Application of Inflow Control Valve (ICV) in the Water Injector Well: Case Study on Alpha Field

This paper presents the performance of three water injection wells, INJ-1, INJ-2, and INJ-3, at the Ecopetrol's Yarigui Cantagallo field re-completed with newly designed pulsing selective control valves (P-SCFV). The three wells originally had conventional selective control flow valves (C-SCFV) in side-pocket mandrels. While a total of 31 valves were replaced in seven wells, this paper will focus on the three wells where 12 P-SCFVs were installed and the injection data gathered and interpreted. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and/or chemical methods are routinely used to improve oil recovery when production levels decline due to reduced formation pressure, poor displacement efficiency, and adverse mobility ratio. For decades, oil production companies with waterflood recovery schemes have employed various types of well completions for water injection, including selective completions with side-pocket mandrels. When an injection zone loses its capacity to admit water, the optimal sweeping capacity will not be reached, and then the operator will not achieve sufficient oil production to maintain profitability. In the Yarigui Cantagallo field 12 P-SCFVs were installed (4 in each injector well), with the objective of overcoming the loss of injectivity in each injection zone due to blockages and permeability decay on the formation face, primarily as the result of calcium carbonate deposition. The new P-SCFVs were run to demonstrate that they could overcome the common problem of permeability decay with the objective that injectivity performance could be increased and sustained over an extended timeframe. The 12 P-SCFVs have been in operation for 12 months, and the comparative results have shown performance optimization that conventional C-SCFVs could not achieve, such as, intervals previously not accepting injection water gradually (after ∼ one month) accepting water from the P-SCFVs. The latter confirms the theoretical and practical efficiency created generated by a flow field that concurrently establishes a repeated pulsed water hammer effect and the creation of numerous vaporization zones, which result in the formation of cavitation bubbles. These vaporization cavities work in consort with the water hammer effect to clear detritus material from the mandrel and formation face giving rise to increased near wellbore permeability.

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Feasibility Study of Smart Completion Application in a Complex Mature Field (Dunbar, North Sea)

Wulandari

Mazzucchelli

Rasoanaivo

et al. 2015

SPE/IATMI Asia Pacific Oil &Amp; Gas Conference and Exhibition

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The Dunbar field is characterized by a high degree of geophysical, geological, and dynamic complexity. Current field recovery factor is 30 %, after 20 years of production. The field is compartmentalised by a number of faults, which subdivide the field into four main areas: the West Flank North, West Flank South, Frontal Central, and Frontal South, with limited to no communication between panels. Permeability degradation with depth is observed in all West Flank and Frontal panel layers, with significant impairment due to alteration of clay morphology, below paleo oil water contact, with a permeability range of only 1-10 mD. Half of Dunbar field's accumulation is located in this poor permeability region, explaining the limited recovery factor. New production technology application is necessary to help improving recovery from this low permeability region. Passive inflow-control devices (ICDs) and active inflow control valves (ICVs) provide a range of fluid-flow control options that can enhance the reservoir sweep efficiency and increase reserves. Both ICVs and ICDs are capable of equalizing the inflow or outflow into heterogeneous reservoirs. With a more evenly distributed flow profile, one can reduce water or gas coning, and solve other drawdown-related production problems, thus improving the field recovery. The objective of this study is to evaluate the interest of ICD and ICV application for the coming phase IV drilling campaign. Phase IV infill wells will encounter reservoirs with different levels of depletion and sweep efficiency. Early water breakthrough may become a threat to the success of the campaign. Application of smart completion on a new injector may help optimizing the final recovery on the West Flank panel, intelligent completion providing the availability to selectively steer water injection into zones where it is most needed at a particular time. First, the phase IV wells are analysed to choose the best candidate for smart completion application leading to retain one horizontal producer and one horizontal injector in West Flank panel The study was performed using a history matched ECLIPSE 300 ® reservoir model of West Flank panel. The study shows that the installation of ICD or ICV improves the well recovery factor by 10 to 15% and the overall field recovery factor by 1%. The simulation results show that smart completion application in the injector well improves the recovery from poor permeability region by 11 %. An important aspect of the work reported in this paper is also to test the proposed smart completion strategy against uncertainties on reservoir properties. Simulation results show that smart completion is more flexible facing different geological uncertainties.

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Application of Inflow Control Valve (ICV) in the Water Injector Well: Case Study on Alpha Field

Cited by 5 publications

References 9 publications

Model-based production strategy optimization for a heavy oil reservoir considering waterflooding and intelligent wells

Model-based production strategy optimization for a heavy oil reservoir considering waterflooding and intelligent wells

An Effective Accelerated Pulsing Injection Method for Restoring Injectivity in Waterflood Fields with Selective Injection Systems with Side-Pocket Mandrels and Control Flow Valves

Feasibility Study of Smart Completion Application in a Complex Mature Field (Dunbar, North Sea)

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