Change is always on the menu in the completions world in Canada. With expanded fields in either harsh northern or sandy prairie landscapes, multistage fracturing in wellbores has stepped in to enhance traditional and somewhat limited methods of pulling oil and gas out of the ground.
Baker Hughes has developed focused completion systems in response to the specific needs of Canadian customers. Unique technologies such as their FracPoint™ openhole fracture completion system, OptiPort™ coiled-tubing frac sleeve technology, Equalizer™ sand and inflow control technology, and newly launched In-Tallic™ disintegrating frac balls have created solutions for well over 50 Canadian companies and have involved over thousands of equipment installations across the country.
FracPoint technology has been the company’s primary multistage completion system in Canada since 2007. Developed in Houston, this specialized openhole completion technology was designed to create frac intervals so pressurized frac fluid can be directed into the formation to crack rock to enable production inflow.
Darryl Firmaniuk, manager of engineering for completion systems in Canada for Baker Hughes, says having the advantage of proven technologies in your pocket helps to eliminate operational risk and leads to fracturing efficiency. These, in turn, result in consumer confidence in the technology and overall cost savings for the client.
“In the past, companies would frac an openhole wellbore with likely only one fracture initiation point and production inflow path established,” he says. “Now you can create multiple fracture initiation points and multiple production inflow paths, realizing the full production potential of the well from the heel to the toe while saving on overall operating costs.”
As a result, multistage fracturing methodology, with a system such as FracPoint, has replaced traditional completion methods and is becoming the standardized way of completing wells in the industry.
FracPoint technology uses equipment such as multiple openhole packers and ball drop-activated sleeves, which form intervals in the wellbore. The patented ball and seat technology enables attainable frac pressure differentials of up to 10,000 psi and higher frac rates. Successively larger balls are dropped into the liner from the surface with the balls landing on their corresponding ball seat, opening each sleeve.
The openhole packers provide isolation so each interval can be fractured independently of one another, realizing the full production potential of the formation. “Customers can position the FracPoint sleeves at selective intervals, with the ability to blank off intervals close to water zones, thus reducing inflow problems,” Firmaniuk adds.
Baker Hughes’ OptiPort system offers an alternative choice to the FracPoint technology. Introduced a year ago into Western Canada, OptiPort technology has been implemented in over 250 wells across the country with over 3,500 OptiPort units installed.
The OptiPort system uses hydraulically activated sleeves (OptiPorts) that are functioned by using a specially designed coiled-tubing compression set packer (OptiPacker™). Frac intervals are formed by using openhole packers installed on the liner or through standard cementing operations. Since no balls are used for sleeve activation, there is virtually no limit to the number of frac/production intervals that can be created.
“Using OptiPort sleeves in the liner is gaining in popularity with some customers,” says Firmaniuk. “They like the option of being able to use coiled tubing for frac operations. If a formation screen-out were to occur, remedial means to clean out the wellbore is already on location.”
The OptiPort packer creates toe to heel productivity by opening up the OptiPorts in succession as coiled tubing is moved up the wellbore. Coiled tubing operational efficiency with the OptiPort system offers a tremendous benefit when it comes to time savings.
He adds that both technologies can be implemented into identical formations and wellbore configurations.
“It really comes down to the fact that some customers prefer to do things differently than others. With FracPoint technology, you are dropping balls for component activation, whereas with OptiPort technology, you are using coiled tubing and a packer for equipment activation.
He says every client has their own individual preferences and comfort zones, so they are given choices.
“Both systems have their own individual features to cater to choice, but basically provide the same benefits to our customers at the end of the day.”
Baker Hughes’ incredible shrinking dissolvable ball The newest technology recently was released last March by Baker Hughes. The IN-Tallic™ degradable frac ball was developed for the Canadian marketplace; more specifically, for slick-water fracturing, such as the Bakken formation. This innovative product is the first in the industry to be used with multistage fracturing systems and over time chemically breaks down in the presence of water.
“If you look at existing phenolic balls in the marketplace, many do not flow out of the wellbore to the surface due to low formation pressure.” says Firmaniuk. “If the balls remain downhole, they can create an inside diameter restriction during production.”
The lightweight, high-strength material incorporates controlled electrolytic metallic (CEM) technology. The science used is an electrochemical reaction controlled by varying nanoscale coatings within the composite grain structure.
“The difference is that these balls will degrade over a specified period of time—about three days to come off the ball seat. If there isn’t enough pressure/flow in the wellbore to bring the ball to surface with the ball being close to its existing outside diameter, it turns into the size of a pea in about 10 days. This is new for the industry,” says Firmaniuk “It’s being used currently in wellbores in North Dakota, and we’re seeing some great interest for use in Saskatchewan.”
The company’s EQUA LIZER™ reservoir injection and drainage system brings steam-assisted gravity drainage applications into the mix. An intelligent inflow control device (ICD) and the EXCLUDER2000™, a premium well screen, are used in the EQUA LIZER system.
The device assists clients in balancing steam flow into targeted chambers to reduce heavy oil viscosity and “equalizes” the production flow of heavy oil from heel to toe into the wellbore. It also delays water or gas coning in long, low-drawdown, high-rate horizontal wells. The inflow control device acts like a choke, limiting entry and allowing higher permeability into the liner. This slows down the flow and allows the rest of the fluid to catch up across the entire link.
“Geologic formations are indeterminate and offer unpredictability,” Firmaniuk says. “In talking to clients, we’re finding that particular formation properties change quite a bit from the pre-steamed to post-steam state. To provide answers to our customers’ needs, we have brought in an equalizer expert from Saudi Arabia, where the technology has been implemented for years and has been very successful.”
He cites that customers who have never used an equalizer in certain applications lamented that it was difficult to exploit reservoir production in a balanced flow scenario. They also complained about liners wearing out faster and were taking in a poorer water/oil cut. Once they got their hands on the system, they benefited from greater sustained quality production and longer equipment life.
For companies looking for a quick fix using this innovative feature, Firmaniuk suggests not to expect immediate production results. It can take six months or longer to realize the effectiveness for production potential. So far, it’s a successful longerterm production investment technology for companies that can afford to wait for the results, but payoff awaits those who are patient.
“We’re actively marketing this product in Canada and getting great feedback,” he says. “We expect to get some into the ground in the near term.”
Always thinking ahead, Baker Hughes plans to launch more technologies that cater exclusively to the Canadian marketplace.
“Our salesmen are very technically oriented. They keep coming back to our engineering group with customer requests for products that serve specific client needs,” Firmaniuk cites. “We have local engineers to develop technologies in a quick turnaround time frame. That way, we get the right product to the customer in the time frame they expect.”
While larger companies break ahead of the pack with more development-type completion projects using Baker Hughes technologies, Firmaniuk is noticing a growing trend of smalland medium-sized companies investing in Baker Hughes’ advanced equipment and intellectual capital.
“As smaller- and medium-sized companies want assistance in their completion requirements, they appreciate that we can help them by providing service on many different levels. All our clients use our 24/7 service policy—always on call for assistance as that’s the way the industry operates.”
The company’s recent acquisition of BJ Services has also added a more complete complementary offering of services. This addition has created an integrative, one-stop shop appeal for many customers.
“We realize that every client has their own unique needs, comfort zone and company philosophy. A lot of competitors may just offer a limited selection of products and services,” Firmaniuk says “Baker Hughes has the ability to supply a multitude of in-depth products and services that have provided, and will continue to provide, proven performance.”
