A single-well polymer-injection and back-production test has been performed in an oil and gas field offshore Norway. The objective of the test was to verify at field conditions the properties measured in the laboratory for the biopolymer schizophyllan. Continued enthusiasm in the well-testing segment of the oil industry is apparent. Even though there was a smaller number of presentations among various conferences related to well testing in 2016, there are articles that contribute significantly for the experts and the upcoming generation. The application of high-precision downhole temperature sensors has resulted in pressure-transient analysis (PTA) being complemented or replaced by temperature-transient analysis (TTA).

The complete paper describes piloting the collection and analysis of distributed temperature and acoustic sensing (DTS and DAS, respectively) data to characterize flow-control-device (FCD) performance and help improve understanding of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) inflow distribution. A company is selling a new well testing tool designed to be a cheaper, simpler way to do fiber optic sensing, and then it fades away. With the availability of more-complex smart-well instrumentation, immediate evaluation of the well response is possible as changes in the reservoir or well occur. Mechanical-diversion techniques can ensure acid injection into the various intervals of naturally fractured reservoirs. This paper presents results from full-scale testing of a flexible riser equipped with embedded sensors for distributed-temperature sensing (DTS).

The complete paper describes piloting the collection and analysis of distributed temperature and acoustic sensing (DTS and DAS, respectively) data to characterize flow-control-device (FCD) performance and help improve understanding of steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) inflow distribution. A company is selling a new well testing tool designed to be a cheaper, simpler way to do fiber optic sensing, and then it fades away. This paper shows results from use of a new technology that uses in-well-conveyed fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for the detection of sand-ingress zones across the reservoir section throughout the production period in real time. With the availability of more-complex smart-well instrumentation, immediate evaluation of the well response is possible as changes in the reservoir or well occur.

In this paper, the authors describe a project to design, field trial, and qualify an alternative solution for real-time monitoring of the oil rim in carbonate reservoirs that overcomes these disadvantages. This paper shows results from use of a new technology that uses in-well-conveyed fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for the detection of sand-ingress zones across the reservoir section throughout the production period in real time. This paper discusses the objectives of the Fiber-Optic Leak-Detection (FOLD) project, carried out in Verneuil-en-Halatte, France.

A case study in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico in which pressure transient analysis, fractional flow, and production logging tools were integrated to identify correctly the cause of, and execute an effective remedy for, a well’s productivity deterioration. As part of an effort to evaluate existing riser systems, an operator launched an inspection and testing program to investigate risers retrieved following well abandonment after a service life of nearly 10 years in the Gulf of Mexico. The largest lease sale in the history of the area attracts $139 million in total bids, a $2 million increase over the previous lease sale held last August. Integrated surveillance is critical for understanding reservoir dynamics and improving field management. A key component of the surveillance is areal monitoring of subsurface changes by use of time-lapse geophysical surveys such as 4D seismic.

The success of water-conformance operations often depends on clear identification of the water-production mechanism. Such assessment can be complicated significantly when formation damage is also occurring. The objective of this study was to look at factors that can affect a temperature log and steps that can be taken to improve temperature-measurement accuracy. A new miniature pressure/temperature sensor comes packaged inside a tough small ball capable of traveling to the bottom of a well while drilling and returning with data on board.

The complete paper discusses an advanced matrix-stimulation work flow that brings reliability and flexibility to the acidizing of tight carbonate water injectors and has delivered injectivity improvements tight carbonate onshore reservoirs in the Middle East. In a collaborative project, the possibility of measuring fluid levels in a wellbore by use of distributed optical pressure gauges was conceived, prototyped, field-trialed, and further developed to a point of widespread commercialization. The treatment in a deepwater, frac-packed well with fiber-optic-equipped coiled tubing (CT) and a rotating, hydraulic high-pressure jetting tool achieved successful stimulation of a 500-ft-long frac-packed zone after several previous failures using different techniques. In the past decade, fiber-optic -based sensing has opened up opportunities for in-well reservoir surveillance in the oil and gas industry. In this paper, the authors present a recent example of single-phase-flow profiling with distributed acoustic sensing.

Duri Field in Indonesia is the largest active steamflood project in the world. The field produces 73,000 BOPD, and 10,000 optimization jobs are executed annually to support base production. The objective of this study was to look at factors that can affect a temperature log and steps that can be taken to improve temperature-measurement accuracy. This paper covers the staged field-development methodology, including analysis and evaluation of various development concepts, that enabled the company to optimize both completion design and artificial-lift selection, reducing downtime and lowering operating costs by nearly 50%. The First Eocene is a multibillion-barrel heavy-oil carbonate reservoir in the Wafra field, located in the Partitioned Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

In the complete paper, the authors derive a novel analytical solution to model the temperature signal associated with the shut-in during flowback and production periods. The room for error and cost overruns just got a lot smaller with the escalating need to make operations more efficient and leaner with fewer resources and investors continuing to prioritize ESG alongside profitability. Permian Basin operators and service companies met to discuss completions diagnostics, flowback strategies, water management, and artificial lift strategies. This paper evaluates the ability of different groups of surfactants to improve oil recovery in unconventional liquid reservoirs (ULRs) by experimentally simulating the fracture treatment to represent surfactant imbibition in a ULR core fracture during a soaking flowback.

Approved in October, the Flow Measurement Technical Section will help engage the greater SPE technical community in flow-measurement-related issues and technologies. It will cover the full spectrum of flow measurement, including single-phase and multiphase flow. At a water treatment plant for an onshore oil field in northern Germany, formaldehyde injection was started in 2015 as a biocide. The goal of this study was to understand the chemical parameters and microbial distribution in the water system and whether formaldehyde injection was effective. To facilitate testing and comparison of products that attenuate microbially influenced corrosion under field conditions, a method using microorganisms from a low-tide, anoxic North Sea sample was developed that allows corrosion measurements to be made for corroding biofilms grown on steel surfaces.