A New Method of Improving Steam Injection Profile Distribution Used in Thermal Horizontal Well and Experimental Study

During the production of thermal horizontal well, recovery ratio will be reduced by the deficiency of traditional steam injection methods, which include finite effective heating range, poor level of producing reserves etc. In order to improve efficiency of steam and well yield，a new method—multipoint steam injection technology is presented in this paper, which can improve steam injection profile distribution in thermal horizontal wells. Several factors including multiphase flow, pressure drop, variable mass flow and reservoir heterogeneity, are taken into consideration in this method. By the new technology, Steam injection string used in horizontal wells is divided into several independent units through applying matching equipments. Based on the optimization of steam absorption capacity of every unit, steam injection profile distribution is improved. The validation of multipoint steam injection technology and matching equipments are verified through ground simulation tests in this paper. Moreover, the influence of steam injection parameters is also analyzed.

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Mathematical Modeling of Heat Transfer and Pressure Drops in the Single- and Dual-Pipe Horizontal Wells

Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications ◽

10.1115/1.4034916 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xiaohu Dong ◽

Huiqing Liu ◽

Zhangxin Chen

Keyword(s):

Heat Transfer ◽

Horizontal Well ◽

Horizontal Wells ◽

Steam Injection ◽

Thermal Recovery ◽

Pressure Drops ◽

Injection Process ◽

Single Pipe ◽

Productivity Prediction ◽

Transfer Mechanisms

In this paper, from the heat transfer mechanisms between perforated horizontal well and formation, the mathematical models for the heat transfer and pressure drops of the horizontal well with different steam injection pipe configurations are developed. All the conventional single-pipe, concentric dual-pipe, and parallel dual-pipe configurations are considered. A correlation is proposed to represent a relationship between the thermophysical properties of the formation and the formation pressure and temperature. Then, using the method of wellbore microcontrol elements and node analysis, the steam injection process in the three different well configurations is numerically investigated. Based on the test data of a parallel dual-pipe horizontal well from an actual oilfield, a steam backflow procedure for the parallel dual-pipe configuration is proposed to confirm the sealed status of a thermal packer. The theoretical investigation plays an important role in the performance evaluation and productivity prediction of horizontal well-based thermal recovery projects. Furthermore, it also sheds some important insights on a steam injection project design with dual-pipe horizontal wells.

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The Essence of Horizontal Drilling Challenges in Depleted Reservoirs

10.2118/200871-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rida Mohamed Elgaddafi ◽

Victor Soriano ◽

Ramadan Ahmed ◽

Samuel Osisanya

Keyword(s):

Pore Pressure ◽

Horizontal Well ◽

New Technology ◽

Horizontal Wells ◽

Stability Loss ◽

Wellbore Stability ◽

Planning Stage ◽

Horizontal Drilling ◽

Infill Drilling ◽

Drilling Operations

Abstract Horizontal well technology is one of the major improvements in reservoir stimulation. Planning and execution are the key elements to drill horizontal wells successfully, especially through depleted formations. As the reservoir has been producing for a long time, pore pressure declines, resulting in weakening hydrocarbon-bearing rocks. Drilling issues such as wellbore stability, loss circulation, differential sticking, formation damage remarkably influenced by the pore pressure decline, increasing the risk of losing part or even all the horizontal interval. This paper presents an extensive review of the potential issues and solutions associated with drilling horizontal wells in depleted reservoirs. After giving an overview of the depleted reservoir characteristics, the paper systematically addresses the major challenges that influence drilling operations in depleted reservoirs and suggests solutions to avoid uncontrolled risks. Then, the paper evaluates several real infill drilling operations through depleted reservoirs, which were drilled in different oilfields. The economic aspect associated with potential risks for drilling a horizontal well in depleted reservoirs is also discussed. The most updated research and development findings for infill drilling are summarized in the article. It is recommended to use wellbore strengthening techniques while drilling a horizontal well through highly depleted formations. This will allow using higher mud weight to control unstable shales while drilling through the production zone. Managed Pressure Drilling should be considered as the last option for highly depleted formations because it will require a greater level of investment which is not going to have a superior rate of return due to the lack of high deliverability of the reservoir. Using rotary steerable systems is favored to reduce risks related to drilling through depleted formations. Precise analysis of different drilling programs allows the drilling team to introduce new technology to reduce cost, improve drilling efficiency and maximize profit. It is the responsibility of the drilling engineer to evaluate different scenarios with all the precautions needed during the planning stage to avoid unexpected issues. The present market conditions and the advancement in technologies for drilling horizontal wells increase the feasibility of producing the depleted reservoirs economically. This paper highlights the challenges in drilling horizontal wells in highly depleted reservoirs and provides means for successfully drilling those wells to reduce risks while drilling

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Steam Injection Performance of Horizontal Wells Completed with Slotted Liners

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.423-426.674 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 423-426 ◽

pp. 674-678 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hui Juan Chen ◽

Ming Zhong Li ◽

Yan Yu Zhang ◽

Wei Wei Li

Keyword(s):

Flow Rate ◽

Variable Mass ◽

Horizontal Wells ◽

Steam Injection ◽

Steam Pressure ◽

Steam Flow ◽

Phase Variable ◽

Steam Flow Rate ◽

Horizontal Wellbore ◽

The Impact

Considering the impact of gas-liquid two-phase variable mass flow in horizontal wellbore, combined with the principle of mass, momentum and energy conservation, a simple prediction model was developed to simulate the steam injection performance of horizontal wells completed with slotted liners. Based on the model, the profiles of steam pressure, temperature, quality and flow rate to the reservoir along the slotted horizontal wellbore were studied. The results show the steam pressure, temperature, quality and steam flow rate to the reservoir all gradually drop from the horizontal heel to the toe. However, the decrease of steam pressure and temperature are not so remarkable, but it is conspicuous for steam quality and steam flow rate to the reservoir. It is crucial to develop the techniques to guarantee a uniform flow along the horizontal wellbore.

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Uniform Steam Injection Technology Used in Thermal Horizontal Wells

10.2118/130893-ms ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Pingyuan Gai ◽

Yongxin Du ◽

Guocheng Lu ◽

Xiaonan Li ◽

zhiyong Luan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Horizontal Wells ◽

Steam Injection ◽

Injection Technology

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Optimized Design and Research on Technology Parameters of Concentric Dual-Tube Steam Injection Horizontal Well

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.675-677.1505 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 675-677 ◽

pp. 1505-1511 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hong Qin Liu ◽

Zai Hong Shi ◽

Jing Zhu ◽

Zhen Ma

Keyword(s):

Physical Model ◽

Heat Loss ◽

Heavy Oil ◽

Horizontal Well ◽

Horizontal Wells ◽

Steam Injection ◽

Injection Technique ◽

Optimized Design ◽

Calculation Methods ◽

Liaohe Oilfield

The screen pipe completion is the predominated method for heavy oil horizontal well in Liaohe Oilfield, accounting for 83.4% of the total completions. General steam injection has been used for the horizontal wells, resulting in a better exploitation percentage in heel part but a poorer exploitation percentage beyond 1/3 of the distance from the tiptoe to heel in horizontal well. As the concentric dual-tube steam injection technique for horizontal well has just been developed in Liaohe Oilfield, the related supporting technique is not enough. In this paper, researchers consider achieving horizontal wells concentric dual-tube steam injection optimized design as main goal so that the physical model will be established, and also the calculation methods for pressure, the calculation models for quality, heat loss and tapered string parameters along the wellbore will be provided during the concentric dual-tube steam injection for horizontal wells.

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The Research and Application of Segregated Completion Technology in Horizontal Wells in the Heavy Oil Reservoirs

Applied Mechanics and Materials ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amm.694.350 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 694 ◽

pp. 350-353

Author(s):

Zhen Yu Sun ◽

Ji Cheng Zhao

Keyword(s):

Heavy Oil ◽

Horizontal Wells ◽

Steam Injection ◽

Thermal Recovery ◽

Oil Reservoirs ◽

Oil Well ◽

Horizontal Section ◽

Liaohe Oilfield ◽

Heavy Oil Reservoirs ◽

Injection Technology

Liaohe oilfield is the biggest production base of the heavy oil in China. There are more than 800 horizontal wells with thermal recovery in the heavy oil reservoirs. Most of them adopt screen to complete the wells without packer outside of the casing, which results in packing off annulus space between screen and layer and only commingled steam or step steam can be injected inside the screen. Because of the areal and vertical anisotropy of the reservoirs, the horizontal sections are exploited unequally. According to the statistics, the horizontal wells with nonuniform exploitation accounts for 80 percent of all the horizontal wells with thermal recovery, and only 1/3 to 1/2 of the horizontal sections are comparatively well produced. The oil well productivity is seriously affected. So based on step steam injection inside the screen, we have developed the segregated completion and segregated steam injection technology applied to the horizontal wells with thermal recovery in heavy oil reservoirs. By means of the research on the segregated completion technology and development of high temperature ECP and casing thermal centralizer, which formed the corresponding technology applied in the horizontal wells with thermal recovery. Till now this technology has been applied in 8 wells, and average cyclic steam/oil ratio increased 0.1 plus, and the uniform development level of the horizontal section has been improved and the oilfield’s development effect has been advanced obviously.

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