scholarly journals The paradox of increasing initial oil production but faster decline rates in fracking the Bakken Shale: Implications for long term productivity of tight oil plays

2021 ◽  
pp. 109406
Author(s):  
Frank Male ◽  
Ian J. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Oil Production ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Bakken Shale

scholarly journals COVID-19: Intensifying the Existential Threat to the Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-172
Author(s):  
Michael Witter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Neoliberal Globalization ◽  
Agricultural Exports ◽  
Existential Crisis ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
The Caribbean

The Caribbean has experienced an overlapping and interconnected series of challenges, including economic, social, and environmental, which pose an existential threat to the region. This article focuses on the nature of this threat as it evolved before and during the pandemic crisis. Under neoliberal globalization, Caribbean economies transformed themselves rapidly into service providers, most having resorted to developing a tourism sector, while some moved into oil production. In all cases, traditional agricultural exports declined with the loss of protected markets where they earned preferential prices. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the Caribbean’s existential crisis and revealed the inextricable links among the environment, economy, and public health. This article focuses on these links and suggests a way forward for public policy in the short, medium, and long term.

Unlocking By-Passed Oil with Autonomous Inflow Control Devices Through an Integrated Approach

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pawan Agrawal ◽  
Sharifa Yousif ◽  
Ahmed Shokry ◽  
Talha Saqib ◽  
Osama Keshtta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Continuous Production ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Oil Field ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Fluid Distribution ◽  
Flow Profile ◽  
Horizontal Drain ◽  
Control Devices

Abstract In a giant offshore UAE carbonate oil field, challenges related to advanced maturity, presence of a huge gas-cap and reservoir heterogeneities have impacted production performance. More than 30% of oil producers are closed due to gas front advance and this percentage is increasing with time. The viability of future developments is highly impacted by lower completion design and ways to limit gas breakthrough. Autonomous inflow-control devices (AICD's) are seen as a viable lower completion method to mitigate gas production while allowing oil production, but their effect on pressure drawdown must be carefully accounted for, in a context of particularly high export pressure. A first AICD completion was tested in 2020, after a careful selection amongst high-GOR wells and a diagnosis of underlying gas production mechanisms. The selected pilot is an open-hole horizontal drain closed due to high GOR. Its production profile was investigated through a baseline production log. Several AICD designs were simulated using a nodal analysis model to account for the export pressure. Reservoir simulation was used to evaluate the long-term performance of short-listed scenarios. The integrated process involved all disciplines, from geology, reservoir engineering, petrophysics, to petroleum and completion engineering. In the finally selected design, only the high-permeability heel part of the horizontal drain was covered by AICDs, whereas the rest was completed with pre-perforated liner intervals, separated with swell packers. It was considered that a balance between gas isolation and pressure draw-down reduction had to be found to ensure production viability for such pilot evaluation. Subsequent to the re-completion, the well could be produced at low GOR, and a second production log confirmed the effectiveness of AICDs in isolating free gas production, while enhancing healthy oil production from the deeper part of the drain. Continuous production monitoring, and other flow profile surveys, will complete the evaluation of AICD effectiveness and its adaptability to evolving pressure and fluid distribution within the reservoir. Several lessons will be learnt from this first AICD pilot, particularly related to the criticality of fully integrated subsurface understanding, evaluation, and completion design studies. The use of AICD technology appears promising for retrofit solutions in high-GOR inactive strings, prolonging well life and increasing reserves. Regarding newly drilled wells, dedicated efforts are underway to associate this technology with enhanced reservoir evaluation methods, allowing to directly design the lower completion based on diagnosed reservoir heterogeneities. Reduced export pressure and artificial lift will feature in future field development phases, and offer the flexibility to extend the use of AICD's. The current technology evaluation phases are however crucial in the definition of such technology deployments and the confirmation of their long-term viability.

Application of Hybrid Biosystems for Stimulation of Oil Production

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baghir Alakbar Suleimanov ◽  
Sabina Jahangir Rzayeva ◽  
Ulviyya Tahir Akhmedova
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Single Phase ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Pore Channel ◽  
Subcritical Region ◽  
Slippage Effect ◽  
Liquid Systems ◽  
Reservoir Conditions

Abstract Microbial enhanced oil recovery is considered to be one of the most promising methods of stimulating formation, contributing to a higher level of oil production from long-term fields. The injection of bioreagents into a reservoir results in the creation of oil-dicing agents along with significant amount of gases, mainly carbon dioxide. In early, the authors failed to study the preparation of self-gasified biosystems and the implementation of the subcritical region (SR) under reservoir conditions. Gasified systems in the subcritical phase have better oil-displacing properties than non-gasified systems. The slippage effect determines the behavior of gas–liquid systems in the SR under reservoir conditions. Slippage occurs more easily when the pore channel has a smaller average radius. Therefore, in a heterogeneous porous medium, the filtration profile of gasified liquids in the SR should be more uniform than for a degassed liquid. The theoretical and practical foundations for the preparation of single-phase self-gasified biosystems and the implementation of the SR under reservoir conditions have been developedSR under reservoir conditions. Based on experimental studies, the superior efficiency of oil displacement by gasified biosystems compared with degassed ones has been demonstrated. The possibility of efficient use of gasified hybrid biopolymer systems has been shown.

Experimental Investigation on Enhanced-Oil-Recovery Mechanisms of Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide as Prefracturing Energized Fluid in Tight Oil Reservoir

SPE Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Lei Li ◽  
Zheng Chen ◽  
Yu-Liang Su ◽  
Li-Yao Fan ◽  
Mei-Rong Tang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Clay Minerals ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Injection Mode ◽  
Oil Development ◽  
Live Oil

Summary Fracturing is the necessary means of tight oil development, and the most common fracturing fluid is slickwater. However, the Loess Plateau of the Ordos Basin in China is seriously short of water resources. Therefore, the tight oil development in this area by hydraulic fracturing is extremely costly and environmentally unfriendly. In this paper, a new method using supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) (ScCO2) as the prefracturing energized fluid is applied in hydraulic fracturing. This method can give full play to the dual advantages of ScCO2 characteristics and mixed-water fracturing technology while saving water resources at the same time. On the other hand, this method can reduce reservoir damage, change rock microstructure, and significantly increase oil production, which is a development method with broad application potential. In this work, the main mechanism, the system-energy enhancement, and flowback efficiency of ScCO2 as the prefracturing energized fluid were investigated. First, the microscopic mechanism of ScCO2 was studied, and the effects of ScCO2 on pores and rock minerals were analyzed by nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) test, X-ray-diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning-electron-microscope (SEM) experiments. Second, the high-pressurechamber-reaction experiment was conducted to study the interaction mechanism between ScCO2 and live oil under formation conditions, and quantitively describe the change of high-pressure physical properties of live oil after ScCO2 injection. Then, the numerical-simulation method was applied to analyze the distribution and existence state of ScCO2, as well as the changes of live-oil density, viscosity, and composition in different stages during the full-cycle fracturing process. Finally, four injection modes of ScCO2-injection core-laboratory experiments were designed to compare the performance of ScCO2 and slickwater in terms of energy enhancement and flowback efficiency, then optimize the optimal CO2-injection mode and the optimal injection amount of CO2slug. The results show that ScCO2 can dissolve calcite and clay minerals (illite and chlorite) to generate pores with sizes in the range of 0.1 to 10 µm, which is the main reason for the porosity and permeability increases. Besides, the generated secondary clay minerals and dispersion of previously cemented rock particles will block the pores. ScCO2 injection increases the saturation pressure, expansion coefficient, volume coefficient, density, and compressibility of crude oil, which are the main mechanisms of energy increase and oil-production enhancement. After analyzing the four different injection-mode tests, the optimal one is to first inject CO2 and then inject slickwater. The CO2 slug has the optimal value, which is 0.5 pore volume (PV) in this paper. In this paper, the main mechanisms of using ScCO2 as the prefracturing energized fluid are illuminated. Experimental studies have proved the pressure increase, production enhancement, and flowback potential of CO2 prefracturing. The application of this method is of great significance to the protection of water resources and the improvement of the fracturing effect.

scholarly journals Selection gains for the palm oil production from progenies of American oil palm with oil palm

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Alberto Gomes Junior ◽  
Alessandra Ferraiolo de Freitas ◽  
Raimundo Nonato Vieira da Cunha ◽  
Antônio José de Abreu Pina ◽  
Higo Otávio Brochado Campos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Genetic Parameters ◽  
Recurrent Selection ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Reciprocal Recurrent Selection ◽  
Fresh Fruit Bunches ◽  
Favorable Conditions ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract The objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters, correlations, and selection gains for the oil production of interspecific hybrids progenies between American oil palm, of ‘Manicoré’ origin, and oil palm, of ‘La Mé’ origin. Thirty-nine progenies were evaluated from the sixth to the ninth year after planting, for the productivity of fresh fruit bunches (PROD_FFB), oil content in the bunch (OCB), and palm oil productivity (PROD_OP). The genetic parameters and gains from direct (GDS) and indirect (GIS) selection were estimated for PROD_OP. High values of heritability for the CVg/CVe ratio indicated favorable conditions for the selection. With the selection of 20% of the progenies (selection in both sexes), the following estimates were obtained: 11.15% GDS for PROD_OP, 9.1% GIS for OCB, and 8.1% GIS for PROD_FFB. The PROD_OP of the progenies was of 6,175, 6,057, and 5,995 kg ha-1 per year with GDS and GIS for OCB and PROD_FFB, respectively. The restricted selection of the LM2T male genitor offspring resulted in 5.1% estimated GSD and in a mean of 5,800 kg ha-1 per year for PROD_OP. Selection gains for PROD_OP can be achieved immediately through the selection restricted to oil palm male genitors, and, in the medium and long term, through the interspecific reciprocal recurrent selection between American oil palm and oil palm populations.

Financing shortfall will push Oman to uneasy austerity

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Project Financing ◽  
Wage Bill ◽  
Content Type ◽  
One Year ◽  
Gas Fields

Significance A fiscal crunch exacerbated by the pandemic and associated oil-price crash has forced the authorities to step up long-term ‘Omanisation’ efforts, ultimately taking pressure off the bloated public sector wage bill. This comes as Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, one year into his reign, launches a raft of new political, military and economic initiatives. Impacts Oman will remain compliant with OPEC+ oil production cuts. The sultanate will boost output at its competitive giant Ghazeer and Khazzan gas fields in Block 61 to benefit from high prices. Muscat will prioritise agriculture, fisheries and logistics for non-oil growth but struggle to secure project financing post-pandemic.

scholarly journals Physical Scaling of Oil Production Rates and Ultimate Recovery from All Horizontal Wells in the Bakken Shale

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wardana Saputra ◽  
Wissem Kirati ◽  
Tadeusz Patzek
Keyword(s):  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Accurate Method ◽  
Oil Wells ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
Square Root ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Time Flow ◽  
Bakken Shale

A recent study by the Wall Street Journal reveals that the hydrofractured horizontal wells in shales have been producing less than the industrial forecasts with the empirical hyperbolic decline curve analysis (DCA). As an alternative to DCA, we introduce a simple, fast and accurate method of estimating ultimate recovery in oil shales. We adopt a physics-based scaling approach to analyze oil rates and ultimate recovery from 14,888 active horizontal oil wells in the Bakken shale. To predict the Estimated Ultimate Recovery (EUR), we collapse production records from individual horizontal shale oil wells onto two segments of a master curve: (1) We find that cumulative oil production from 4845 wells is still growing linearly with the square root of time; and (2) 6401 wells are already in exponential decline after approximately seven years on production. In addition, 2363 wells have discontinuous production records, because of refracturing or changes in downhole flowing pressure, and are matched with a linear combination of scaling curves superposed in time. The remaining 1279 new wells with less than 12 months on production have too few production records to allow for robust matches. These wells are scaled with the slopes of other comparable wells in the square-root-of-time flow regime. In the end, we predict that total ultimate recovery from all existing horizontal wells in Bakken will be some 4.5 billion barrels of oil. We also find that wells completed in the Middle Bakken formation, in general, produce more oil than those completed in the Upper Three Forks formation. The newly completed longer wells with larger hydrofractures have higher initial production rates, but they decline faster and have EURs similar to the cheaper old wells. There is little correlation among EUR, lateral length, and the number and size of hydrofractures. Therefore, technology may not help much in boosting production of new wells completed in the poor immature areas along the edges of the Williston Basin. Operators and policymakers may use our findings to optimize the possible futures of the Bakken shale and other plays. More importantly, the petroleum industry may adopt our physics-based method as an alternative to the overly optimistic hyperbolic DCA that yields an ‘illusory picture’ of shale oil resources.

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