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Collaborating Authors
Waterflooding
Summary Oil and water production data are regularly measured in oilfield operations and vary from well to well and change with time. Theoretical models are often used to establish the production expectation for different recovery processes. A performance surveillance understanding can be developed by comparing the field production data with the production expectation. This comparison generates quantitative or qualitative signals to determine whether the producer meets production expectations or the producer is underperforming and appropriate operational action is required to address the underperformance. The case study is for the South Belridge diatomite in California. This hydraulically fractured diatomite reservoir is currently under waterflood and steamflood. A methodology is proposed to establish the production expectation from historical production data. For primary depletion, the formation linear and bilinear flow models are applied to producers with vertical hydraulic fractures. For waterflood, an analytical method derived from the Buckley-Leverett displacement theory is used. Those analytical methods can predict production and provide surveillance signals for producers in the primary and waterflood recovery stages. For steamflood, a semiquantitative performance/surveillance criterion is proposed on the basis of understanding the mechanistic oil banking concept and reservoir simulation results for steamflood and waterflood. With those models representing expected production performance, an integrated flow regime diagram is proposed for production surveillance. A performance expectation can be developed for an individual producer. A significant overperformance relative to the expectation normally indicates changes in the recovery mechanism or improvement in sweep efficiency. A significant underperformance usually signifies an operational issue that requires correction to optimize the production performance. In the case study, the surveillance methodology for producers under primary depletion, waterflood, or steamflood is demonstrated by use of historical production data. In addition, water channeling between injectors and producers and its impact on production performance are discussed. On the basis of this surveillance methodology, some operational actions were proposed, and successful results are demonstrated. Examples of forecast for an individual producer in the primary depletion stage and field scale prediction in the waterflood stage are provided. Application indicates that the proposed methodology can serve as a convenient and practical tool for reservoir surveillance and operational optimization.
- North America > United States > California > San Joaquin Basin > South Belridge Field > Tulare Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > California > San Joaquin Basin > South Belridge Field > Diatomite Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > California > San Joaquin Basin > San Joaquin Valley > Belridge Field > Tulare Formation (0.98)
- North America > United States > California > San Joaquin Basin > San Joaquin Valley > Belridge Field > Diatomite Formation (0.98)
Summary For ultratight shale reservoirs, wettability strongly affects fluid flow behavior. However, wettability can be modified by numerous complex interactions and the ambient environment, such as pH, temperature, or surfactant access. This paper is a third-phase study of the use of surfactant imbibition to increase oil recovery from Bakken shale. The surfactant formulations that we used in this paper are the initial results that are based on our previous study, in which a group of surfactant formulations was examined—balancing the temperature, pH, salinity, and divalent-cation content of aqueous fluids to increase oil production from shale with ultralow porosity and permeability in the Middle Member of the Bakken formation in the Williston basin of North Dakota. In our previous study, through the use of spontaneous imbibition, brines and surfactant solutions with different water compositions were examined. With oil from the Bakken formation, significant differences in recoveries were observed, depending on compositions and conditions. Cases were observed in which brine and surfactant (0.05 to 0.2 wt% concentration) imbibition yielded recovery values of 1.55 to 76% original oil in place (OOIP) at high salinity (150 to 300 g/L; 15 to 30 wt%) and temperatures ranging from 23 to 120°C. To advance this work, this paper determines the wettability of different parts of the Bakken formation. One goal of this research is to identify whether the wettability can be altered by means of surfactant formulations. The ultimate objective of this research is to determine the potential of surfactant formulations to imbibe into and displace oil from shale and to examine the viability of a field application. In this paper, through the use of modified Amott-Harvey tests, the wettability was determined for cores and slices from three wells at different portions of the Bakken formation. The tests were performed under reservoir conditions (90 to 120°C, 150- to 300-g/L formation-water salinity), with the use of Bakken crude oil. Both cleaned cores (cleaned by toluene/methanol) and untreated cores (sealed, native state) were investigated. Bakken shale cores were generally oil-wet or intermediate-wet (before introduction of the surfactant formulation). The four surfactant formulations that we tested consistently altered the wetting state of Bakken cores toward water-wet. These surfactants consistently imbibed to displace significantly more oil than brine alone. Four of the surfactant imbibition tests provided enhanced-oil-recovery [(EOR) vs. brine water imbibition alone] values of 6.8 to 10.2% OOIP, incremental over brine imbibition. Ten surfactant imbibition tests provided EOR values of 15.6 to 25.4% OOIP. Thus, imbibition of surfactant formulations appears to have a substantial potential to improve oil recovery from the Bakken formation. Positive results were generally observed with all four surfactants: amphoteric dimethyl amine oxide, nonionic ethoxylated alcohol, anionic internal olefin sulfonate, and anionic linear α-olefin sulfonate. From our work to date, no definitive correlation is evident in surfactant effectiveness vs. temperature, core porosity, core source (i.e., Upper Shale or the Middle Member), or core preservation (sealed) or cleaning before use.
- North America > United States > South Dakota (1.00)
- North America > United States > North Dakota (1.00)
- North America > United States > Montana (1.00)
- Materials > Chemicals > Commodity Chemicals > Petrochemicals (1.00)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- North America > United States > Texas > West Gulf Coast Tertiary Basin > Eagle Ford Shale Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Sabinas - Rio Grande Basin > Eagle Ford Shale Formation (0.99)
- North America > United States > Texas > Maverick Basin > Eagle Ford Shale Formation (0.99)
- (6 more...)
Evaluation of the Effect of Asphaltene Deposition in the Reservoir for the Development of the Magwa Marrat Reservoir
Al-Qattan, A.. (KOC) | Blunt, M. J. (Imperial College) | Gharbi, O.. (Imperial College) | Badamchizadeh, A.. (CMG) | Al-Kanderi, J. M. (KOC) | Al-Jadi, M.. (KOC) | Dashti, H. H. (KOC) | Chimmalgi, V.. (KOC) | Bond, D. J. (KOC) | Skoreyko, F.. (CMG)
Abstract The Magwa Marrat reservoir was discovered in the mid-1980s and has been produced to date under primary depletion. Reservoir pressure has declined and is approaching the asphaltene onset pressure (AOP). A water flood is being planned and a decision needs to be taken as to the appropriate reservoir operating pressure. In particular the merits of operating the reservoir at pressures above and below the AOP need to be assessed. Some of the issues related to this decision relate to the effects of asphaltene deposition in the reservoir. Two effects have been evaluated. Firstly the effect of in-situ deposition of asphaltene on wettability and the influence that this may have on water-flood recovery has been investigated using pore scale network modes. Models were constructed and calibrated to available high pressure mercury capillary pressure data and to relative permeability data from reservoir condition core floods. The changes to relative permeability characteristics that would result from the reservoir becoming substantially more oil-wet have been evaluated. Based on this there seems to be a very limited scope for poorer water flood performance at pressures below AOP. Secondly the scope for impaired well performance has been evaluated. This has been done using a field trial where a well was produced at pressures above and substantially below AOP and pressure transient data were used to estimate near wellbore damage "skin". Also compositional simulation has been used to estimate near wellbore deposition effects. This has involved developing an equation of state model and identifying, using computer assisted history matching, a range of parameters that could be consistent with core flood experiments of asphaltene deposition. Results of simulation using these parameters are compared with field observation and used to predict the range of possible future well productivity decline. Overall this work allows an evaluation of the preferred operating pressure, which can drop below the AOP, resulting in lower operating costs and higher final recovery without substantial impairment to either water-flood efficiency or well productivity.
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait (0.69)
- North America > United States > Texas (0.68)
- Energy > Oil & Gas > Upstream (1.00)
- Materials > Chemicals > Commodity Chemicals > Petrochemicals (0.46)
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Wara Formation (0.99)
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Ratawi Formation (0.99)
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Mauddud Formation (0.99)
- (3 more...)
Abstract Determining the optimum location of wells during waterflooding contributes significantly to efficient reservoir management. Often, Voidage Replacement Ratio (VRR) and Net Present Value (NPV) are used as indicators of performance of waterflood projects. In addition, VRR is used by regulatory and environmental agencies as a means of monitoring the impact of field development activities on the environment while NPV is used by investors as a measure of profitability of oil and gas projects. Over the years, well placement optimization has been done mainly to increase the NPV. However, regulatory measures call for operators to maintain a VRR of one (or close to one) during waterflooding. A multiobjective approach incorporating NPV and VRR is proposed for solving the well placement optimization problem. We present the use of both NPV and VRR as objective functions in the determination of optimal location of wells. The combination of these two in a multiobjective optimization framework proves to be useful in identifying the trade-offs between the quest for high profitability of investment in oil and gas projects and the desire to satisfy regulatory and environmental requirements. We conducted the search for optimum well locations in three phases. In the first phase, only the NPV was used as the objective function. The second phase has the VRR as the sole objective function. In the third phase, the objective function was a weighted sum of the NPV and the VRR. A set of four weights were used in the third phase to describe the relative importance of the NPV and the VRR and a comparison of how these weights affect the optimized NPV and VRR values is provided. We applied the method to determine the optimum placement of wells using two sample reservoirs: one with a distributed permeability field and the other, a channel reservoir with four facies. Two evolutionary-type algorithms: the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy (CMA-ES) and differential evolution (DE), were used to solve the optimization problem. Significantly, the method illustrates the trade-off between maximizing the NPV and optimizing the VRR. It calls the attention of both investors and regulatory agencies to the need to consider the financial aspect (NPV) and the environmental aspect (VRR) of waterflooding during secondary oil recovery projects. The multiobjective optimization approach meets the economic needs of investors and the regulatory requirements of government and environmental agencies. This approach gives a realistic NPV estimation for companies operating in jurisdiction with requirement for meeting a VRR of one.
- Asia > Middle East (0.46)
- North America > United States (0.46)
- Europe > Austria (0.28)
Abstract Pressure maintenance support in mature fields where permeability heterogeneity is present requires proper distribution of injected water into the respective zones of interest. This process can be extremely challenging, if no method for allocating the proper amount of water into each zone is available. An operator in the South China Sea, who had initiated a water injection project using legacy single-string two-zone completion technologies, found himself in this predicament, since no selective control for pressure maintenance had been considered for the project. During the past few years, the application of intelligent completion (IC) technology has increased rapidly. This acceptance has been due primarily to its proven capabilities for reservoir monitoring and corresponding optimization of well performance without well interventions. Historically, the majority of IC applications have been in production wells; however, an increasing number of operators have started adopting IC technology for their injector wells. This paper presents a case study in which IC technology was successfully applied in an offshore field in the South China Sea to provide an efficient water-injection method for optimizing pressure support as well as sweep. The operator selected this technology, as it presented a solution for optimizing the water injection. In addition to eliminating problems experienced with the incapability of the legacy completion technology to monitor water allocation and pressure maintenance for each zone, the IC technology would allow selective well testing for each zone. By evaluating the reservoir properties and characteristics of each zone independently, an intelligent completion would provide another key benefit to the operator, since it would comply with the platform size restrictions for the pumping equipment. The paper will discuss field objectives, the conceptual design, the design obstacles, and the operational challenges experienced during the job execution.
- Well Completion > Completion Selection and Design > Completion equipment (1.00)
- Well Completion > Completion Monitoring Systems/Intelligent Wells (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery > Waterflooding (1.00)
Delivering Optimal Brownfield Development Strategies: Use of Multi-Constrained Optimisation Combined with Fast Semi-Analytical and Numerical Simulators
Alvi, A.. (Schlumberger) | Tilke, P.. (Schlumberger) | Bogush, A.. (Schlumberger) | Kolupaev, A.. (Schlumberger) | Jilani, S. Z. (Schlumberger) | Banerjee, R.. (Schlumberger) | Bolanos, N.. (Schlumberger) | Wu, J.. (Schlumberger)
Abstract Assessing the waterflood, monitoring the fluids front, and enhancing sweep with the uncertainty of multiple geological realisations, data quality, and measurement presents an ongoing challenge. Defining sweet spots and optimal candidate well locations in a well-developed large field presents an additional challenge for reservoir management. A case study is presented that highlights the approach to this cycle of time-lapse monitoring, acquisition, analysis and planning in delivery of an optimal field development strategy using multi-constrained optimisation combined with fast semi-analytical and numerical simulators. The multi-constrained optimiser is used in conjunction with different semi-analytical and simulation tools (streamlines, traditional simulators, and new high-powered simulation tools able to manage huge, multi-million-cell-field models) and rapidly predicts optimal well placement locations with inclusion of anti-collision in the presence of the reservoir uncertainties. The case study evaluates proposed field development strategies using the automated multivariable optimisation of well locations, trajectories, completion locations, and flow rates in the presence of existing wells and production history, geological parameters and reservoir engineering constraints, subsurface uncertainty, capex and opex costs, risk tolerance, and drilling sequence. This optimisation is fast and allows for quick evaluation of multiple strategies to decipher an optimal development plan. Optimisers are a key technology facilitating simulation workflows, since there is no ‘one-approach-fits-all’ when optimising oilfield development. Driven by different objective functions (net present value (NPV), return on investment (ROI), or production totals) the case study highlights the challenges, the best practices, and the advantages of an integrated approach in developing an optimal development plan for a brownfield.
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Reservoir Simulation (1.00)
- Reservoir Description and Dynamics > Improved and Enhanced Recovery > Waterflooding (1.00)
- Management > Asset and Portfolio Management > Field development optimization and planning (1.00)
- Data Science & Engineering Analytics > Information Management and Systems (1.00)
A New Approach Optimizing Mature Waterfloods with Electrokinetics-Assisted Surfactant Flooding in Abu Dhabi Carbonate Reservoirs
Ansari, Arsalan (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Haroun, Mohammed (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Sayed, Nada Abou (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Kindy, Nabeela AI (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Ali, Basma (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Shrestha, Reena Amatya (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi) | Sarma, Hemanta (The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi)
Abstract EOR technologies such as CO2 flooding and chemical floods have been on the forefront of oil and gas R&D for the past 4 decades. While most of them are demonstrating very promising results in both lab scale and field pilots, the thrive for exploring additional EOR technologies while achieving full field application has yet to be achieved. Among the emerging EOR technologies is the surfactant EOR along with the application of electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEOR) which is gaining increased popularity due to a number of reservoir-related advantages such as reduction in fluid viscosity, water-cut and increased reservoir permeability. Experiments were conducted on 1.5" carbonate reservoir cores extracted from Abu Dhabi producing oil fields, which were saturated with medium crude oil in a specially designed EK core flood setup. Electrokinetics (DC voltage of 2V/cm) was applied on these oil saturated cores along with waterflooding simultaneously until the ultimate recovery was reached. In the second stage, the recovery was further enhanced by injecting non-ionic surfactant (APG) along with sequential application of EK. This was compared with simultaneous application of EK-assisted surfactant flooding. A smart Surfactant-EOR process was done in this study that allowed shifting from sequential to simultaneous Surfactant-EOR alongside EEOR The experimental results at ambient conditions show that the application of waterflooding on the carbonate cores yields recovery of approximately 46–72% and an additional 8–14% incremental recovery resulted upon application of EK, which could be promising for water swept reservoirs. However, there was an additional 6–11% recovery enhanced by the application of EK-assisted surfactant flooding. In addition, EK was shown to enhance the carbonate reservoir’s permeability by approximately 11–29%. Furthermore, this process can be engineered to be a greener approach as the water requirement can be reduced upto 20% in the presence of electrokinetics which is also economically feasible.
- North America > United States (1.00)
- Asia > Middle East > UAE > Abu Dhabi Emirate > Abu Dhabi (0.62)
- Overview > Innovation (0.50)
- Research Report > New Finding (0.34)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Rock (0.47)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate Rock (0.47)
- North America > United States > Wyoming > Byron Field (0.99)
- Asia > Middle East > UAE > Abu Dhabi > Arabian Gulf > Rub' al Khali Basin > Abu Dhabi Field (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)
Abstract It is well known that the majority of carbonate reservoirs are neutral to oil-wet. This leads to much lower oil recovery during waterflooding since there is no spontaneous imbibition of water in heterogeneous reservoir displacement. It has been verified by a number of researchers that Adjustment of ion concentration in brine solutions, or adding surfactant solutions can enhance the oil recovery by altering the wettability. In the published literature, contact angle studies usually refer to measurement on calcite crystals and there are no results for the contact angle of carbonate porous media representative of reservoir rocks. Moreover, there are few studies on the effect of non-ionic surfactants, compared to those for ionic surfactants. Understanding the effect of various ions and their concentration in the injection brine on the wettability of the Limestone outcrop core samples is the first step for tailoring of the optimum injection brine. This will be followed by a study of the effect of surfactant on the wettability of calcite crystal samples. The evaluation of the results may provide guidelines for the design of injection brines for efficient enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs. In this work, a procedure is established for the measurement of the contact angle on limestone outcrop core samples. Results showed that, at atmospheric conditions, low salinity CaCl2 solution induced the most significant improvement on the wettability of the outcrop sample. Moreover, among all the non-ionic surfactants studied, only the presence of the two first members of the 15S analogous series might lead to a slight decrease of the contact angle.
- Asia > Middle East (0.28)
- North America > United States (0.18)
- Geology > Rock Type > Sedimentary Rock > Carbonate Rock > Limestone (0.52)
- Geology > Mineral > Carbonate Mineral > Calcite (0.49)
Results from a Pilot Water Flood of the Magwa Marrat Reservoir and Simulation Study of a Sector Model contribute to understanding of Injectivity and Reservoir Characterization
Al-Kandari, I.. (Beicip-Franlab) | Al-Jadi, M.. (Beicip-Franlab) | Lefebvre, C.. (Beicip-Franlab) | Vigier, L.. (Beicip-Franlab) | De Medeiros, M.. (Beicip-Franlab) | Dashti, H. H. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Knight, R.. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Al-Qattan, A.. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Chimmalgi, V. S. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Datta, K.. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Hafez, K. M. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Turkey, L.. (*Kuwait Oil Company) | Bond, D. J. (*Kuwait Oil Company)
Abstract A pilot water flood was carried out in the Marrat reservoir in the Magwa Field. The main aim of this pilot was to allow an assessment of the ability to sustain injection, better understand reservoir characteristics. A sector model was built to help with this task. An evaluation of the injectivity in Magwa Marrat reservoir was performed with particular attention to studying how injectivity varied as injected water quality was changed. This was done using modified Hall Plots, injection logs, flow logs and time lapse temperature logs. Data acquisition during the course of the pilot was used to better understand reservoir heterogeneity. This included the acquisition of pressure transient and interference data, multiple production and injection logs, temperature logging, monitoring production water chemistry, the use of tracers and a re-evaluation of the log and core data to better understand to role of fractures. A geological model using detailed reservoir characterization and a 3D discrete fracture network model was constructed. Fracture corridors were derived from fractured lineaments interpreted from different seismic attribute maps: A sector model of the pilot flood area was then derived and used to integrate the results of the surveillance data. The main output is to develop an understanding of the natural fracture system occurring in the different units of the Marrat reservoir and to characterize their organization and distribution. The lessons learned from this sector modeling work will then be integrated in the Marrat full field study. The work described here shows how pilot water flood results can be used to reduce risk related to both injectivity and to reservoir heterogeneity in the secondary development of a major reservoir.
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Wara Formation (0.99)
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Ratawi Formation (0.99)
- Asia > Middle East > Kuwait > Ahmadi Governorate > Arabian Basin > Widyan Basin > Greater Burgan Field > Mauddud Formation (0.99)
- (4 more...)
Summary In a layered, 2D heterogeneous sandpack with a 19:1 permeability contrast that was preferentially oil-wet, the recovery by waterflood was only 49.1% of original oil in place (OOIP) because of injected water flowing through the high-permeability zone, leaving the low-permeability zone unswept. To enhance oil recovery, an anionic surfactant blend (NI) was injected that altered the wettability and lowered the interfacial tension (IFT). Once IFT was reduced to ultralow values, the adverse effect of capillarity retaining oil was eliminated. Gravity-driven vertical countercurrent flow then exchanged fluids between high- and low-permeability zones during a 42-day system shut-in. Cumulative recovery after a subsequent foam flood was 94.6% OOIP, even though foam strength was weak. Recovery with chemical flood (incremental recovered oil/waterflood remaining oil) was 89.4%. An alternative method is to apply foam mobility control as a robust viscous-force-dominant process with no initial surfactant injection and shut-in. The light crude oil studied in this paper was extremely detrimental to foam generation. However, the addition of lauryl betaine to NI (NIB) at a weight ratio of 1:2 (NI:lauryl betaine) made the new blend a good foaming agent with and without the presence of the crude oil. NIB by itself as an IFT-reducing and foaming agent is shown to be effective in various secondary and tertiary alkaline/surfactant/foam (ASF) processes in water-wet 1D homogeneous sandpacks and in an oil-wet heterogeneous layered system with a 34:1 permeability ratio.
- North America > United States > Texas (0.68)
- Europe > Netherlands (0.67)
- Asia (0.67)
- Europe > Norway > North Sea > Northern North Sea > East Shetland Basin > PL 375 > Block 34/7 > Snorre Field > Statfjord Group (0.99)
- Europe > Norway > North Sea > Northern North Sea > East Shetland Basin > PL 375 > Block 34/7 > Snorre Field > Lunde Formation (0.99)
- Europe > Norway > North Sea > Northern North Sea > East Shetland Basin > PL 375 > Block 34/4 > Snorre Field > Statfjord Group (0.99)
- (9 more...)