Value from Advanced Wells Completed with Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) in Water Flooding

Advanced well completions (AWCs) are equipped with flow control devices (FCDs) to optimise the well and reservoir performance by controlling zonal production/injection rate. The passive FCDs, named Inflow Control Devices (ICDs), has the potential to improve the sweep efficiency, by equalising flow along the completion, in heterogeneous reservoirs.

ICDs have been successfully employed in producers, however, only limited studies investigated the potentials of using ICD completion in water injection wells. The passive control of ICDs is expected to be a suitable choice for injectors as injection can only be controlled in a proactive approach with long-term objectives.

This paper investigates the added value of installing ICD completion in injectors, as compared to the common approach of ICDs in producers only, using several case studies. Installing ICDs in injectors could effectively equalise flood front and improve the sweep efficiency. Moreover, it is observed that when water flooding is dominated by the viscous force (e.g. isolated layers) installing ICDs in injectors can provide the maximum added-value. However, when crossflow and gravity effects distort the flood front in the reservoir, far from the injectors, ICD installation in producers is also required.