Reservoir Depletion is addressed in many ways across the globe with water injection being the most common method. A typical full field water injection scheme takes years for implementation, with surface players like injection facility construction dominating the project cycle and delays are not uncommon. The resulting loss in deferred production and recovery along with continuous amendments to production profiles of the field can be minimized by resorting to DumpFlooding as an easy and quick alternate.ЉAЉ field is a satellite field of Kuwait. Bulk of production is from the thin estuarine channel sand of average thickness of 13ft within Zubair Formation. This channel system is laterally continuous as interpreted from the Isopach map and has a fairly uniform pressure throughout the field. With no aquifer support, a decrease in pressure from the initial levels of 2500 psi by around 1000 psi was observed. The production performance also deteriorated since the operational teams had difficulty keeping the ESPs on operation continuously. The size and location of the field could not economically justify a conventional water injection project. As the reservoir pressure came perilously close to the bubble point, a partial pressure maintenance scheme was conceptualized, with DumpFlooding as injection mechanism.A systematic plan to address all the uncertainties that could have an impact on the success of the project was listed and addressed. The injection volumes and injection patterns were evaluated and firmed up by a simulation study. Various source water reservoirs were identified and water compatibility analysis was carried out to confirm the suitable injection water. Multiple single well pilots with completions from different source water reservoirs were tested. The productivity & injectivity indices of the different sources and the sink were ascertained. When the full field implementation was carried out, the team was able to take further steps with considerable confidence, having taken important lessons from each stage.The concept proved to be successful with real benefits seen on the ground. The layer saw a gradual rise in reservoir pressure monitored by an intensive surveillance programme. A rise in pump intake pressure of ESPs ranging between 150 to 200 psi within a span of 1 year was noticed. The field started experiencing trouble free ESP operation. New horizontal producers drilled as a part of the scheme resulted in significant oil gain. A 25% increase in overall layer production was observed. The paper discusses the key milestones from conception to implementation with emphasis on the role played by each stage in the grand scheme of things. A case is thus made for considering DumpFlooding as a necessary intermediary in any upcoming water injection project.

Wireline Formation Tester surveys are routinely performed for pressure profiling in all new wells. These surveys are being extensively used to identify contacts, cross communication etc. The information is updated and integrated for a full field perspective so that depletion trends, communication across faults, and presence of sub-layers within the main sand lobes are identified, validated and mapped. This data set is acquired over time, against a well laid out strategy and against all the sands.As a precursor for building a model in a multilayered mature oil field of Kuwait, the collected data were analyzed to draw interesting and operationally important conclusions.The study reinforced the sub-layering classification followed in the field on a broader scale; however in a few instances, marked anomalies were noted. The existing sand layering scheme was revisited and corrections applied by adjusting the layer tops in those wells.Multiple pressure points across adjacent sub-layers with close pressure regime were grouped and re-grouped and plots were generated. The layers followed the existing geological layering scheme; but in some instances, the plots indicated a different picture of the extent of these sub-layers. This type of validation of layering scheme of the static model gave important insights during upscaling for the dynamic model. Analyses of the plots were carried out in different segments for well clusters across faults. The plots uncovered important information about the nature of the faults. Conclusions drawn from these plots are planned to be used for supplementing Pressure Transient Analysis information during history match.

North Kuwait is an active asset with significant challenges to build the production, while ongoing development using water flood in major reservoirs. One of such reservoirs, Upper Burgan (UB), has witnessed several stiff milestones to maximize sweep & recovery. Micro Reservoir Management (MRM), as described in this paper, has helped the team to identify sweet spots; have prudent artificial lift management; achieve Water flood optimization as well as encash opportunistic recompletions of non-producing wells of other stacked reservoirs in UB to double the production in last 3 years. MRM aims to optimally utilize all resources available to maximize the benefit. Well Analysis & Review (WAR) sessions had been the key to the success thus capturing all production, reservoir monitoring and performance diagnostic requirements. North Kuwait, being endowed with stacked reservoirs, provides a window of opportunities to recomplete the wells which are not required for other reservoirs. The paradigm shift in the development strategy of the giant carbonate Mauddud to switch over to 100% horizontal wells resulted in many vertical wells to be phased out steadily. This concept was a blessing in disguise for UB for re-completions. Understanding of the aquifer support in peripheral segments helped to place new wells. The water flood expansion initiated in 2014 proved to be a boon to support the ongoing production build up actions. The pressure response due to water flood was timely diagnosed to implement ESP upsizes / conversions. Water flood flow regulators were installed to improve vertical sweep. Comprehensive segment review with proactive action list led to further optimization of the allowable for injectors to maximize the benefit. Injectors for the upcoming water injection projects have been pre drilled to have either short-term production or dump flood initiated. New technology applications aided to the efforts. Workflow processes have been developed for effective knowledge management within North Kuwait, paving the way forward for UB to support the Asset's strategy to meet 1 Million BOPD by 2020. UB production has been doubled in last 3 years due to consistent efforts via MRM, augmented by tenfold increase in water injection. This approach made the team highly focused to reap the benefits and smartly adjust to the changing status of dynamic performance & overall portfolio balance of the asset. Standardized Workflow processes have been useful to engineers to be cohesive & consistent in MRM efforts. The proposed paper is an excellent example of micro reservoir management to smartly adjust to the resources within the Asset and the dynamic performance of the reservoir.

In the current and future scenario of increasing demand for hydrocarbons, Multi-Disciplinary Integrated Waterflood Management team is the key to achieve ultimate recovery. In Raudhatain Upper Burgan reservoir production started in 1959 with initial reservoir pressure of 3850 psi. Decline in reservoir pressure with sustained rate of production indicated weak aquifer support and initiated water injection during the year 2001. With four major flow units, poor sweep efficiency often results from spatial variation and/or heterogeneity in the permeability of the reservoir rock, usually resulting in an irregular displacement front of the injected fluid. The initial completion design did not address the injection profile control. The integrated waterflood management team initiated number of projects to increase the productivity like Water Flow Regulator technology (WFR). The objective of using this technology is flooding all the units so as to improve the overall sweep efficiency. To optimize vertical & areal sweep efficiency and enhance production from the uncontacted portions of this reservoir, a paradigm shift in water flood strategy was adopted for selective injection strings using WFR. These devices enable to control injection rates in specific layers with different reservoir pressure, permeability, skin damage or any other factors that would normally affect flow. The new completion design with WFR was installed in one of the water injector wells, thereby recompleting the well, switching from the conventional to the straddled packer completion, grouping four flow units into 3 zones with WFR, rationalizing the splits as per needs per layer vis-a-vis to the perforations in nearby producers. This novel technology was successfully applied in three Raudhatain upper Burgan wells. The results are very encouraging, vertical injection profile vastly improved by enabling higher injection rates into layers that never received water. Before commissioning of water flow regulator, most of the injected water was traversing through the high permeable zone only. The vertical water injection profile due to WFR approach resulted in choking the flow through high permeable layer and improved the flow in the remaining uncontacted layers. Production logging was conducted before and after commissioning of WFR to confirm the results. In the long term, this approach is likely to add production, reserves and ultimate recovery factor. The first implementation of WFR in North Kuwait Field, has proved the concept of improving vertical injection profile. Based on comprehensive evaluation, a campaign of completing 9 more vertical injector wells with this selective-string design is planned by KOC. The re-engineering of injection profile has paved the way for application of this technique in other similar reservoirs of Kuwait.