Breaking New Grounds and Records for Unconventional Reservoirs Characterization Using the New Formation Testing and Sampling Technology

Abstract

An exploration deep well crossing two reservoirs with different quality and properties, having an objective of: Fluid identification and sampling in extremely tight section (∼0.02mD/cP mobility) as well as in another section that is suspected to be depleted with very high overbalance exceeding legacy tools, knowing the hydrostatic pressure being ∼9500psia. Wireline formation tester was run using single probe, leading to 65% of tight stations, the rest were valid but with very low mobility. This exposes the tool to an increasing pressure differential exceeding its physical limit and leading to damaging it. This makes any further analysis impossible. The toolstring was upgraded with latest technology of WFT, that is a merge between probe based and dual packer modules. This new technology was designed with extreme environments in mind, that allows sampling in all mobility range from extreme tight to very high with its capability of holding up to 8000psia differential pressure. In the job described here, some of the tested reservoir sections were differentially depleted, something unknown to customer as this was an exploration environment. Since this information were not know even after the completion of the first and second run, a third run was carried out with the objective of re-investigating the same depths performed by the single probe, but this time 3D Radial Probe was used instead. This gave the advantage of taking the pressure down to almost 0 psia. The potential hydrocarbon zone which was bypassed (seen dry with single probe) was then tested with 3D radial probe giving a reservoir pressure of 2864psia with a mobility of ∼300mD/cP where gas condensate was identified and captured. Now for the extreme tight reservoir section, in combination with high hydrostatic, the mechanical limitation of traditional tools remains the same making sampling and/or fluid ID impossible. An attempt was made using the 3D radial probe, and despite the extreme low mobility ∼0.02mD/cP, an identification of the reservoir fluid (water) was successfully completed without any issue. The use of 3D Radial Probe technology gave a completely different picture from what was expected, enabled the completion of all objectives and made the impossible (with conventional technology) possibly and easily achievable. This resulted in changing the well strategies accordingly and complete the well successfully. The new technology made the testing of unconventional reservoirs a reality.