SmartWater Synergy with Microsphere Injection for Permeable Carbonates

This paper presents a laboratory study on combination of SmartWater with microsphere injection to improve oil production in carbonates, which increases the sweep efficiency and oil displacement efficiency. In this study, the properties of a micro-sized polymeric microsphere were investigated including size distribution, rheology, and zeta potential in SmartWater, compared with conventional high salinity injection water. Coreflooding tests using natural permeable carbonate cores were performed to evaluate flow performance and oil production potential at 95°C and 3,100 psi pore pressure. The flow performance was evaluated by the injection of 1 pore volume microspheres, followed by excessive water injection. Oil displacement tests were also performed by injecting 1 pore volume of microspheres dissolved in SmartWater after conventional waterflooding. The median particle size of the microsphere in conventional injection water with a salinity of 57,670 ppm was about 0.25 µm. The particle size was increased by 50% to 100% with reduced elastic modulus when the microsphere dispersed in SmartWater with lower salinity. The zeta potential value of microsphere was decreased in SmartWater compared to that in conventional injection water, showing more negatively charge property. Flow performance of microsphere solutions in the carbonate cores was found to be dependent on their particle size, strength, and suspension stability. The results from coreflooding tests showed that the microsphere dispersed in SmartWater would result in higher differential pressure than that observed in conventional injection water. The SmartWater caused the microspheres swell to larger but softer particles with better suspension stability, which enhanced both the migration and blocking efficiency of microsphere injection. The oil displacement tests confirmed that the microsphere in SmartWater displaced more oil than that obtained with conventional injection water. This result was clearly supported by the higher differential pressure from microsphere injection in SmartWater. The oil bank appeared historically in the post water injection stage, which was quite different from the reported findings of typical mobility controlling agents in the existing knowledge. The microspheres were observed in the core flood produced fluids, indicating the improvement of microsphere migration by SmartWater. This work, for the first time, demonstrated that the combination of SmartWater and microsphere injection yields additional oil production. The proposed hybrid technique can provide a cost-effective way to improve waterflooding performance in heterogeneous carbonates.

Real-Time 3D Ultra Deep Directional Electromagnetic LWD Inversions: An Innovative Approach for Geosteering and Geomapping Water Slumping Movement Around Sub-Seismic Fault, Onshore Abu Dhabi

An Ultra-Deep Directional Electromagnetic LWD Resistivity (UDDE) tool was deployed in a mature Lower Cretaceous carbonate reservoir to map injection water movement. These thick carbonate reservoirs experience injection water preferentially travelling laterally at the top of the reservoir. The water held above oil by negative capillary forces slumps quickly, leading to increasing water cut, eventually killing the natural lift horizontal producing well. Real time 3D and 1D inversions provided important accurate mapping of the non-uniform water fronts and reservoir boundaries, providing insights into reservoir architecture and water movement. The candidate well is located in an area of significant uncertainty regarding fluid distribution and structural elements like sub-seismic faults etc. Pre-well 1D inversion results indicated that the water slumping front away from wellbore can be mapped within a vertical radius of 60-100 ft TVD. However, 1D inversion is not accurate where steeply dipping or discontinuous formations exist due to the presence of faults and is expected to impact well placement, mapping water fronts / formation boundaries and long-term oil recovery. Therefore in the real time, full 3D and 1D inversions of the Ultra-Deep EM data were run to provide high quality reservoir imaging in this complex geometrical setting and deliver improved reservoir fluid distribution and structure mapping. The pre-well inversion modeling optimized the frequency and transmitter-receiver spacing of the UDDE tool. The bottom hole assembly (BHA) configuration also included conventional LWD tools such as Neutron-Density, propagation Resistivity and Gamma Ray. Multiple 3D inversion datasets were processed in real-time using different depths of inversion ranging from 50 ft up to 120 ft depth. The 3D inversion results during the real-time drilling operation detected the non-uniform waterfront boundaries and water slumping up to 80 ft TVD above the wellbore using a slimhole (4¾″) tool. An interpreted sub-seismic down-thrown fault was mapped which controlled the non-uniform slumping fluid distribution, causing the water front to approach closest to the wellbore in this location. This suggests that the fault zone is open and provides a degree of increased permeability around the plane of the fault. The real-time 3D inversion, 1D shallow and 1D deep inversion results showed comparable structural imaging despite being inverted independently of each other. These results permitted updates to the static / dynamic reservoir models and an optimization of the completion design, to delay the water influx and thereby sustain oil production for a longer period of time. Field wide implementation of the UDDE tool and its advanced technology with improved 1D and 3D inversion results will enhance the quality of realtime geosteering, mapping and updating of reservoir models which have challenging water slumping fronts and structural variations. This will enable improvment in well locations, their spacing and finally allowing the proactive design of smart completions for enhanced oil production and improved recovery factors.

The Impact of Sulfate Level Reduction on Seawater Injection Economics: Using Sulfate Scale Precipitation Kinetics to Our Advantage

ADNOC Onshore plans to use seawater as alternative to aquifer water, its source of injection water for over 40 years. However, using seawater for injection introduces a sulfate scaling risk due to incompatibility with formation water. Sulfate in the seawater and cations in the formation water (Ca, Sr) are likely to precipitate, causing scaling and related flow assurance problems and formation damage. Sulfate can be removed from the injection water by means of desulfation, but sulfate removal to well below its scaling concentration is CAPEX intensive and negatively impacts seawater flooding economics. In this paper, the economic benefits of partial sulfate reduction are evaluated, by finding a balance between controllable scaling and costs for inhibition and sulfate removal.

Ultra-Deep LWD Electromagnetic Directional Resistivity for Waterflood Mapping – A Game Changer

Abu Dhabi's thick Lower Cretaceous carbonate reservoirs experience injection water overriding oil. The water is held above the oil by negative capillary pressure until a horizontal borehole placed at the reservoir base creates a small pressure drawdown. This causes the water above to slump unpredictably towards the horizontal producer, increasing water cut and eventually killing the well under natural lift after a moderate amount of oil production. Water slumping is difficult to forecast using the reservoir model. This paper showcases the successful deployment of an ultra-deep electromagnetic directional resistivity (UDDE) instrument to map injection water movement. The UDDE instrument selected for the 6-in. horizontal hole was a 4¾-in. OD multifrequency tool with configurable transmitter-to-receiver spacings. Pre-well modeling using hybrid deterministic 1D resistivity inversions was conducted for the candidate well to investigate the resistivity tool's ability to identify water slumping at distances 60-100 ft TVD above the planned well trajectory. The inversions aided the selection of optimum operating frequencies, transmitter-to-receiver spacings and BHA configuration. During operations, multiple 1D and 3D inversions were run in the cloud real time during drilling to provide simultaneous deep and shallow resistivity inversions for early identification of the water fronts and structural changes, and near wellbore changes to geosteer and maximize reservoir contact in the complex layered reservoir. Real-time 1D and 3D deep inversion results indicated the resistivity tool had a depth of reliable waterflood detection of more than 80 ft. While drilling, an interpreted subseismic fault was encountered which appeared to influence how water moved in the reservoir. Water slumped closest through the sub-seismic fault towards the well path. Past the fault, the waterfront receded upwards away from the well bore. The data proved useful for updating the static model, providing a snapshot of water flood areas, reservoir tops and faults with throw, helping to optimize the completion design to defer water production and enhance oil production. Furthermore, it captured resistivities of target, underlying and overlying reservoirs to integrate with other geology and geophysics data for better reservoir and fluid characterization near the drilled area. The positive results of this case study encouraged field-wide implementation of this technology for waterflood mapping. The information provided allowed petroleum engineers to adjust the completion design to delay water breakthrough. This proactive approach to waterflood field management improves cumulative oil production and recovery factors according to mechanistic models which have been built and tested.

Adsorption Inhibitor Role in a Constant Salinity Surfactant-Polymer CSSP Flooding Design for an Offshore Field Application

A base chemical flooding formulation using alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) has been developed for application in offshore environments. The formulation uses combination of conventional alkali (sodium carbonate) with amphoteric surfactant. The field is currently under waterflooding using sea water as injection water. However, since alkali is incompatible with divalent ions in sea water, an alternative formulation using seawater with no additional water treatment is also being developed and considered for application. The alternative formulation uses combination of alkyl propoxy sulfate (APS) and alkyl ethoxy sulfate (AES). Coreflood recovery performance of both formulations is similar. Without alkali, high surfactant adsorption becomes major concern for the alternative formulation. Thus, an adsorption inhibitor (AI) agent – polyacrylic acid type, is being considered as an additive to address this concern. While AI showed potential in reducing surfactant adsorption and improving oil recovery efficiency, it can also increase overall cost for the surfactant in sea water chemical formulation. Hence, the merit to apply AI was not clearly observed.

Low-Cost Development Plan Optimization for a Polish Oil Field

In Poland there are approximately 60 oil fields located in different geological structures. Most of these fields have been producing for several years to several dozen years, and now require redefining of the development plan by utilizing an improved oil recovery (IOR) or enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method to achieve a higher oil recovery factor. Here we present the redevelopment plan for the Polish Main Dolomite oil field, that aimed to optimize and maximize the oil recovery factor. Considering all available geological and reservoir data, both a static and dynamic model were built and calibrated for three separate reservoirs connected to the same production facility. Then the comprehensive study was performed where different development scenarios was considered and tested using reservoir numerical simulation. The proposed redevelopment scenarios included excessive gas reinjection to the main reservoir, additional high-nitrogen (N2) gas injection from a nearby gas reservoir (87% of N2), carbon dioxide (CO2) injection, water injection, polymer injection, water-alternating-gas (WAG), well stimulation, and a combination of these methods. Development plans assumes also drilling new injection and production wells and converting existing producers to gas or water injectors. The key component in development scenarios was to arrest the pressure decline from the main field and decrease the gas/oil ratio (GOR). An additional challenge was to implement in the simulation model all key assumptions behind various development scenarios, while also taking into account specific facility constraints and simultaneously handling separate reservoirs that are connected to the same facility, and hence affecting each other. From numerous scenarios, the scenario that requires the least number of new wells was selected and further optimized. It considers the drilling of only one new producer, one new water injector, and conversion of some currently producing wells to gas and water injectors. The location of the proposed well and the amount of injection fluids was optimized to achieve the highest oil recovery factor and to postpone gas and water breakthrough as much as possible. The optimized case that assumes low investments is expected to improve incremental oil production by 90% over No Further Actions Scenario. However, the study suggests the potential of more than tripling incremental oil production under a scenario with considerably higher expenditures. The improved case assumes drilling one more producer, four new water injectors, and injection of three times more water. The presented field optimization example highlights that in many existing Polish oil fields there is still a potential to reach higher oil recovery without considerable expenditures. However, to obtain more significant oil recovery improvement, higher capital expenditure is necessary. To facilitate the selection of the best development scenario, a detailed economic and risk analysis needs to be conducted.

Short Term Injection Re-Distribution STIR: Real-Time Waterflood Optimization Technique Using Advanced Data Analytics

Short Term Injection Re-distribution (STIR) is a python based real-time WaterFlood optimization technique for brownfield assets that uses advanced data analytics. The objective of this technique is to generate recommendations for injection water re-distribution to maximize oil production at the facility level. Even though this is a data driven technique, it is tightly bounded by Petroleum Engineering principles such as material balance etc. The workflow integrates and analyse short term data (last 3-6 months) at reservoir, wells and facility level. STIR workflow is divided into three modules: Injector-producer connectivity Injector efficiency Injection water optimization First module uses four major data types to estimate the connectivity between each injector-producer pair in the reservoir: Producers data (pressure, WC, GOR, salinity) Faults presence Subsurface distance Perforation similarity – layers and kh Second module uses connectivity and watercut data to establish the injector efficiency. Higher efficiency injectors contribute most to production while poor efficiency injectors contribute to water recycling. Third module has a mathematical optimizer to maximize the oil production by re-distributing the injection water amongst injectors while honoring the constraints at each node (well, facility etc.) of the production system. The STIR workflow has been applied to 6 reservoirs across different assets and an annual increase of 3-7% in oil production is predicted. Each recommendation is verified using an independent source of data and hence, the generated recommendations align very well with the reservoir understanding. The benefits of this technique can be seen in 3-6 months of implementation in terms of increased oil production and better support (pressure increase) to low watercut producers. The inherent flexibility in the workflow allows for easy replication in any Waterflooded Reservoir and works best when the injector well count in the reservoir is relatively high. Geological features are well represented in the workflow which is one of the unique functionalities of this technique. This method also generates producers bean-up and injector stimulation candidates opportunities. This low cost (no CAPEX) technique offers the advantages of conventional petroleum engineering techniques and Data driven approach. This technique provides a great alternative for WaterFlood management in brownfield where performing a reliable conventional analysis is challenging or at times impossible. STIR can be implemented in a reservoir from scratch in 3-6 weeks timeframe.

Value of DTS in Multi-Stacked Reservoirs to Better Understand Injectivity and Water Flood Effectiveness – A Field Example from the UAE

This paper highlights the application of downhole fiber optic (FO) distributed temperature sensing (DTS) measurements for well and reservoir management applications: 1) Wellbore water injectivity profiling. 2) Mapping of injection water movement in an underlying reservoir. The U.A.E. field in question is an elongated anticline containing several stacked carbonate oil bearing reservoirs (Figure 1). Reservoir A, where two DTS monitored, peripheral horizontal water injectors (Y-1 and Y-2) were drilled, is less developed and tighter than the immediately underlying, more prolific Reservoir B with 40 years of oil production and water injection history. Reservoirs A and B are of Lower Cretaceous age, limestone fabrics made up of several 4th order cycles, subdivided by several thin intra dense, 2-5 ft thick stylolitic intervals within the reservoir zones. Between Reservoir A and Reservoir B there is a dense limestone interval (30-50 ft), referred as dense layer in the Figure 1 well sections.

Corrosion behavior of X80 pipeline steel in oilfield injection water in Eastern China

Purpose This paper aims to under the laboratory environment, the corrosion behavior of X80 pipeline steel in oilfield injection water in eastern China was studied by immersion test. Design/methodology/approach First, the corrosion product film was immersed in oilfield injection water and the effect on the corrosion behavior and the corrosion reaction mechanism were constantly observed during this period. The effect was displayed by potentiodynamic polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectrums (EIS) measurements. Second, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to observe and test the corrosion product film immersed in the oilfield water for 30 days. Findings The results indicate that the tendency of metal corrosion becomes weaker at an early stage, but strengthened later, which means the corrosion rate is accelerating. Besides, it is indicated by impedance spectroscopy that with the decreasing of the capacitance arc radius, the reaction resistance is reducing in this progress. Meanwhile, the character of Warburg impedance could be found in EIS, which means that the erosional components are more likely to penetrate the product film to reach the matrix. The corrosion product is mainly composed of the inner Fe3O4 layer and outer shell layer, which contains a large number of calcium carbonate granular deposits. It is this corrosion under fouling that produces severe localized corrosion, forming many etch pits on the metal substrate. Originality/value The experiment chose the X80 steel, the highest-grade pipeline steel used in China, to conduct the static immersion test in the injection water coming from an oilfield in eastern China. Accordingly, the corrosion mechanism and the effect of corrosion product film on the corrosion of pipeline steel were analyzed and discussed.