Haradh-III: Industry's largest field development using maximum-reservoir- contact wells, smart-well completions and I-field concept

The development of Haradh-III in the Southernmost area of Ghawar represents a major shift in paradigm in terms of the combination of the technologies. The field development combines four main technology features which include maximum reservoir contact (MRC) wells, smart completions, extensive use of real-time geosteering and I-field initiatives. This paper describes the motivation, implementation, and post-production evaluation of this unique field development. In the case of Haradh-III, field development with smart MRC wells delays water encroachment, improves flood front conformance and recovery, lowers water production and long term development and operating costs. Bottom water encroachment into the wellbore is mitigated as down-hole Internal Control Valves (ICV), as part of the smart completion, are adjusted. This in turn lengthens the life of the well, allows sweep and recovery to take place in the reservoir below the horizontal wellbores through the most effective sweep process: the replacement mechanism by gravity. The objectives of the development are accomplished utilizing a reduced number of wells, minimizing the accompanying infrastructure therefore lowering the capital expenditure while reducing the operating cost by maintaining, on a long-term basis, a low-water producing system, all occurring in real-time and within the I-field environment.