Heavy oil reservoirs in Alaska provide for major production challenges. The diverse set includes proximity to permafrost layers, very high viscosity oil and low mechanical strength pay zones. The Ugnu deposits of Alaska North Slope (ANS) hold more than 6 billion barrel of oil in place. The dead oil viscosity at reservoir temperature ranges from 1,000 to 1,000,000 cp1. In an effort to achieve sustained well life, this paper focuses on the unique set of challenges occurring in the Ugnu reservoir and presents the best possible way of maximizing production. The paper accentuates on the observations derived from the field data which shows that deliberate sand production with the hydrocarbon stream while employing a Progressive Cavity Pump (PCP) as artificial lift method has favorable effect on the primary oil recovery. The developments have led to the advent of technique called Cold Heavy Oil Production with Sand (CHOPS) as initial production method for shallow heavy oil reservoirs. Sand production leads to the formation of high porosity channels or wormholes that can range up to hundreds of meters. The co-mingling of heavy oil and sand develops the behavior of foamy oil by creating a bubbly flow inside the reservoir. The combination of these wormholes with foamy oil behavior are the primary factors that result in enhanced production during CHOPS. One of the major hindrances to its successful application is the selection of post CHOPS production method, that has been addressed in this paper with the help of modeling and simulation The present research is based on modeling one of the wells drilled into the M80 sands of the Ugnu formation and then analyzing the post CHOPS recovery for the well. The research uses modeling of CHOPS well with the help of a wormhole fractal pattern and a foamy oil model. Simulation of polymer injection is then being employed from a nearby well. The recovery obtained from the simulations have been analyzed to provide a basis for selecting the appropriate enhanced oil recovery method after CHOPS. Alternative recovery techniques following the primary cold production include water flooding, polymer injection, miscible gas injection and thermal recovery methods. Water flooding becomes unviable because of the mobility contrast between the highly viscous oil and water. The high permeability zones provide a bypass for water, producing elevated water cuts as a consequence. Another aspect unique to Alaskan heavy oil reservoirs is the proximity to the permafrost layer with the hydrocarbon bearing zone making thermal recovery methods unappealing. Polymer injection and miscible gas injection become favorable non-thermal secondary and tertiary recovery methods in this case. This paper analyses the performance of polymer flooding on a reservoir that has been produced with CHOPS. The results indicate almost 12% increment in recovery with polymer flooding as compared to the natural depletion.
<p>Stylolite, fracture and fault networks are important fluid pathways, especially in low permeable rocks such as limestone and therefore important for subsurface applications including geothermal energy production. These systems grow in both time and space and have a given correlation length. Below the correlation length the system becomes saturated and shows a given scaling, for example in roughness for stylolites. Whereas above the correlation length the roughness or width of the growing system becomes constant. The position of this length varies with time and space whilst also being influenced by the system size. This becomes important when the systems connect, for example fractures that grow and merge together such that they have a given size. In this contribution we show with numerical simulations and natural examples how stylolite, fracture and fault networks scale in time and space, how their correlation length is evolving and how they become connected. We discuss the implications for scaling of larger networks as well as implications for deformation and fluid flow.</p>
Effectively managing resources encompasses accurate engineering of target formations and prudent execution of project capital. Attaining both requires employing current technologies and implementing efficient operations, especially with today's challenging drilling environment and economic climate. The influence of improved technologies and the latest operational developments has lead to a significant impact in the arena of coiled-tubing drilling operations. Coiled-tubing drilling is a rapidly growing technology that has been used for various applications nowadays such as drilling shallow new wells, re-entry applications, sidetracking etc. This paper summarizes the hypotheses and theories relating to the causes and expectations of Coiled-tubing drilling in various reservoirs worldwide. The intent of the paper is to:Provide a concise compendium to the current understanding of the coiled-tubing drilling operations.Provide a comprehensive single-source review of the various projects successfully completed in the area and lessons learned.Help operators develop operational and design strategies for current and future projects, as well as to input parameters for simulating current and future projects.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has become a popular catch phrase, both in scientific arena as well as on the political discussion. India, a country with a rapidly growing economy, where rise in economic growth goes hand in hand with an increase in energy demand which is currently met, as in many evolving economies, by fossil fuels. This ultimately leads to increase in GHG emissions. With the imminent threat of anthropogenic climate change in the coming decades, helping to control India's emissions will have to be a global priority. CCS can play a pivotal role in curbing India's emissions in the future, given its reliance on coal power and the large coal reserves. The main objective of this paper is to increase the understanding of the opportunities, issues and obstacles amongst the stakeholders regarding CCS in India. To achieve this objective, we have analyzed economic and institutional factors which encapsulate Indian power sector, challenges associated with the implementation of CCS, uncertainties linked with potential Co2 sources and sinks in India, needs and requirements for the future potential implementation of CCS in India. We have concluded our paper with relevant recommendations for the International Climate and CCS community to make conditions conducive for CCS in India.
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