Application of Dual-Lateral Ultra-Short Radius Sidetracking Horizontal Well Technology in Low-Abundance High Water-Cut Oil Fields

A low-abundance oilfield has entered the late high-water-cut development stage, characterized by scattered remaining oil distribution and a “two highs and three lows” production pattern. With multilayer unidirectional remaining oil enrichment, conventional stimulation measures face significant challenges in tapping potential reserves. There is an urgent need to explore new extraction technologies to meet the requirements of oilfield development. Since 2024, the innovative application of dual-branch ultra-short-radius sidetracking horizontal well technology has enabled the identification of low-water-cut zones in high-water-cut wells and low-water-cut directions in high-water-cut layers. By drilling two radially distributed horizontal laterals from a single vertical wellbore, this approach achieves multi-layer reserve recovery in high-water-cut wells, delivering favorable development results. Based on the remaining oil distribution and the interpretation of sedimentary facies maps, this study implemented the “dual pre-drilling modeling and dual real-time drilling corrections” approach, achieving precise reservoir prediction and real-time well trajectory adjustment. By applying integrated well-seismic interpretation technology for precise characterization of narrow-channel sand bodies, this study guided sidetrack horizontal well design and real-time drilling monitoring. Furthermore, an optimized sidetracking technique for high-water-cut wells was developed, featuring “extended target standoff + water-flooding-opposed orientation” as its core strategy, thereby continuously expanding sidetracking potential. This successfully achieved directional recovery of multilayered unidirectional residual oil in high-water-cut wells, establishing a technical benchmark for remaining oil production in analogous oilfields.