New completion technology reduces degradation of near-wellbore area

UK-based Darcy Technologies launched a new completion technology this week at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Florence, Italy. The system was developed to optimize reservoir inflow and maximize recovery by applying stress beyond the wellbore.

While established completion methods such as gravel packing and expandable screens address mobility in the near wellbore, Darcy Technologies believes they don’t address the source of the problem.

“The Darcy system allows operators to apply calculated and modulated stresses beyond the wellbore into the formation to influence the near-wellbore area’s critical matrix,” said company CEO Steve Bruce.

“It’s by maintaining these stresses and creating near virgin conditions that the Darcy system reduces the degradation of the near-wellbore during production, thus enabling the controlling of sand, channeling reservoir fluids, isolating flow and, crucially, boosting overall permeability,” he continued.

The system is modular and incorporates the proprietary Tri-axial Activation Platform. It allows the integration of components to match individual completion requirements and provides positive compliance.

“Another way of looking at it,” Mr Bruce said, “is that completions groups now have a system at their disposal which provides them with open-hole performance with cased-hole functionality.”

Darcy Technologies believes that, unlike systems where issues of complexity have been barriers to adoption, the straightforwardness of their new system help with industry uptake.