An Integrated Approach of Numerical Well Test for Well Intersecting Fractures Based on FMI Image

Fluid flow is strongly affected by fractures in unconventional reservoirs. It is essential to deeply understand the flow characteristics with fractures for improving the production and efficiency of unconventional reservoir exploitation. The purpose of this work is to develop an accurate numerical model to evaluate the transient-pressure response for well intersecting fractures. The meshes generated from Fullbore Formation Micro-Imager (FMI) images ensure an efficient numerical description of the geometries for fractures and interlayers. The numerical simulation is implemented by an inhouse finite element method-based code and benchmarked with drill stem test (DST) data. The results show that three flow regimes appear in the reservoir with fractures within the test period: wellbore afterflow, pseudolinear flow, and radial flow. In contrast, only the wellbore afterflow and radial flow appear for the wells without fractures. The results also reveal that fractures dominate the flow near the wellbore. Verification and application of the model show the practicability of the integrated approach for investigating the transient-pressure behaviors in the unconventional reservoir.

Deepest Deviated HPHT Gas Well Drilling and Testing Challenges in an Offshore Island Case-study

Objectives/Scope Deepest Deviated Appraisal well in Upper Khuff reservoir in a small artificial island, located about 100 KM away from Abu Dhabi shore was successfully drilled and tested. The well has been recognized as the deepest deviated well on offshore Island with highest bottom hole reservoir temperature in UAE about 375 deg F (190 degrees C) and exceeding 9000 psi reservoir pressure complemented with impurities of H2S ranging from 10-22% and CO2 between 9-20%. Methods, Procedures, Process The challenges were immense, from designing to execution, including securing special materials for the unique well design to accommodate the sour environment of Khuff reservoir as exploring new reservoirs always counter many risks comparing to developed reservoirs. The execution was driven with the focus of maximizing the ultimate value and benefit for ADNOC, our respected partners, the community and the UAE. The field is located in the most sensitive and ecological important area and is under UNESCO Biosphere reserve. Results, Observations, Conclusions The appraisal well was successfully drilled to Khuff reservoir at a depth of 19000 ft. The well test using Drill stem test (DST string) was conducted. Multiple challenges ranging from HSE, material selection, drilling and logging tools availability, limitations and procuring them in time were overcome by utilizing the World First Integrated Zero Waste Discharge Solution in Restricted & Highly Environmentally Sensitive Areas. Another major challenge faced during the drilling deeper reservoir was mud rheology changes due to high temperatures. The logging program was tailored to overcome the challenges posed by the mud, high temperature, high pressure, sour condition and to gain maximum representative reservoir data in a reservoir where high-pressure steaks and geological unconformities were anticipated. The Drill stem test, (DST) string was successfully POOH after acquiring all the objectives from Khuff K-4 testing under above mentioned harsh environment. The zonal isolation was carried out with cement and rig was released. Novel/Additive Information The drilling and testing operation was conducted with high level of cooperation and excellence accomplishing the well set objectives without (Lost Time Injury). Lessons learned are widely shared with all the teams across the region to expedite and improve on the technologies used for sour gas production. ADNOC Onshore demonstrated 100% HSE, full commitment, high collaboration and efficient outcome ensuring safety compliance for the successful delivery of this highly critical project. This paper presents the various challenges faced and overcome while carrying out the Drilling and testing of the HPHT Sour well offshore.

Putting the Reservoir to Test: An Innovative Multi-Zone Drill Stem Test Method Revealed Critical Reservoir Characteristics, Horizontal and Vertical Connectivity for Field Development Decisions and Reserve Calculations

Information from dual-zone drill-stem tests (DSTs) and vertical interference tests, especially between oil and water zones, is very valuable for reservoir characterization under dynamic conditions. Despite the critical information that can be gathered for field development decisions, it is also an uncommon test type at a DST scale because of the advanced downhole test string design and operational complexity. This paper describes the objective-driven test design for a multi-layered carbonate reservoir and how the test sequence was modified in real-time to increase the value of information. An unconventional multi-zone well test with flexible on-demand control functionality was executed to resolve vital reservoir uncertainties for field development, including vertical interference between zones, individual zone characteristics and to confirm reservoir boundaries. Reservoir simulations were performed to decide the test sequence to create interference between different reservoir layers, while considering other test objectives, simultaneously. A DST string with wirelessly-activated downhole tools and flexible control options allowed to modify the test program on the fly, based on real-time data analysis and performance of each zone. One of the zones was also tested and characterized without flowing fluids to surface by making use of real-time downhole data. This complex, unorthodox well test operation was chosen to resolve multiple reservoir uncertainties in a single DST run, which would have normally required multiple different DSTs. Operations included flowing different zones individually, including acidizing operations, and the sequence was monitored and modified on the fly to maximize the value of data. Vertical interference between oil and water zones were also monitored to determine test conditions. Reservoir simulation studies helped choose the optimum test sequence to create the required interference by avoiding any disturbance in the interference data from other pressure transients during the test. During the test, downhole and surface testing data was transmitted to town in real-time and analyzed by the petro-technical team to guide the operational procedures. Downhole equipment was controlled wirelessly by acoustic commands to change the test design, depending on the data analysis. This thick carbonate formation was tested pre- and post-acid, to evaluate stimulation efficiency. Also, by testing the well at different flowrate and pressure conditions, information regarding future production well behavior was obtained. A low-pressure water zone was also tested without bringing fluids to surface, using a type of closed chamber test which was made possible by analyzing real-time downhole data from different depths. Multiple crucial objectives for field development decisions were planned and successfully obtained using an engineered DST string design. The confirmed reliability of complex DST string and wireless telemetry in difficult environment enabled well test efficiency gains to solve multiple challenging dynamic reservoir evaluation problems, simultaneously. These novel solutions bring new types of data and information to the exploration and appraisal teams to answer connectivity questions in a cost and time effective manner.

Research on Impact Stress Transfer Characteristics of Lunar Rock Coring Drill

In the whole lunar surface drilling and sampling task, it is critical to make the operation of the drilling and sampling impact system efficient and reliable. This paper focuses on how to improve the impact stress obtained at the cutting edge of the drill bit. Firstly, with the objective of maximizing the output impact energy, the design parameters of the percussive mechanism are optimally selected; based on the one-dimensional stress wave transfer theory, the collision input model and transfer models of impact stress in the drilling tool are established. Secondly, in order to verify the above design parameters and theoretical models, the percussive drive characteristics’ test and the transfer characteristics’ tests of impact stress in the drill stem and drilling tool joints are carried out in turn. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis, which clarifies the transfer characteristics of the impact stress at the various stages of generation, incidence, and transfer to the cutting edge. It was finally found that increasing the percussive frequency and impact energy of the percussive mechanism as well as the contact stiffness of the collision surface can increase the incident impact stress of the drilling tool, while reducing the length of the screw connection between the drill bit and the drill stem can reduce the impact stress loss. This provides a theoretical reference for the design of the percussive mechanism and drilling tools in lunar surface drilling and sampling tasks.

Design and Implementation of a Water-Based Micronized Weighting Agent Fluid System for Deepwater Drill Stem Testing Operation in Environmentally Restricted Location

The use of micronized weighting agents, in multiple operations, have become more commonplace over the years, with current applications now going far beyond their targeted original purpose of reducing pressure losses in extended reach wells. This specific case reports the development of a fit for purpose system engineered to tackle multiple challenges such as: limitation in using heavy density brines composed of bromides in an offshore environment; hydrate suppression under Drill Stem Test (DST) conditions; weighting agent sagging control; plugging of downhole tools due to heavy solids loading; proper pressure transmission for downhole tools activation; and formation damage prevention. The operation involved the following steps: 1 - development of a Water-based Micronized Weighting Agent Fluid System (WBMWAFS), laboratory testing, simulation evaluation and testing validation for all target properties; 2 - development of an appropriate DST approach with the usage of a designed set of explosives to minimize formation damage and the interaction of the DST fluid with such cargos; and 3 - the evaluation of the overall system performance in order to validate the integrated approach used to design such solution. The DST results indicated that the WBMWAFS is capable of delivering all the technical requirements for a trouble-free operation, with no significant register of weighting agent sag, hydrates or with any variation in fluid properties, whilst enabling a DST operation that demonstrated a negative skin damage during the clean-up period and no damage associated with the WBMWAFS. The WBMWAFS performance opens the possibility of the application of this type of fluid as a replacement for high-density clear brines in many challenging environments.

Buoyancy Force on a Plain or Perforated Portion of a Pipe

Torque and drag models have been used for many decades to calculate tensions and torques along drill-strings, casing strings and liner strings. However, when applied to sand-screens, it is important to check that all the initial hypotheses used for torque and drag calculations are still valid. In particular, it should be checked whether the buoyancy force on a perforated tube may differ from the one applied to a plain tube. The buoyancy force applied on a pipe, contributes to the sum of efforts at the contact between the pipe and the borehole and therefore influences torque and drag calculations. This contact force is local and should account for localized effects as well as the material internal forces, torques and moments on each side of the contact. As the buoyancy force is the result of the gravitational component of the pressure gradient on the surface of the pipe that is in contact with the fluid, the presence of holes in the pipe also influences the buoyancy force. When applied to a portion of a pipe, buoyancy does not have contributions at the end caps of that portion of the drill-stem since these end caps are not in contact with the fluid, except at positions with a change of diameter. Therefore, one shall be cautious when calculating the local buoyancy force either on a plain or a perforated tube. The paper describes how to calculate the local buoyancy force on a portion of a drill-stem by application of the Gauss theorem accounting for the necessary corrections arising from the end caps not being exposed to the fluid. An experimental setup has been built to verify that the tension inside a pipe subject to buoyancy does follow the derived mathematical calculations. With complex well construction operations, for instance during extended reach drilling or when drilling very shallow wells with high kick-off rates, the slightest error in torques and drag calculations may end up in jeopardizing the chance of success of the drilling operation. It is therefore important to check that all initial calculation hypotheses are still valid in those contexts and that for instance, sand-screens may be run in hole safely after a successful drilling operation.

A Novel Approach to Drill Stem Selection for Drilling in Sour Fields

For years the drilling industry has used sour service drill pipe within a narrow set of specifications and industry guidelines. That left room for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to have customization on an iterative basis, which resulted in a wide product offering to fulfill operator needs. While this method worked, it did not lead to building the product in the most efficient and economical manner. As a result of this product diversity, drilling engineers could specify the best product to deliver their projects when running drilling models, only to have to redesign it around what is effectively available on rigs or for rental. This disconnect puts pressure on the industry players and is the result of a lack of standardization. We wiped the board to provide a simple solution that is more suited to allow alignment between operators, contractors, and rental companies. The new philosophy is based on the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) MR0175-2015 severity diagram, where environmental severity is defined in regions (1, 2, and 3), which have been used by oil companies’ engineers for their oil country tubular goods (OCTG) product selection. Even though the drill string will not be exposed to the well fluid for the same extended time and is surrounded by a more forgiving medium, the drilling fluid, the diagram allows a segmentation of customer's needs. This framework helped define targeted product properties. A research and development (R&D) and industrialization test campaign could then be started to confirm that sound product configurations could be offered with targeted properties. The study also explored the limitations imposed on connection make-up torque in a sour gas environment relative to the NACE severity diagram. Emphasis was given on methods to increase the make-up torque, which is needed to deliver the most extended reach wells that are now commonplace. The result of this two-year development campaign is a short list of grades with an optimized balance between pipe subcomponents strength and sulfide stress cracking (SSC) resistance. Region 1 (mild severity) products will offer as much tension and torque as possible, matching or exceeding these of API products, including excellent resistance to SSC, thus making drilling operation safer. Region 2 (medium severity) will offer products with medium to high strength and enhanced SSC resistance. Finally, region 3 (high severity) products will be aligned with the industry specifications for maximized SSC resistance and lower strength. This paper discusses a proactive approach that contrasts with a historical, more reactive one. As the drill stem technology leader, we saw an opportunity to drive this initiative that will benefit the drilling industry by offering a more natural way to select drill stem products. For the first time a sour service product range aligns with the needs of drilling engineers and the inventory of their selected service companies.

Analysis of reservoir parameters on the basis of well logging and DST of Miocene gas reservoirs in the central part of the Carpathian Foredeep, Poland

In the Polish part of the Carpathian Foredeep, an intensification of gas exploration and exploitation from Miocene strata took place in the middle of the twentieth century. In spite of a good degree of geological and reservoir recognition, the area of the Carpathian Foredeep is still considered to be prospective for the discovery of new gas reservoirs. Here we analyse statistically selected reservoir parameters of Miocene deposits, such as total porosity, effective permeability and reservoir water inflow. These parameters have been determined on the basis of interpretations of results of well logs and reservoir tests with tubular bed samplers (DST, Drill Stem Test). Analytical results in the form of regression and dependence of the logarithm of permeability as a function of porosity show a weak correlation. However, in the study area, the distribution of porosity values for Miocene strata is close to normal.