Experimental Study and Application of Steam Flooding for Horizontal Well in Ultraheavy Oil Reservoirs

2016 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengcheng Liu ◽  
Hemei Zheng ◽  
Guanhuan Wu

Based on the ultraheavy oil area in AL-1 Block, Shengli Oilfield, China, a two-dimensional (2D) high-temperature–high-pressure (HTHP) visualized scaled physical simulation system was constructed to investigate intensively oil displacement mechanisms underlying steam flooding for horizontal well at different development stages. The results indicated that whole process is divided into three phases: water extraction phase, steam effective displacement phase, and steam breakthrough phase. Different phases have different oil displacement mechanisms. These differences are caused mainly by the synthetic actions of horizontal displacement and vertical drainage. A series of physical experiments were conducted to evaluate the optimal parameters affecting the development effects of steam flooding for horizontal wells. The results indicated that the development effect at the pressure of 5 MPa is better than that at 7 MPa when the steam dryness at the bottom of the well was 0.6; the steam dryness at the bottom should be kept above 0.4; the steam chamber was fully expanded at the injected intensity of steam of 1.9 ton/(d. ha. m). Increasing steam dryness under high-pressure conditions can facilitate an effective development. The results were successfully used to guide 18 horizontal wells from AL-1 Block, and the data collected here may provide important guidance for steam flooding in heavy or ultraheavy oil reservoir.

Author(s):  
K.A. Soltanbekova ◽  
◽  
B.K. Assilbekov ◽  
A.B. Zolotukhin ◽  
◽  
...  

One of the modern approaches for the effective development of small deposits is the construction and operation of wells with a complex architecture: horizontal wells (HW), sidetracks (BS, BGS), multilateral wells (MLW). Sidetracking makes it possible to reanimate an old well that is in an emergency state or inactivity for technological reasons, by opening layers that have not been previously developed, bypassing contamination zones, or watering the formation. This study examines the possibility of using horizontal sidetracks in the operating wells of the field of the Zhetybai group. To select the optimal length of the horizontal sidetrack of the wells, graphs of the dependences of the change in flow rate versus length of the horizontal well were built, taking into account the pressure losses due to friction. It can be seen from the dependence of NPV versus length of the horizontal wellbore that the maximum NPV is achieved with a horizontal wellbore length of 100 m. A further increase in the length of the horizontal wellbore leads to a decrease in NPV. This is due, firstly, to a decrease in oil prices, and secondly, interference of wells, a small number of residual reserves, and a small oil-bearing area. As a result of a comparison of technical and economic criteria, the optimal length of a horizontal wellbore is from 100-300 meters. Comparison of the flow rates of vertical wells and wells with horizontal sidetracks showed a clear advantage over the latter in all respects.


2013 ◽  
Vol 827 ◽  
pp. 232-238
Author(s):  
Xiao Dong Wu ◽  
Rui He Wang ◽  
Yi Ning Wang ◽  
Zhuang Zhang

The production of a multilateral horizontal well is higher than the production of a vertical well, even than that of a unilateral horizontal well. Nonetheless, the stimulation effect is significantly influenced by the branch parameters, and the impacts of branch parameters on the productivity of a multilateral horizontal well are rather complex. In this paper, the factors which affect the productivity of multilateral horizontal wells are preliminarily analyzed with the laboratory method of physical simulation. Then, a semi-analytical coupling model of wellbore flow and reservoir flow is built, and the multilateral horizontal wells are simulated to investigate the impacts of branch parameters on the stimulation effect of multilateral horizontal wells.


2011 ◽  
Vol 110-116 ◽  
pp. 3063-3067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Yan Luo ◽  
Lin Song Cheng

—Temperature and pressure fields distribution during steam flooding through horizontal wells is very important to researches. The present experimental study is conducted to investigate the effect of steam flooding through horizontal injector-horizontal producer when high permeability section exists in the horizontal section and the ratio of permeability is 1:8. And 13 differential pressure transducers with high accuracy are installed in the model to measure the pressure field variation in reservoir during the experiments. And 13 differential temperature thermocouples are put on the model to measure the temperature field variation. Water cut and cumulative oil recovery are obtained. And effects of heterogeneity on temperature and pressure fields are obtained from experiment.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014459872110052
Author(s):  
Xizhe Li ◽  
Zhengming Yang ◽  
Shujun Li ◽  
Wei Huang ◽  
Jianfei Zhan ◽  
...  

Low-permeability to ultralow-permeability reservoirs of the China National Petroleum Corporation are crucial to increase the reserve volumes and the production of crude oil in the present and future times. This study aimed to address the two major technical bottlenecks faced by the low-permeability to ultralow-permeability reservoirs by a comprehensive use of technologies and methods such as rate-controlled mercury injection, nuclear magnetic resonance, conventional logging, physical simulation, numerical simulation, and field practices. The reservoir characteristics of low-permeability to ultralow-permeability reservoirs were first analyzed. The water flooding development adjustment mode in the middle and high water-cut stages for the low-permeability to ultralow-permeability reservoirs, where water is injected along the fracture zone and lateral displacement were established. The formation mechanism and distribution principles of dynamic fractures, residual oil description, and expanding sweep volume were studied. The development mode for Type II ultralow-permeability reservoirs with a combination of horizontal well and volume fracturing was determined; this led to a significant improvement in the initial stages of single-well production. The volume fracturing core theory and optimization design, horizontal well trajectory optimization adjustment, horizontal well injection-production well pattern optimization, and horizontal well staged fracturing suitable for reservoirs with different characteristics were developed. This understanding of the reservoir characteristics and the breakthrough of key technologies for effective development will substantially support the oil-gas valent weight of the Changqing Oilfield to exceed 50 million tons per year, the stable production of the Daqing Oilfield with 40 million tons per year (oil-gas valent weight), and the realization of 20 million tons per year (oil-gas valent weight) in the Xinjiang Oilfield.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksander Valerievich Miroshnichenko ◽  
Valery Alekseevich Korotovskikh ◽  
Timur Ravilevich Musabirov ◽  
Aleksei Eduardovich Fedorov ◽  
Khakim Khalilovich Suleimanov

Abstract The deterioration of the reservoir properties of potential oil and gas bearing areas on mature and green fields, as well as the increase in the volume of hard-to-recover reserves on low-permeable reservoirs set us new challenges in searching and using effective development technologies to maintain and even increase the oil production levels. Based on successful international experience, Russian oil and gas companies use horizontal wells (HW) with multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (MSHF) for the cost-effective development of low-permeable reservoirs. Thus, since the first pilot works of drilling technologies and completion of HW with MSHF in 2011, at the beginning of 2020, over 1,200 HW with MSHF were drilled and came on stream at the fields of LLC RN-Yuganskneftegaz, about half of which are at the exploitation play AS10-12 of the northern license territory (NLT) of the Priobskoye field. In searching the best technologies and engineering solutions, the company tested different lengths of horizontal section of HW, the number of hydraulic fracturing (HF) stages and distances between hydraulic fracturing ports, as well as different specific mass of the proppant per frac port. Recently, there has been a tendency in design solutions to increase the length of the HWs and the number of hydraulic fractures with a decreasing distance between the frac ports and a decreasing specific mass of the proppant per frac port. This work studies the actual and theoretical efficiency of HW with MSHF of various designs (different lengths of horizontal section of HW and the number of HF stages) and to assess the viability of increasing the technological complexity, as well as to analyze the actual impact of loading the proppant mass per port on performing HW with MSHF. The study is based on the results of the analysis of the factual experience accumulated over the entire history of the development of the exploitation play AS10-12 of the NLT of the Priobskoye field of the Rosneft Company. In studying the viability of increasing the technological complexity, especially, increasing the length of horizontal section of HW, increasing the number of HF stages, and reducing the distance between the frac ports: we discovered the typical methodological errors made in analyzing the efficiency of wells of various designs; we developed the methodology for analysis of the actual multiplicity of indicators of wells of various designs, in particular, HW with MSHF relative to deviated wells (DW) with HF; we carried out the statistical analysis of the actual values of the multiplicity of performance indicators and completion parameters of HW with MSHF of various designs relative to the surrounding DW with HF of the exploitation play AS10-12 of the NLT of the Priobskoye field; we performed the theoretical calculation of the multiplicity of the productivity coefficient for the HW with MSHF of various designs relative to DW with HF for the standard development system of the exploitation play AS10-12 of the NLT of the Priobskoye field; we compared the actual and theoretical results. The paper also presents the results of studying the actual effect of changes of proppant's mass per port on performance indicators of HW with MSHF of the same design and with an increase in the number of fractures of the hydraulic fracturing without changing the length of horizontal section of HW. As for performance indicators, being the basis for estimating the efficiency of HW with MSHF of various designs, we used the productivity index per meter of the effective reservoir thickness and the cumulative fluid production per meter of the effective reservoir thickness per a certain period of operation. And as the completion parameters, we used the length of the horizontal section of HW, the number of HF stages, the distance between the frac ports, and the specific mass of the proppant per meter of the effective reservoir thickness per frac port. The results of this work are the determining vector of development for future design decisions in improving the efficiency of HW with MSHF.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruslan Rubikovich Urazov ◽  
Alfred Yadgarovich Davletbaev ◽  
Alexey Igorevich Sinitskiy ◽  
Ilnur Anifovich Zarafutdinov ◽  
Artur Khamitovich Nuriev ◽  
...  

Abstract This research presents a modified approach to the data interpretation of Rate Transient Analysis (RTA) in hydraulically fractured horizontal well. The results of testing of data interpretation technique taking account of the flow allocation in the borehole according to the well logging and to the injection tests outcomes while carrying out hydraulic fracturing are given. In the course of the interpretation of the field data the parameters of each fracture of hydraulic fracturing were selected with control for results of well logging (WL) by defining the fluid influx in the borehole.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Boucher ◽  
Josef Shaoul ◽  
Inna Tkachuk ◽  
Mohammed Rashdi ◽  
Khalfan Bahri ◽  
...  

Abstract A gas condensate field in the Sultanate of Oman has been developed since 1999 with vertical wells, with multiple fractures targeting different geological units. There were always issues with premature screenouts, especially when 16/30 or 12/20 proppant were used. The problems placing proppant were mainly in the upper two units, which have the lowest permeability and the most heterogeneous lithology, with alternating sand and shaly layers between the thick competent heterolith layers. Since 2015, a horizontal well pilot has been under way to determine if horizontal wells could be used for infill drilling, focusing on the least depleted units at the top of the reservoir. The horizontal wells have been plagued with problems of high fracturing pressures, low injectivity and premature screenouts. This paper describes a comprehensive analysis performed to understand the reasons for these difficulties and to determine how to improve the perforation interval selection criteria and treatment approach to minimize these problems in future horizontal wells. The method for improving the success rate of propped fracturing was based on analyzing all treatments performed in the first seven horizontal wells, and categorizing their proppant placement behavior into one of three categories (easy, difficult, impossible) based on injectivity, net pressure trend, proppant pumped and screenout occurrence. The stages in all three categories were then compared with relevant parameters, until a relationship was found that could explain both the successful and unsuccessful treatments. Treatments from offset vertical wells performed in the same geological units were re-analyzed, and used to better understand the behavior seen in the horizontal wells. The first observation was that proppant placement challenges and associated fracturing behavior were also seen in vertical wells in the two uppermost units, although to a much lesser extent. A strong correlation was found in the horizontal well fractures between the problems and the location of the perforated interval vertically within this heterogeneous reservoir. In order to place proppant successfully, it was necessary to initiate the fracture in a clean sand layer with sufficient vertical distance (TVT) to the heterolith (barrier) layers above and below the initiation point. The thickness of the heterolith layers was also important. Without sufficient "room" to grow vertically from where it initiates, the fracture appears to generate complex geometry, including horizontal fracture components that result in high fracturing pressures, large tortuosity friction, limited height growth and even poroelastic stress increase. This study has resulted in a better understanding of mechanisms that can make hydraulic fracturing more difficult in a horizontal well than a vertical well in a laminated heterogeneous low permeability reservoir. The guidelines given on how to select perforated intervals based on vertical position in the reservoir, rather than their position along the horizontal well, is a different approach than what is commonly used for horizontal well perforation interval selection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 17-32
Author(s):  
Guido Fava ◽  
Việt Anh Đinh

The most advanced technique to evaluate different solutions proposed for a field development plan consists of building a numerical model to simulate the production performance of each alternative. Fields covering hundreds of square kilometres frequently require a large number of wells. There are studies and software concerning optimal planning of vertical wells for the development of a field. However, only few studies cover planning of a large number of horizontal wells seeking full population on a regular pattern. One of the criteria for horizontal well planning is selecting the well positions that have the best reservoir properties and certain standoffs from oil/water contact. The wells are then ranked according to their performances. Other criteria include the geometry and spacing of the wells. Placing hundreds of well individually according to these criteria is highly time consuming and can become impossible under time restraints. A method for planning a large number of horizontal wells in a regular pattern in a simulation model significantly reduces the time required for a reservoir production forecast using simulation software. The proposed method is implemented by a computer script and takes into account not only the aforementioned criteria, but also new well requirements concerning existing wells, development area boundaries, and reservoir geological structure features. Some of the conclusions drawn from a study on this method are (1) the new method saves a significant amount of working hours and avoids human errors, especially when many development scenarios need to be considered; (2) a large reservoir with hundreds of wells may have infinite possible solutions, and this approach has the aim of giving the most significant one; and (3) a horizontal well planning module would be a useful tool for commercial simulation software to ease engineers' tasks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
T. N. Nzomo ◽  
S. E Adewole ◽  
K. O Awuor ◽  
D. O. Oyoo

Horizontal wells are more productive compared to vertical wells if their performance is optimized. For a completely bounded oil reservoir, immediately the well is put into production, the boundaries of the oil reservoir have no effect on the flow. The pressure distribution thus can be approximated with this into consideration. When the flow reaches either the vertical or the horizontal boundaries of the reservoir, the effect of the boundaries can be factored into the pressure distribution approximation. In this paper we consider the above cases and present a detailed mathematical model that can be used for short time approximation of the pressure distribution for a horizontal well with sealed boundaries. The models are developed using appropriate Green’s and source functions. In all the models developed the effect of the oil reservoir boundaries as well as the oil reservoir parameters determine the flow period experienced. In particular, the effective permeability relative to horizontal anisotropic permeability, the width and length of the reservoir influence the pressure response. The models developed can be used to approximate and analyze the pressure distribution for horizontal wells during a short time of production. The models presented show that the dimensionless pressure distribution is affected by the oil reservoir geometry and the respective directional permeabilities.


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