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Intelligent completions technology is
developed and engineered at the
Schlumberger Reservoir Completions
Center in Rosharon, Texas, USA. Top,
Mechanical Engineer Mike Cheng
prepares part of the latest intelligent
completions system for a pressure test
in the laboratory. Materials Engineers
Tatiana Reyes and Tim Dunne, bottom
left, measure the rate of degradation of
dissolvable metallic balls used to acti-
vate and deactivate completions tools.
Mechanical Engineer David Agu, bottom
right, prepares to test the mechanical
properties of a proprietary elastomer
designed for use in production and
completion tool seals.
Schlumberger first demonstrated total
proof of concept of intelligent
completions on a horizontal well in
2001. The well was equipped with
sensors that recorded temperature and
pressure along the well and remotely
controlled valves that enabled
independent control of production
from each of three zones. A deep-
reading resistivity array monitored
fluid movements within the reservoir.
The experiment showed that a well could be optimally placed within the reservoir and
then monitored and operated intelligently using downhole valves to adjust inflow.
Schlumberger is a leader in both downhole valve and permanent sensor technology. New
systems in development provide complete measurement and full control in multiple zones
throughout a well, which requires that intelligent stations can be deployed at any point, in
any type of well design. Such stations include an electrically powered flow control valve
with a production monitoring package consisting not only of pressure and temperature, but
also of flow rate and water-cut measurement. Acquired data are integrated in real time to
provide user-friendly answers that enable making production and reservoir management
decisions in a timely and effective manner.
The number of wells equipped with intelligent completions has grown rapidly as the
technology has come of age. One key advantage is the ability to manage production
without rig intervention and it is probably this that has led to the accelerated rate of
adoption of intelligent completions in subsea environments.
Intelligent Completions
