This work proposes a new system to perform the water injection for pressure maintenance in offshore fields without the need of installing additional facilities for water treatment. The main objective is to directly communicate an active aquifer with the depleted reservoir through existing vertical or deviated wells, of which trajectories enable the completion in both formations. It takes advantage of the pressure support from the aquifer, thus, avoiding the requirement of additional infrastructure. It is an artificial crossflow between two formations, where the water-injection rates will basically depend on two parameters: the formations flow capacity and the pressure difference between the aquifer and the reservoir. The injectivity indexes of the communicating wells can be determined using a combination of pressure drop equations. Finally, an example of possible application in an offshore field is presented; the analysis indicates that its implementation would carry many benefits in a short period of time.

This paper aims a solution to improve dynamic connectivity between regions in compartmentalized reservoirs. The proposal is to drill horizontal wells whose main objective is to communicate the zones where compartmentalization has been detected. The fluid flow between compartments will occur due to the potential difference existing between them. The flowrate will depend on the petrophysical properties of reservoir, physicochemical properties of fluids and the design of horizontal well. The work develops a mathematical model that represents the potential behavior of each compartment over time when they are communicated through a horizontal well. It considers the special application for gas cap systems and it presents an example, which demonstrates the impact and benefits of this solution. The implementation of this proposal will help exploiting the hydrocarbons reservoir through the existing infrastructure in adjacent regions, thus, reducing or eliminating the requirement of new infrastructure and extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure, thereby maximizing the value and recovery of the fields, which can represent great economic benefits for many oil companies.