A Comprehensive Look at the CRI Project Pilot Test in KSA

Abstract

The current practice for offshore drilling operations requires dumping cuttings immediately after being treated at the site into the sea. In shallow waters; this practice will jeopardize the lives of sea creatures and hinder the marine traffic. Therefore, this method is not applicable for this field. There are three waste disposal methods to replace the existing method; first, the cuttings are treated on site and then shipped to land where they are dumped in special mud disposal pits. Ultimately, those pits are buried. The second option is to dump the cuttings after being treated in a sea trench near wells to be drilled. The third solution is to utilize the advanced waste management technology where the cuttings are injected back into its original environment. The last is considered to be the safest and most cost-effective method. Therefore, the company planned to implement this technique. As a step forward, Saudi Armco elected to test the feasibility of this technology. An old onshore disposal well was selected for this test. In this test, four formations were tested one after another to find out the most appropriate one for hosting the cuttings. This paper discusses and explains the test in detail. Moreover, the injection capacity of each zone tested will be projected against the test results using IPR (Inflow Performance Relationship) and OPR (Outflow Performance Relationship) curves methods.