Deepwater oil and gas developments are becoming increasingly complex, placing greater emphasis on advanced production technology, reservoir stimulation, well surveillance and long-term asset optimisation.
In a recent industry interview, Ian Jackson, Shell’s Global Subject Matter Expert for Hydraulic Fracturing, discussed the engineering technologies and decision-making approaches shaping the future of deepwater production. His work has included well interventions, production optimisation, surveillance and completion strategies across major offshore developments, including the Whale Field in the Gulf of Mexico.
Production technology becomes increasingly important
Production technology covers the full production lifecycle, from reservoir performance and completion design through to surveillance, intervention and long-term optimisation.
The discipline is particularly important in deepwater developments because early engineering decisions can influence well performance and operating requirements for decades. High capital costs, complex reservoirs and challenging offshore operating environments also increase the importance of designing wells for long-term reliability.
Jackson describes production technology as an integration discipline connecting reservoir engineering, wells, completions, facilities and operations to convert reservoir potential into safe and reliable production.
High-Angle Multi-Frac technology
One of the technologies highlighted in the interview is High-Angle Multi-Frac (HAMF), which was developed to improve production from tight, low-mobility reservoirs in deepwater environments.
The approach adapts concepts associated with unconventional onshore developments for offshore applications, with the objective of increasing reservoir contact and improving well productivity.
Developing the technology required an assessment framework incorporating reservoir characteristics, completion feasibility, fracture design, production forecasting and execution risks.
The experience also highlights an important consideration for offshore technology development: successful innovation requires more than a technically viable concept. Engineering validation, operational confidence, commercial justification and a practical deployment strategy are all required before a technology can be adopted at field scale.
Production surveillance at the Whale Field
Production surveillance is another important element of deepwater asset management.
Completion design determines how a well accesses the reservoir, while surveillance provides information about whether the well is performing as expected. Combining production data, integrity diagnostics, reservoir understanding and completion information can help engineers identify changes in well performance and determine appropriate intervention strategies.
For long-life deepwater assets, the ability to understand well behaviour throughout the production lifecycle can be particularly valuable. Wells must be designed not only for initial production but also for future surveillance, intervention and optimisation requirements.
Multidisciplinary engineering
Deepwater developments require close cooperation between multiple engineering disciplines.
Reservoir behaviour can influence completion design, while completion decisions affect operations and ultimately production performance. Integrating reservoir engineering, drilling and completions, production technology, facilities engineering and operations can therefore improve the quality of major development decisions.
The approach also places greater emphasis on understanding uncertainty, challenging assumptions and ensuring that engineering decisions are supported by sufficient evidence.
Digital technology and AI
Digital technologies, predictive analytics and artificial intelligence are increasingly being incorporated into production engineering.
These tools can help engineers analyse large volumes of well-performance information, identify potential risks, predict equipment or production issues and prioritise optimisation opportunities.
However, engineering expertise remains essential. Digital models can identify patterns, but engineers must still interpret those results within the context of reservoir behaviour, well design, operating conditions and offshore realities.
The emerging model is therefore one in which engineers use digital tools to make faster and better-informed decisions rather than relying on technology alone.
Moving innovation from concept to field
For new production technologies to become part of routine offshore operations, they need to demonstrate technical credibility, commercial value and operational practicality.
Scalability is also important. Technologies that can be consistently deployed across multiple wells or assets can provide greater value than solutions designed only for individual applications.
As deepwater developments move into more challenging reservoirs and operating environments, technologies such as reservoir stimulation, production surveillance, analytics and automation are expected to play an increasingly important role.
The combination of advanced engineering, digital technologies and multidisciplinary decision-making will be central to improving production performance, reliability and recovery across the next generation of deepwater assets.
