1. n. [Well Testing]

A completion with only a portion of the productive interval open to flow, either by design or as a result of damage. Limited-entry completions in vertical wells are designed to avoid unwanted fluid production, such as gas from an overlying gas cap or water from an underlying aquifer. The effects of limited entry may be seen in perforated and gravel-packed wells when some of the perforations fail to clean up. This is also called a partial completion. The limited entry also results from partial penetration, which occurs when the productive formation is only partly drilled. This partial penetration represents a near-well flow restriction that results in a positive skin effect in a well-test analysis.

See related terms: gas cap,  gravel pack,  partial completion,  partial penetration,  skin effect