ABSTRACT

This paper presents a case study on the innovative design and deployment of well completion for a CO₂ injection well. Over 5 years, the well was completed twice to conduct various CO₂ injection experiments across different formations. The paper discusses the design, technology, and procedures used to meet challenging well-completion requirements. One challenge involved external fibre optic cables installed on the casing using blast rods. To avoid damaging these cables, a wireline-oriented gun system that reads flux from the rods was used to orient the perforation charges away from the cables. Additionally, downhole formation samples were collected without requiring a well workover, achieved using Tube-in-Tube U-Tube sampler technology. To reduce costs, the well design utilised 13% rather than the 25% chromium stainless steel material typically recommended for CO₂ injection wells. The recovered tubular showed a favourable corrosion profile during re-completion, supporting the design decision. The well was re-completed in 2024, incorporating design optimisations and lessons learned from the initial completion. The recompletion targeted new low-permeability zones, requiring perforation cleanup to enhance injectivity. An innovative method using inflatable packers and nitrogen to displace and flow the well inside the tubing achieved this objective, significantly reducing costs compared to a full flowback package. The paper emphasises tailored engineering solutions for complex well construction, demonstrating the effectiveness of specific tools and materials in optimising well design and contributing to best practices for future carbon capture and storage well completion applications.