Multilateral Well Utilization on the Increase

Abstract Shell U.K. Exploration and Production (Shell Expro), in its effort to reduce the cost per barrel of oil, continues to foster the evolution and utilization of multilateral wells and associated new technologies to develop, both, new and maturing reservoirs in all sectors of the North Sea. Multilaterals with TAML junction levels 1 through 4 have been applied in six fields to date and will be applied to an additional seven fields within the next two years. Multilateral wells have provided a means to optimize slot usage, commercially develop lower-quality reserves within the Brent sequence, and combine appraisal objectives with economical development targets. This paper will show how Shell Expro has applied multilateral wells in field development using level 1 and 2 junctions in the Southern Gas Basin in the Southern North Sea and level 4 junctions in the Central and Northern Sectors. The complementary technologies of underbalanced drilling and intelligent well completions are being integrated to optimize field development. Shell Expro is also a major proponent of the level 6 multilateral (sealed junction) that is being developed by the industry. With the increasing maturity of the North Sea reservoirs, the need to produce new oil cheaper and quicker, and the instability of oil prices, multilateral well technology provides the industry with another tool to lower the cost of reserve development.