce overall capital expenditure while maximizing production. Furthermore, for wells requiring sand control, the completion solution must ensure a reliable and proven approach that minimizes the potential completion failures introduced by unsuccessful sand retention. This paper presents the completion strategy implemented in an intelligent well completed in the Malaysian deepwater Block K, during the field development of Siakap North Petai (SNP) Phase 2 and executed in Q1 2022.