Application of Multi-Lateral Wells for Production and Enhanced Oil Recovery – Case Studies From Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Delamaide
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Vertical Wells ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Heavy Oil Reservoirs ◽  
Complex Architectures ◽  
Horizontal And Vertical Wells ◽  
Cumulative Production ◽  
Tertiary Recovery

Abstract The use of multi-lateral wells started in the mid-1990s in particular in Canada, and they have since been used in many countries. However, few papers on multi-lateral wells focus on their production performances, thus what could be expected from such wells in terms of production and recovery factor is not clear and this paper will attempt to address that gap. Taking advantage of public data, the production performances of various multi-lateral wells in Western Canada have been studied. In the cases reviewed in this paper, these wells always target a single formation; they have been used in a variety of fields and reservoirs, mostly for primary production but also for polymer flooding in some cases. Multiple examples will be provided, mostly in heavy oil reservoirs, and production performances will be compared to nearby horizontal and vertical wells whenever possible. From the more classical dual and tri-lateral to more complex architectures with 7 or 8 laterals, and the more exotic, with laterals drilled from laterals, the paper will present the architecture and performances of these complex wells and of some fields that have been developed almost exclusively with multi-lateral wells. Interestingly, multi-lateral wells have not been used much for secondary or tertiary recovery, probably due to the difficulty of controlling water production after breakthrough. However, field results suggest that this may not be such a difficult proposition. One of the most remarkable wells producing a 1,250 cp oil under polymer flood has achieved a cumulative production of over 3MM bbl, which puts it among the top producers in Canada. Although multi-lateral wells have been in use for over 25 years, very few papers have been devoted to the description of their production performances. This paper will bring some clarity on these aspects. It is hoped that this paper will encourage operators to reconsider the use of multi-lateral wells in their fields.

Application of Multilateral Wells for Production and Enhanced Oil Recovery: Case Studies from Canada

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Eric Delamaide
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Public Data ◽  
Heavy Oil Reservoirs ◽  
Complex Architectures ◽  
Cumulative Production ◽  
Tertiary Recovery ◽  
And Performance

Summary The use of multilateral wells started in the mid-1990s in particular in Canada, and they have since been used in many countries. However, few papers on multilateral wells focus on their production performance. Thus, what can be expected from such wells in terms of production is not clear, and this paper will attempt to address that gap. Taking advantage of public data, the production performance of multilateral wells in various Western Canadian fields has been studied. In the cases reviewed in this paper, these wells always target a single formation; they have been used in a variety of fields and reservoirs, mostly for primary production but also for polymer flooding in some cases. Multiple examples will be provided, mostly in heavy oil reservoirs, and production performance will be compared with nearby horizontal wells whenever possible. From the more classical dual and trilateral, to more complex architectures with seven or eight laterals, and the more exotic with laterals drilled from laterals, the paper will present the architecture and performance of these complex wells and of some fields that have been developed almost exclusively with multilateral wells. Interestingly, multilateral wells have not been used much for secondary or tertiary recovery, probably because of the difficulty of controlling water production after breakthrough. However, field results suggest that this may not be such a difficult proposition. One of the most remarkable wells producing a 1,250-cp oil under polymer flood has achieved a cumulative production of more than 3 million bbl, which puts it among the top producers in Canada. Although multilateral wells have been in use for more than 25 years, very few papers have been devoted to the description of their production performance. This paper will bring some clarity to these aspects. It will also attempt to address when multilateral wells can be used and to compare their performance to that of horizontal wells in the same fields. It is hoped that this paper will encourage operators to reconsider the use of multilateral wells in their fields.

Analysis of Data From the Barnett Shale Using Conventional Statistical and Virtual Intelligence Techniques

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (05) ◽  
pp. 544-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Obadare O. Awoleke ◽  
Robert H. Lane
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Recovery Factor ◽  
Barnett Shale ◽  
Production Data ◽  
Water Production ◽  
Vertical Wells ◽  
Self Organizing Maps ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Horizontal And Vertical Wells

Summary A Barnett shale water-production data set from approximately 11,000 completions was analyzed using conventional statistical techniques. Additionally, a water/hydrocarbon ratio and first-derivative diagnostic-plot technique developed elsewhere for conventional reservoirs was extended to analyze Barnett shale water-production mechanisms. To determine hidden structure in well and production data, self-organizing maps and the k-means algorithm were used to identify clusters in data. A competitive-learning-based network was used to predict the potential for continuous water production from a new well, and a feed-forward neural network was used to predict average water production for wells drilled in Denton and Parker Counties, Texas, of the Barnett shale. Using conventional techniques, we concluded that for wells of the same completion type, location is more important than time of completion or hydraulic-fracturing strategy. Liquid loading has potential to affect vertical more than horizontal wells. Different features were observed in the spreadsheet diagnostic plots for wells in the Barnett shale, and we made a subjective interpretation of these features. We find that 15% of the horizontal and vertical wells drilled in Denton County have a load-water-recovery factor greater than unity. Also, 15 and 35% of the horizontal and vertical wells drilled, respectively, in Parker County have a load-recovery factor greater than unity.The use of both self-organizing maps and the k-means algorithm showed that the data set is divided into two main clusters. The physical properties of these clusters are unknown but interpreted to represent wells with high water throughput and those with low water throughput. Expected misclassification error for the competitive-learning-based tool was approximately 10% for a data set containing both vertical and horizontal wells. The average prediction error for the neural-network tool varied between 10 and 26%, depending on well type and location.Results from this work can be used to mitigate risk of water problems in new Barnett shale wells and predict water issues in other shale plays. Engineers are provided a tool to predict potential for water production in new wells. The method used to develop this tool can be used to solve similar challenges in new and existing shale plays.

Unlocking Oil Resources without Artificial Lift Using Testing Barge in Tambora Gas Field

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
J., A. Anggoro
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Artificial Lift ◽  
Oil Resources ◽  
Cumulative Production ◽  
Inspection And Maintenance ◽  
Routine Inspection ◽  
Prime Condition ◽  
Safety Operation ◽  
Mahakam Delta

Tambora field is a mature gas field located in a swamp area of Mahakam delta without artificial lift. The main objective of this project is to unlock existing oil resources. Most oil wells could not flow because there is no artificial lift, moreover the network pressure is still at Medium Pressure (20 Barg). Given the significant stakes, the option to operate the testing barge continuously as lifting tool is reviewed. The idea is to set the separator pressure to 1-3 Barg, so that the wellhead flowing pressure could be reduced to more than 15 Barg which will create higher drawdown in front of the reservoir. The oil flows from the reservoir into the gauge tank, where it is then returned to the production line by transfer pumps. The trial was performed in well T-1 for a week in November 2017 and successfully produced continuous oil with a stable rate of 1000 bbls/d. What makes this project unique is the continuous operation for a long period of time. Therefore, it is important to ensure the capacity of the gauge tank and the transfer pump compatibility with the rate from the well, the system durability which required routine inspection and maintenance to ensure the testing barge unit is in prime condition and to maintain vigilance and responsiveness of personnel. This project started in 2018 for several wells and the cumulative production up to January 2020 has reached 158 k bbls and will be continued as there are still potential oil resources to be unlocked. Innovation does not need to be rocket science. Significant oil recovery can be achieved with a simple approach considering all safety operation, production and economic aspect.

Waterflooding in Carbonate Reservoirs: Does the Salinity Matter?

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (03) ◽  
pp. 304-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M.. M. Shehata ◽  
M.B.. B. Alotaibi ◽  
H.A.. A. Nasr-El-Din
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Deionized Water ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Shallow Aquifer ◽  
Secondary Recovery ◽  
Tertiary Recovery ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Indiana Limestone

Summary Waterflooding has been used for decades as a secondary oil-recovery mode to support oil-reservoir pressure and to drive oil into producing wells. Recently, the tuning of the salinity of the injected water in sandstone reservoirs was used to enhance oil recovery at different injection modes. Several possible low-salinity-waterflooding mechanisms in sandstone formations were studied. Also, modified seawater was tested in chalk reservoirs as a tertiary recovery mode and consequently reduced the residual oil saturation (ROS). In carbonate formations, the effect of the ionic strength of the injected brine on oil recovery has remained questionable. In this paper, coreflood studies were conducted on Indiana limestone rock samples at 195°F. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the salinity of the injected brine on the oil recovery during secondary and tertiary recovery modes. Various brines were tested including deionized water, shallow-aquifer water, seawater, and as diluted seawater. Also, ions (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and SO42−) were particularly excluded from seawater to determine their individual impact on fluid/rock interactions and hence on oil recovery. Oil recovery, pressure drop across the core, and core-effluent samples were analyzed for each coreflood experiment. The oil recovery using seawater, as in the secondary recovery mode, was, on the average, 50% of original oil in place (OOIP). A sudden change in the salinity of the injected brine from seawater in the secondary recovery mode to deionized water in the tertiary mode or vice versa had a significant effect on the oil-production performance. A solution of 20% diluted seawater did not reduce the ROS in the tertiary recovery mode after the injection of seawater as a secondary recovery mode for the Indiana limestone reservoir. On the other hand, 50% diluted seawater showed a slight change in the oil production after the injection of seawater and deionized water slugs. The Ca2+, Mg2+, and SO42− ions play a key role in oil mobilization in limestone rocks. Changing the ion composition of the injected brine between the different slugs of secondary and tertiary recovery modes showed a measurable increase in the oil production.

Effect of Scaling Parameters on Waterflood Performance with Horizontal and Vertical Wells

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 402-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanji J. Hadia ◽  
Lalit S. Chaudhari ◽  
Sushanta K. Mitra ◽  
Madhu Vinjamur ◽  
Raghuvir Singh
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Wells ◽  
Scaling Parameters ◽  
Horizontal And Vertical Wells

Tertiary Recovery Improvement of Steam Injection Using Chemical Additives: Pore Scale Understanding of Challenges and Solutions Through Visual Experiments

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randy Agra Pratama ◽  
Tayfun Babadagli
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Phase Distribution ◽  
Steam Injection ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Heavy Oil Recovery ◽  
Residual Oil ◽  
Tertiary Recovery

Abstract Our previous research, honoring interfacial properties, revealed that the wettability state is predominantly caused by phase change—transforming liquid phase to steam phase—with the potential to affect the recovery performance of heavy-oil. Mainly, the system was able to maintain its water-wetness in the liquid (hot-water) phase but attained a completely and irrevocably oil-wet state after the steam injection process. Although a more favorable water-wetness was presented at the hot-water condition, the heavy-oil recovery process was challenging due to the mobility contrast between heavy-oil and water. Correspondingly, we substantiated that the use of thermally stable chemicals, including alkalis, ionic liquids, solvents, and nanofluids, could propitiously restore the irreversible wettability. Phase distribution/residual oil behavior in porous media through micromodel study is essential to validate the effect of wettability on heavy-oil recovery. Two types of heavy-oils (450 cP and 111,600 cP at 25oC) were used in glass bead micromodels at steam temperatures up to 200oC. Initially, the glass bead micromodels were saturated with synthesized formation water and then displaced by heavy-oils. This process was done to exemplify the original fluid saturation in the reservoirs. In investigating the phase change effect on residual oil saturation in porous media, hot-water was injected continuously into the micromodel (3 pore volumes injected or PVI). The process was then followed by steam injection generated by escalating the temperature to steam temperature and maintaining a pressure lower than saturation pressure. Subsequently, the previously selected chemical additives were injected into the micromodel as a tertiary recovery application to further evaluate their performance in improving the wettability, residual oil, and heavy-oil recovery at both hot-water and steam conditions. We observed that phase change—in addition to the capillary forces—was substantial in affecting both the phase distribution/residual oil in the porous media and wettability state. A more oil-wet state was evidenced in the steam case rather than in the liquid (hot-water) case. Despite the conditions, auspicious wettability alteration was achievable with thermally stable surfactants, nanofluids, water-soluble solvent (DME), and switchable-hydrophilicity tertiary amines (SHTA)—improving the capillary number. The residual oil in the porous media yielded after injections could be favorably improved post-chemicals injection; for example, in the case of DME. This favorable improvement was also confirmed by the contact angle and surface tension measurements in the heavy-oil/quartz/steam system. Additionally, more than 80% of the remaining oil was recovered after adding this chemical to steam. Analyses of wettability alteration and phase distribution/residual oil in the porous media through micromodel visualization on thermal applications present valuable perspectives in the phase entrapment mechanism and the performance of heavy-oil recovery. This research also provides evidence and validations for tertiary recovery beneficial to mature fields under steam applications.

Characteristics of Dimensionless Pressure Gradients and Derivatives of Horizontal and Vertical Wells Completed within Inclined Sealing Faults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A V Ogbamikhumi ◽  
E S Adewole
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Horizontal Well ◽  
Superposition Principle ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Vertical Wells ◽  
Pressure Derivative ◽  
Vertical Well ◽  
Dimensionless Pressure ◽  
Horizontal And Vertical Wells

Abstract Dimensionless pressure gradients and dimensionless pressure derivatives characteristics are studied for horizontal and vertical wells completed within a pair of no-flow boundaries inclined at a general angle ‘θ’. Infinite-acting flow solution of each well is utilized. Image distances as a result of the inclinations are considered. The superposition principle is further utilized to calculate total pressure drop due to flow from both object and image wells. Characteristic dimensionless flow pressure gradients and pressure derivatives for the wells are finally determined. The number of images formed due to the inclination and dimensionless well design affect the dimensionless pressure gradients and their derivatives. For n images, shortly after very early time for each inclination, dimensionless pressure gradients of 1.151(N+1)/LD for the horizontal well and 1.151(N+1) for vertical well are observed. Dimensionless pressure derivative of (N+1)/2LD are observed for central and off-centered horizontal well locations, and (N+1)/2 for vertical well are observed. Central well locations do not affect horizontal well productivity for all the inclinations. The magnitudes of dimensionless pressure drop and dimensionless pressure derivatives are maximum at the farthest image distances, and are unaffected by well stand-off for the horizontal well.

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