This paper shares key lessons from the UAE’s first e-line electromechanical and ADNOC Onshore’s first fiber-optic equipped coiled tubing (FOE-CT) Inflow control device (ICD) shifting operations in 2024. It shows how real-time telemetry and distributed temperature surveying (DTS) enabled precise ICD assessment and manipulation, overcoming limitations of conventional CT. The work highlights production gains, tool design advances, and sustainability impact. It introduces a strategic approach to revitalize legacy wells affected by high water production, setting the stage for future optimization using advanced diagnostics and interventions.

The paper outlines a data-driven methodology applied in the UAE’s first e-line electromechanical and FOE-CT ICD shifting operations in 2024. It includes technical evaluation of hydraulic manipulation tools, real-time telemetry, and DTS compared to conventional CT. Candidate wells were selected through production log analysis and backlog review. Procedures involved detailed pre-job planning, tool deployment with real-time instrumentation, hydraulic ICD manipulation, and post-job status verification using logging and DTS. Production uplift was measured to assess intervention effectiveness. This integrated approach demonstrates operational feasibility and sets a scalable framework for revitalizing legacy wells with inflow control challenges and high-water production.

The 2024 operations involving UAE’s first e-line electromechanical shifting and our organization’s inaugural FOE-CT ICD shifting job, delivered transformative outcomes, and boosting average production per well. The e-line instrumented electromechanical shifting tool’s precise control and millimeter accuracy as well as FOE-CT’s real-time telemetry and hydraulic piston control ensured precise shifting, eliminating excessive surface overpull that plagued conventional CT’s ability of ICD shifting since 2009. Realtime displacement measurement and force signatures confirmed successful ICD actuation, corroborated by immediate pre- and post-manipulation logging, achieving 100% verification accuracy via downhole sensors. Observations highlighted the technologies’ ability to overcome unquantified downhole force limitations, ensuring reliable, repeatable operations. Benefits included precise manipulation, enhanced operational efficiency, and validated ICD status, unlocking previously inaccessible production potential. Conclusions affirm the scalability of these breakthroughs for over 15 years of unmanipulated ICDs leading to unoptimized production. This paradigm-shifting framework, leveraging real-time data and precision engineering, sets a global benchmark for ICD optimization, promising substantial production gains in legacy assets worldwide.

This paper introduces a validated workflow for ICD manipulation using the UAE’s first e-line electromechanical and FOE-CT ICD shifting operations, achieving millimeter-scale precision and real-time verification. It demonstrates how DTS enables accurate ICD position assessment and immediate fluid profiling. Unlike conventional CT, these methods avoid blind overpull and provide actionable data. Case studies and financial analysis confirm cost-effectiveness and scalability, offering a breakthrough model for revitalizing legacy ICD wells and enhancing global completion optimization strategies.