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Results
Transforming Challenges into Opportunities: First High Salinity Polymer Injection Deployment in a Sour Sandstone Heavy Oil Reservoir
Al-Murayri, Mohammed Taha (Kuwait Oil Company) | Alrukaibi, Deema (Kuwait Oil Company) | Kamal, Dawood Sulaiman (Kuwait Oil Company) | Al-Rabah, Abdullah Abdul-Karim (Kuwait Oil Company) | Hassan, Abrahim Abdelgadir (Kuwait Oil Company) | Qureshi, Faisal (Kuwait Oil Company) | Delshad, Mojdeh (Ultimate EOR Services) | Driver, Jonathan (Ultimate EOR Services) | Li, Zhitao (Ultimate EOR Services) | Badham, Scott (Chemical Tracers Inc.) | Bouma, Chris (Chemical Tracers Inc.) | Zijlstra, Ellen (Shell)
Abstract This paper describes the design and implementation of a one-spot enhanced oil recovery (EOR) pilot using high-salinity water (โผ166,000 ppm TDS) in a sour, sandstone, heavy-oil reservoir (โผ5 mol% hydrogen sulfide) based on an extensive laboratory study involving different polymers and operating conditions. In view of the results of this one-spot EOR pilot, a multi-well, high-salinity polymer-injection pilot is expected to start in 2020 targeting the Umm Niqqa Lower Fars (UNLF) reservoir in Kuwait. Polymer flooding is normally carried out using low- to moderate-salinity water to maintain favorable polymer solution viscosities in pursuit of maximum oil recovery. Nevertheless, low- to moderate-salinity water sources such as seawater tend to be associated with a variety of logistical, operational, and commercial challenges. For this study, laboratory experiments were conducted in conjunction with reservoir simulation to confirm the technical viability of polymer flooding using high-salinity water. Thereafter, a one-spot EOR pilot was executed in the field using a well near the location of the planned multi-well pilot to confirm the performance of the selected polymer vis-ร -vis injectivity and oil desaturation. The one-spot EOR pilot described in this paper was successfully executed by performing two Single-Well Chemical Tracer (SWCT) tests. For the first stage of the pilot, 200 bbl of produced water (up to 166,000 ppm TDS) were injected into the test well in an attempt to displace mobile oil out of the investigated pore space. Following this produced water injection, an SWCT test (Test #1) was carried out and measured the remaining oil saturation to be 0.41 ยฑ 0.03. This saturation measurement represents the fraction of oil remaining in the pore space of a cylindrical portion of the Lower Fars reservoir, measured from the wellbore out to a radius of 3.02 feet, after produced water injection. After the completion of Test #1 and subsequent recovery of the injected produced water, the same zone was treated with a 200-bbl injection of polymer solution. Following this 200-bbl polymer injection, a second SWCT test (Test #2) was performed and measured the remaining oil saturation to be 0.19 ยฑ 0.03 out to a radius of 3.38 feet. These results indicate that polymer injection may offer considerable improvement to oil recovery over conventional waterflooding alone. Performing polymer flooding in a sour, heavy-oil reservoir using high-salinity water is a challenging and unprecedented undertaking worldwide. In addition to the improved incremental oil recovery demonstrated by this pilot, enabling the use high-salinity produced water for polymer flooding is expected to result in significant benefits for cost-efficiency and operational ease by reducing or eliminating problems commonly associated with the sourcing, treatment, and handling of less saline water in the field.
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait (0.35)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.28)
- North America > United States > Oklahoma (0.28)
- Geology > Petroleum Play Type > Unconventional Play > Heavy Oil Play (1.00)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock > Sandstone (0.71)
- Asia > China > Heilongjiang > Songliao Basin > Daqing Field > Yian Formation (0.99)
- Asia > China > Heilongjiang > Songliao Basin > Daqing Field > Mingshui Formation (0.99)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery > Waterflooding (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery > Chemical flooding methods (1.00)
- Health, Safety, Environment & Sustainability > Environment > Water use, produced water discharge and disposal (1.00)
Design of a Robust ASP Formulation for Clay Rich and Moderate Permeability Sandstone Reservoir: From Laboratory to Single Well Chemical Tracer Test in the Field
Rohilla, Neeraj (TIORCO, a Nalco Champion Company) | Ravikiran, Ravi (Stepan Company) | Carlisle, Charlie T. (Chemical Tracers Inc.) | Jones, Nick (University of Wyoming) | Davis, Marron B. (Sunshine Valley Petroleum Corporation) | Finch, Kenneth B. (TIORCO, a Nalco Champion Company)
Abstract Sandstone reservoirs containing significant amount of clays (30-40 wt%) with moderate permeability (20-50 mD) provide a unique challenge to surfactant based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes. A critical risk factor for these types of reservoirs is adsorption of surfactants due to greater surface area attributed to clays. Clays also have high cation exchange capacity (CEC) and can release significant amounts of di-valents that lead to increased retention of the surfactant. These factors could adversely affect the economics of a flood. We present a case study where a robust formulation was designed and tested in lab/field for a reservoir located in Wyoming, USA and contains up to 35-40 wt% clays (predominately Kaolinite and Illite). The residual oil saturation is high (Sor=0.4) while the permeability of the formation is between 20-50 mD. The reservoir has been waterflooded historically with low salinity water which has led to formation permeability damage. Due to high levels of clays, adsorption of the surfactant on the rock surface was determined to be between 3-4 mg/g rock by static adsorption tests. This publication demonstrates how the following challenges have been successfully addressed in the lab as well as in the field in the form of single well chemical tracer test (SWCTT). Designed a robust alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) formulation that showed ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) values and aqueous solubility remains soluble in the aqueous solution over a broad range of salinity. Mitigated surfactant adsorption issues to make the cEOR solution economic. A sacrificial agent was identified that acted synergistically with alkali and also did not alter the optimum salinity of the formulation. Performed restored state core analysis using the available damaged core material. The main challenge being restoration of the coreplugs to current reservoir conditions for coreflood experiment without causing additional formation damage due to injection of low salinity formation brine. Designed a flood that utilized a pre-flush to provide a favorable salinity gradient and to inject sacrificial agent ahead of the surfactant front. Performed polymer screening to select right molecular weight of polymer so that the right balance of mobility control and injectivity in the reservoir can be obtained.
- North America > United States > Wyoming (0.34)
- Europe > Norway > Norwegian Sea (0.24)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock > Sandstone (1.00)
- Geology > Mineral > Silicate > Phyllosilicate (1.00)
- Materials > Chemicals > Commodity Chemicals > Petrochemicals (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- North America > United States > Wyoming > Wind River Basin > NPR-3 > Muddy Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Wyoming > Powder River Basin (0.99)
- North America > United States > Montana > Powder River Basin (0.99)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Reservoir Fluid Dynamics > Flow in porous media (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Reservoir Characterization > Exploration, development, structural geology (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery > Waterflooding (1.00)
- (3 more...)