Case Study

Titanium XV custom-designed for extended stimulation of

geothermal well
INTERNATIONAL, FINLAND
TITANIUM XV SYSTEM

A Nordic company sought expertise from the oil and gas industry for completing a deep
vertical well to generate geothermal energy.

This pilot project is being developed with the goal of providing up to 10% of the district
heating needs for the City of Espoo, a city within greater Helsinki.

After 2 years of collaboration with multidisciplinary experts, a 5-stage Packers Plus

StackFRAC® Titanium® XV system was installed and the reservoir was successfully
stimulated over 5 weeks, as planned by the operator.

Challenge
The project required drilling two 8.5-in. open hole vertical wells, within city limits, to a
depth of about 21,325 ft (6,500 m). One well would be used to inject water deep
underground and the other would produce steam for geothermal energy. To improve
permeability between the wells, hydraulic stimulation was planned for the deepest 3,280
ft (1,000 m) of the wellbore to facilitate a flow path between the injection and production
wells.

Drilling through granitic bedrock to the target depth was unprecedented in the region
and, with little experience in drilling and completions, the operator sought technical
expertise from oil and gas service companies.

Solution
Experts from several industries conferred to estimate downhole conditions and
recommended a system capable of withstanding the expected 15,000 psi (103 MPa)
differential pressure while hydraulically stimulating the wellbore. With a long record of
successful completions in challenging applications, a 5-stage StackFRAC Titanium XV system
on a 5.5-in. liner was adapted and manufactured to suit the requirements.

The stimulation was designed using low pump rates and each stage would be completed
over 5 days or longer. To accommodate the lengthy stimulation, custom 3/8-in. seat
increments were used to provide pressure integrity, and to mitigate the risk of balls
degrading prior to completing the stimulation.
Results
The StackFRAC Titanium XV system was installed to the planned depth in the injection well.
The completion tool string spanned from a measured depth of 16,830 to 20,965 ft (5,130 to
6,390 m).

To reach target volumes, each stage was stimulated for 5 to 10 days at around 4 bbl/min
(0.6 m3/min). The entire stimulation spanned over 5 weeks and included more than 150,000

bbl (23,848 m3) of water. Since the stimulation was completed entirely using cold water, the
actuation balls functioned without incident.

The multidisciplinary team confirmed the stimulation of each stage using a combination of
pressure signatures and microseismic monitoring. Maximum pressures peaked between
12,300 and 14,300 psi (85 and 99 MPa).

After stimulation, the flow of water through the bedrock to the production well was put
on hold for review and evaluation, and to determine the viability of the geothermal energy
in similar conditions.

This completion is the second geothermal project for Packers Plus. Another system was
designed to withstand downhole temperatures of up to 600°F (315°C) for a well in
Australia.

As an innovator of downhole completion systems, Packers Plus has proven its leadership in
providing custom solutions for complex completions, such as high pressure/high
temperature, offshore, and multi-laterals. For more information about specialized
completion solutions, see packersplus.com.