Thru-Tubing Gravel Pack Experiences in Malaysia

Thru-Tubing Gravel Pack Techniques have been receiving an increasing attention in the recent years as a cost effective solution for sand producing wells with either failed gravel packs or zones that started sand production at a later stage during the life of the well especially in mature fields with marginal reserves as the conventional workover operations are usually not economically justified. In most cases, because of the marginal reserves available and the high cost of mobilizing a workover rig to perform a conventional gravel pack completion, the operators chose to recomplete the wells using rigless techniques. This paper covers some of the applications that the gravel pack has been placed through the existing completion tubing. It will review the successful installations performed in Malaysia, including the engineering design, completion operations, real-time decisions, and results. The proposed solutions and the lessons learned in these projects could change the sandface completion practices for sand prone wells that are either shut-in or not producing up to their potential in the mature fields.