News

First NOV Voyager 15XT Deployed in a Tight HPHT Reservoir

Trial of 15,000-psi open hole installation is a success.

Apr 01, 2021

NOV recently conducted a successful trial of the Voyager™ 15XT. The trial was initiated when a major Middle East operator approached the NOV Completion Tools team with an opportunity to develop a true 15,000-psi open hole ball-drop system for their tight high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) conventional oil and gas operations.

The customer specified a series of rigorous technical tests before the operation. After technical acceptance, a field trial was commissioned with the following criteria:

Installation without mechanical failure
Confirmation that the Flow Lock Sub™ was activated and closed during the installation
Proper activation of the frac sleeves during the fracturing operation while applying up to 15,000-psi differential pressure
Indication that there was zonal isolation
Milling of frac sleeves ball seats

Our Middle East operations and sales teams worked directly with the customer to coordinate logistics. With close communication with our supply chain and production teams, our equipment was ready to be deployed on the trial well once it was selected.

Technical questions on the selection and operation of the ball/seat sizing and pressure settings were critical to the success of the deployment. Each component was sized and approved by the customer with support from our extensive testing and qualification results.

In August 2020, a seven-stage proppant frac trial well was deployed with no issues. The activation ball landed as intended and closed the flow lock sub, allowing the packers and open hole anchor to be set. A pressure test was performed, and the system met the first trial criterion.

“We look at HPHT wells as a unique challenge for our Voyager frac system,” said Mohammed Munawar, Product Line Director for Multistage Completions. “By building on our team’s strong technical abilities, we were able to develop the 15XT quickly and achieve our first run success.”

The fracturing stimulation was performed in October 2020. The multistage stimulation with a maximum rate of 40 BPM and bottom hole pressure of 20,000 psi was completed successfully. Each stage was stimulated, and the ISIPs pre- and post-fracturing indicated good isolation was achieved.

In the end, all trial criteria were met, and the operation was deemed a success, paving the way for further Voyager 15XT deployments.

To learn more about the Voyager 15XT, visit www.nov.com/voyager15xt.

Authors

Mohammed Munawar

Global Product Line Manager

Mohammed Munawar, Global Product Line Manager, Multistage Completions, provides guidance and managerial direction for multistage fracturing and stimulation technologies within the NOV Completion Tools business unit. He is a recognized technical expert in cased-hole, open-hole/cemented multi-zone frac completions, heavy oil, and sand control techniques. He has coauthored several technical papers in multiple SPE publications. Between Weatherford and NOV, Munawar spent about 15 years in the well completion space and held positions in many world-wide regions, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and the United States. He holds a BS degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Al-Baath in Syria.

Will Tait

Product Line Technical Advisor, Multi-Stage Frac

William Tait has worked as part of the Completion Tools Business unit at NOV since Trican Completion Solutions was acquired in 2016. He has 10 years of experience primarily in Completions and has worked in Facilities, HVAC, and Forensic engineering. William holds a degree in Mechanical engineering from the University of Calgary, in Canada.

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