Numerical Modelling for Forecasting the Efficacy of Horizontal Wells Equipped with Autonomous Inflow Control Devices

Abstract The Gulf of Suez Basin contains a lot of fields, most of these fields are suffering from water encroachment. The increasing water cut is posing a major challenge in optimizing the oil production rate. One increasingly popular approach is to use flow control devices (FCD's) that delay water and gas breakthrough into the well. It equalizes the inflow between well bore and completion by providing an extra pressure drop. These Flow control devices can be divided into inflow control devices (ICD's) and Autonomous inflow control devices (AICD's). The thesis describes the first model used in flow control devices for Gulf of Suez wells and the first such technique in Egypt and compare this mode of prediction data with the actual data for horizontal wells already completed and produced from long time back suffered from water breakthrough. The study applied on homogeneous formation with horizontal wells in addition to heterogeneous formation with horizontal wells to evaluate the effects of flow control strategies and technologies on the oil recovery factor of horizontal oil wells with an underlying aquifer using the numerical models. The results reveal that employing of Autonomous inflow control devices (AICD's) allows to produce more oil when compared with using ICD's. According to the findings in two cases, for horizontal wells, production with AICD increased overall oil recovery by roughly 25% when compared to an open hole completion, whereas production with ICD increased the overall oil recovery by around 20% when compared to an open hole completion. The study shows using FCD completion will save more cost through more oil gain and will save also operating cost by reducing the well intervention ways in the well future life. The modelling shows that FCD completion will save around 70 MM $ in horizontal wells. The thesis approved that it is time for Gulf of Suez wells to deploy AICD completion to minimize the operating wells cost.