Multilateral Technology and its Possible Applications in Egypt

By

 Osama Obeid¹, Ahmed El Signiy¹

(1) Halliburton, Egypt, Cairo, Egypt

 Multilateral technology was developed to reduce overall field development costs by using complex drainage architecture to increase the amount of reservoir exposure. The use of multilateral technology can be instrumental in maximizing economic value.

Multilateral systems enable multiple reservoirs to be produced simultaneously. The technology connects a lateral, or a multitude of lateral wellbores, to the main borehole at the multilateral junction. The junction can be designed in a new well application or created in an existing wellbore for a re-entry application. From the lateral bore, additional laterals, branches, or splays can be added to access additional reservoir targets. The main and lateral bore designs can be vertical, directional, or horizontal with multilateral system selection based on the individual requirements of the reservoir.

Multilateral systems offer the opportunity for reduced drilling and completion costs, increased production, and more efficient reservoir drainage. When properly applied and executed, multilateral technology can deliver enhanced reservoir management capabilities and help increase recoverable reserves with significant reductions in overall development expense.

In Egypt, multilateral systems could bring a great value in re-entry wells both in the Sinai fields and the Gulf of Suez. New wells off shore the GOS are another strong candidates for the substantial savings in the lifting $cost/bbl associated with the implementation of such technology.