Use of Downhole Oil-Water Separation System in Horizontal Wells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Alshmakhy ◽  
Ali Abdelkerim ◽  
Nils Braaten
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Financial Analysis ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Flow Simulation ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Improved Oil Recovery ◽  
Water Cut

Abstract This paper will focus on a new system for separation of water in downhole horizontal wells. The advantages with the system are related to the fact that the water produced from the well is not lifted to the surface, but re-injected into suitable parts of the reservoir, either for pressure support or for diposal. The method of water separation and re-injection has been evaluated for oil producing fields. The paper presents details of the technical solutions and analysis done related to the financial analysis/payback. The mechanical design is basically a main pipe section of a few meters of length, with a special geometry utilizing gravity-based separation. A technical and economic analysis of a downhole processing plant (DPP) using a horizontally installed water/oil separator has been performed. The Improved Oil Recovery (IOR)part has been analysed with a relevant flow simulation tool. Based on the given reservoir depth/pressure, flow rate, viscosity/density and water cut, the simulations show that a significant improved production rate/income can be achieved by extracting the produced water downhole and performing re-injection into the producing reservoir to maintain reservoir pressure. In addition, the expected lifetime of the well is increased by several years. The conclusion is that the earlier the separator is installed, the greater the total well income. In addition, details regarding not only multi-lateral wells through level 5 junctions but also production string with separator and valve system has been evaluated and is concluded to be feasible for the well in question The removal of water downhole has several advantages, for example the removal of the water column up to the surface will reduce the reservoir back pressure and will improve recovery /production rates. In addition, not lifting the water will reduce energy consumption/CO2 footprint, and removal of water will reduce surface processing and possible re-injection and chemical treatment cost. In general, water separation downhole is advantageous, due to the higher pressure.

Improved oil recovery by raw water injection using horizontal wells

2009 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Pavel Bedrikovetsky ◽  
Mohammad Afiq ab Wahab ◽  
Gladys Chang ◽  
Antonio Luiz Serra de Souza ◽  
Claudio Alves Furtado
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Filter Cake ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Improved Oil Recovery ◽  
The North ◽  
Reservoir Simulator

Injectivity formation damage with water-flooding using sea/produced water has been widely reported in the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Campos Basin in Brazil. The damage is due to the capture of solid/liquid particles by the rock with consequent permeability decline; it is also due to the formation of a low permeable external filter cake. Yet, moderate injectivity decline is not too damaging with long horizontal injectors where the initial injectivity is high. In this case, injection of raw or poorly treated water would save money on water treatment, which is not only cumbersome but also an expensive procedure in offshore projects. In this paper we investigate the effects of injected water quality on waterflooding using horizontal wells. It was found that induced injectivity damage results in increased sweep efficiency. The explanation of the phenomenon is as follows: injectivity rate is distributed along a horizontal well non-uniformly; water advances faster from higher rate intervals resulting in early breakthrough; the retained particles plug mostly the high permeability channels and homogenise the injectivity profile along the well. An analytical model for injectivity decline accounting for particle capture and a low permeable external filter cake formation has been implemented into the Eclipse 100 reservoir simulator. It is shown that sweep efficiency in a heterogeneous formation can increase by up to 5% after one pore volume injected, compared to clean water injection.

scholarly journals Synthesis and Evaluation of Novel Naphthenate Inhibitor Demulsifier from Fatty Hydrazide Derivatives

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.14) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
N. Borhan ◽  
A. Ramli ◽  
I. K. Salleh
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Microemulsion System ◽  
Flow Loop ◽  
Injection Point ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Water Cut ◽  
The Impact

The production of crude oil contained Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer (ASP)-chemical enhance oil recovery (CEOR) has a significant detrimental effect on flow assurance mainly for formation of microemulsion which is thermally stable and difficult to break and separated into clean crude oil and water phase. Quality of clean crude oil for saleability is important through achievement of crude oil dehydration in terms of basic sediment and water (BS&W) specification less than 0.5%.  This paper outlines a case-study where stable microemulsions were formed following mixing of crude oil and ASP brine, requiring operationally intensive remediation. Finally, novel palm oil-derived fatty hydrazide Naphthenate Inhibitor (NI)-Demulsifier were synthesized, formulated and tested using dynamic laboratory tests using a multifunctional mini flow loop (MMFL). Under dynamic laboratory test, crude oil, prepared produced water and ASP were mixed under high shear at separator temperature and pressure. The NI-demulsifiers chemical injection was carried out after microemulsions were formed before the separator, representing a wellhead injection point and for a sufficient time to allow the microemulsion system to reach equilibrium. This work demonstrates the importance of considering the impact of ASP-EOR fluids on existing emulsion and using an appropriate laboratory technique to evaluate potential mitigating treatments for oil-water separation technology. The effects of temperature and water cut on microemulsion stability are shown and the NI-demulsifier demonstrated excellence in demulsifying and dehydration at minimal dosage.  

Research of Water Quality in Typical Low Permeability Oilfield Produced Water Treatment

2014 ◽  
Vol 556-562 ◽  
pp. 867-871
Author(s):  
Qiu Shi Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Treatment Process ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Oil Fields ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Oil Water Separation ◽  
Oilfield Produced Water ◽  
Oil Water

It is significative to study sewage treatment process in low permeable oil fields. It could enhance the oil recovery. The water quality characteristics and oil/water separation characteristics were researched during different period process by GC-MS. It shows that there are about 108 kinds of organic matters, including 45 kinds of aliphatic hydrocarbon, 7 kinds of aine, 5 kinds of sulfocompound and 9 kinds of hexacyclic compounds, such as Benzene, phenol, naphthalene and anthracene. The percent of oil droplets which size was less than 10μm is 57.3%, compared to 91.6% which size was more than 50μm. It is difficult to separate the water and oil. The remaining oil was emulsified oil. The process was hard to decrease COD, and some pollutants were existed in water, such as Arsenic, Selenium, Mercury ,Cadmium and Cr6+. It is further proposed to optimize and develop this process to removal oil and suspended solids.

Pressure Maintenance and Improving Oil Recovery by Means of Immiscible Water-Alternating-CO2 Processes in Thin Heavy-Oil Reservoirs

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 60-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sixu Zheng ◽  
Daoyong Yang
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Oil Reservoirs ◽  
Oil Saturation ◽  
Water Alternating Gas ◽  
Heavy Oil Reservoirs ◽  
Water Cut

Summary Techniques have been developed to experimentally and numerically evaluate performance of water-alternating-CO2 processes in thin heavy-oil reservoirs for pressure maintenance and improving oil recovery. Experimentally, a 3D physical model consisting of three horizontal wells and five vertical wells is used to evaluate the performance of water-alternating-CO2 processes. Two well configurations have been designed to examine their effects on heavy-oil recovery. The corresponding initial oil saturation, oil-production rate, water cut, oil recovery, and residual-oil-saturation (ROS) distribution are examined under various operating conditions. Subsequently, numerical simulation is performed to match the experimental measurements and optimize the operating parameters (e.g., slug size and water/CO2 ratio). The incremental oil recoveries of 12.4 and 8.9% through three water-alternating-CO2 cycles are experimentally achieved for the aforementioned two well configurations, respectively. The excellent agreement between the measured and simulated cumulative oil production indicates that the displacement mechanisms governing water-alternating-CO2 processes have been numerically simulated and matched. It has been shown that water-alternating-CO2 processes implemented with horizontal wells can be optimized to significantly improve performance of pressure maintenance and oil recovery in thin heavy-oil reservoirs. Although well configuration imposes a dominant impact on oil recovery, the water-alternating-gas (WAG) ratios of 0.75 and 1.00 are found to be the optimum values for Scenarios 1 and 2, respectively.

Treatment and reclamation of hydrocarbon-bearing oily wastewater as a hazardous pollutant by different processes and technologies: a state-of-the-art review

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Partha Kundu ◽  
Indra M. Mishra
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Photocatalytic Oxidation ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
Oily Wastewater ◽  
Separation Processes ◽  
Water Separation ◽  
Flotation Process ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

Abstract Hydrocarbon-containing oily wastewater generated by various industries creates a major environmental problem all over the world since petroleum products are commonly used as energy sources and raw materials in various industries. In case of offshore/coastal oil recovery operations, produced water is discharged through either shore side outfalls or coastal rim releases. In many cases, current disposal practices leads to severe environmental pollution by contamination of petroleum hydrocarbon to the surface, ground, and coastal waterways. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of various processes for the recovery of petroleum hydrocarbons from wastewater. In this paper, a detailed review on the different separation/treatment processes of oily wastewater is presented. Previous and recent research works are reviewed in the area of oil-water separation from wastewater and also highlight the new developments in these areas. Various separation processes and technologies such as gravity separation, flotation process, membrane process, adsorption process, biological treatment, freeze/thaw process, and photocatalytic oxidation process (PoPs)/advanced oxidation processes (AoPs) are discussed and reviewed. The adsorption properties of a wide variety of porous sorbent materials in oily wastewater treatment, particularly in the area of oil spill cleanup, are also reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of each process are critically discussed and compared.

scholarly journals Improving efficiency of oil recovery and finding a source of watering in multi-zone deposits by geochemical methods of research

Georesursy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 93-97
Author(s):  
Maria S. Shipaeva ◽  
Ilyas A. Nuriev ◽  
Nikolay V. Evseev ◽  
Timur R. Miftahov ◽  
Vladislav A. Sudakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Produced Water ◽  
Element Composition ◽  
Geochemical Composition ◽  
Well Production ◽  
Quantitative Characteristics ◽  
Production Wells ◽  
Macro Element ◽  
Water Cut ◽  
Geochemical Studies

One of the strategic ways in the development of multilayer fields is to identify the source of water inflow into the well production and, as a result, to eliminate it with subsequent optimization of the production of non-watered formations. A method for assessing the degree of water cut in formations based on the quantitative characteristics of the composition of the produced water is proposed in this article. The study of a wide collection of produced water samples made it possible to trace the change in its geochemical composition depending on the age of formation of the reservoir in the Volga-Ural region.The microelements and macro element composition of water, as well as its isotopic composition were investigated. The water of different layers differs in some of the elements, which are called «key elements». Using the methods of mathematical statistics at 2 reservoir objects operated by a common filter, the incoming water was divided into fractions depending on the geochemical composition. It is shown which of the layers has more water out. The feasibility of carrying out these geochemical studies was confirmed by blocking one of the production wells operating in 2 layers, the most watered interval according to geochemical studies, as a result of which the water cut of the well production decreased from an average of 75% to 4% and is observed for several months, the oil production rate increased from 1–2 t/day to 2.5–3 t/day and remains at a constant level.

Mitigating Water Production from High Viscosity Oil Wells in Unconsolidated Sandstone Formations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamad AL-Rashidi ◽  
Mahmoud Reda Aly Hussein Hussein ◽  
Abdulaziz Erhamah ◽  
Satinder Malik ◽  
Abdulrahman AL-Hajri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Marked Change ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Water Production ◽  
High Permeability ◽  
Improved Oil Recovery ◽  
Lower Permeability ◽  
Water Cut

Abstract Large reserves of High-Viscous Oil in Kuwait calls for Improved Oil Recovery scenarios. In Kuwait unconsolidated sandstone formations, the sandstone intervals represent extensive reservoir intervals of sand separated by laterally extensive non-reservoir intervals that comprise finer-grained, argillaceous sands, silts and muds. The reservoir is shallow with high permeability (above 1000 mD) and under bottom aquifer pressure support. Due to strong viscosity contrast between oil and water, after breakthrough, the water cut rises quickly resulting in strong loss of production efficiency. Mitigating water production is thus mandatory to improve production conditions. The candidate wells have 2 to 3 open intervals in different rock facies with comingle production. The total perforated length is between 38 and 48 ft. Production is through PCP at a rate of around 300 bpd and BS&W is between 71 and 87%. The technology applied utilizes pre-gelled size-controlled product (SMG Microgels) having RPM properties, i.e. inducing a strong drop of relative permeability to water without affecting oil relative permeability. The size is chosen to selectively treat the high-permeability water producing zones while preserving the lower-permeability oil zones. The chemical can also withstand downhole harsh conditions such as salinity of around 170,000ppm and presence of 2% H2S. The treatment consisted of bullhead injection of 300 bbls of pre-gelled chemical through tubing. The first results seem very favourable, sincefor two wells, the water cut has dropped from 80 to 40% with almost same gross production rate. The incremental oil is more than 100 bopd. The third well did not show marked change after WSO treatment. The wells are under continuous monitoring to assess long-term performance. Such result, if confirmed, may lead to high possibilities for the improvement of heavy-oil reservoir production under aquifer support by mitigating water production with simple chemical bullhead injection.

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