Cascade and Chinook Fields: Integrated Overview of the Reservoirs

Syrio, Julio Cesar; Cruz, Paulo Sergio da; Nguyen, Nhom; Navarro, Alonso; Becker, Mauro R.; Watkins, Elizabeth Ann; Riera, Ladimir Alberto; Leite, Renato Jordan

doi:10.4043/24163-ms

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The reservoir parameters, which are assumed equal for all wells, are characteristics of a generic LTT field and are based on publicly available data (Haddad et al, 2011 andSyrio et al, 2013). A reservoir pressure decline curve versus accumulated production profile and change in water cut were included in the model for each well.…”

Section: Production System Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improve Ultimate Reservoir Recovery from Deepwater Wells in the Gulf of Mexico Using an Emerging Subsea Processing System

Torbergsen¹,

Khade

Reimers³

et al. 2016

Day 3 Wed, May 04, 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The emerging subsea processing system described in this work, comprises several deepwater wells equipped with electric submersible pumps (ESPs) and one or more seabed booster pumps. This system provides efficient reservoir hydrocarbon recovery by maximizing pressure drawdown at the sandface. The in-well ESPs increase the pressure drawdown to improve production throughout the life of the reservoir, while the subsea booster pump lifts the combined production from all wells to reach the processing facilities at sea surface. This system integrates several production technologies to optimize performance, lower operating costs, and support reliable and safe operation.The Lower Tertiary trend (LTT) in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) poses a number of documented challenges for flowing reservoir fluid from the sandface to surface facility. The key challenges are operations due to low permeability, high pressures, high temperatures, and water and well depths. The primary objective of this work was to document the feasibility of the subsea processing system and quantify its production performance for a typical LTT field. The work included development of a full field system layout and simulations of production performance for a range of reservoir and system assumptions. In addition, operational issues such as system stability, power balancing, and basic control methods were considered, including the use of transient simulations, to ensure a reliable and efficient operation of the system. These form the basis of a unified pump control methodology. To verify the impact of in-well ESP reliability on field performance, a comprehensive availability model was developed using reliability data for individual system components; ESP reliability, ESP intervention time, and rig deployment time were varied to determine their impact on overall system availability. The results of the availability model were then combined with the steady-state production results to define production availability and calculate a range of internal rate of return (IRR) values for a typical LTT field development.Utilization of the system showed enhancement in oil recovery in the range of 20 to 50% over use of a seabed boosting pump alone and substantial improvement in total liquid and oil gain as compared to natural lift. The system resulted in very satisfactory IRR and achieved production availability targets by using alternatively deployed ESPs. Moderate improvement in in-well ESP reliability combined with shorter rig mobilization time for intervention shows significant improvement in production availability. In total, the combination of seabed boosting pumps and in-well ESPs should be considered as a viable method of enhancing recovery from challenging deepwater subsea fields such as those of the LTT in GOM.The unified pump control methodology is the key to safe and reliable operation of the system. The current work presents an approach on how to operate ESPs safely, by minimizing transient responses and shifting total operating load as much as possible to the seab...

show abstract

Section: Production System Modellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improve Ultimate Reservoir Recovery from Deepwater Wells in the Gulf of Mexico Using an Emerging Subsea Processing System

Torbergsen¹,

Khade

Reimers³

et al. 2016

Day 3 Wed, May 04, 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Alternatively Deployed Artificial Lift System for Deepwater Subsea Operations

Scarsdale

Pereira

Garber

et al. 2019

Day 2 Tue, May 14, 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the Gulf of Mexico, the rapid pressure depletion and reservoir depth of the Lower Tertiary intervals lead to low oil recovery. A high-reliability, through-tubing subsea electrical submersible pump (ESP) system that takes an integrated approach to production optimization will enable producers to cost-effectively extract more hydrocarbons from the increasingly challenging reservoirs in today's subsea assets. The potential increase in production depends on the maximum drawdown pressure limitations of both well casing design and rock strength. ESPs in deepwater fields are also considered to be an enhancer rather than an enabler by extending the production plateau 5 to 8 years after initial well/field startup with natural flow and seabed boosting. Hence, a robust ESP system that can be installed and operated a few years after field startup without a workover for replacing the upper completions. A robust, reliable ESP would unlock additional value to deepwater operators by delaying CAPEX and eliminating ESP failures, such as degradation of components due to high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) cycling, during the first few years of nonoperation. Designing ESPs for deepwater application is a multidisciplinary challenge and needs to be approached from a full system-reliability standpoint rather than improvements to the ESP hardware alone. Implementation of ESPs in deep water requires both upfront planning at a full-system level and high degree of flexibility for installation, deployment, and retrieval. Finally, because the impact of an unplanned ESP failure is significantly detrimental to project economics, efforts to improve robustness of the ESP hardware must be complemented with automation of ESP operation to reduce or eliminate operator-induced failures. Recent industry improvements in machine learning and predictive analytics need to be leveraged to implement condition-based monitoring of ESPs to better anticipate failures and plan for replacements and/or adjustments to extend the life of degraded units. A collaborative project was undertaken to develop the concept of an alternatively deployed through-tubing ESP (TTESP) system targeted for deepwater subsea operations. The goal was to reduce intervention costs, which, together with ESP run life, are the primary factors influencing the economics of subsea ESPs, including conventionally deployed through-tubing ESPs. The project scope encompassed the downhole hardware, from immediately below the subsea tree through the upper completion, as well as deployment and retrieval equipment and methodology. Economic analyses of subsea fields were conducted to identify the factors contributing to intervention costs so that alternatives could be developed. Multiple concepts were evaluated, and the proof-of-concept system was selected based on superior economic return compared with the baseline. During this proof-of-concept phase, significant testing of key technologies was conducted. The studies showed that conventional intervention vessels and methods will not reduce the intervention costs associated with TTESPs. Lighter vessels together with technologies and methods that minimize intervention time and frequency—and, consequently, reservoir damage and deferred production—are the answer. Eliminating the wait for an available offshore rig is also a key factor in improving overall production economics. The proposed alternatively deployed TTESP system and its associated deployment methodology could reduce the intervention time by half and eliminate reservoir damage. This unconventional deployment could be conducted with lighter service vessels, further reducing intervention costs.

show abstract

Gulf of Mexico Lower Tertiary Development Wells - Cascade Field Case History

Moraes

Haddad²,

Becker

et al. 2016

Day 1 Mon, May 02, 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Lower Tertiary (LT) play is the most recent production frontier in the deepwater of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) in the United States. All LT discoveries in the area share common characteristics: deep reservoirs with low permeability, thick pay section, high initial reservoir pressures, Ultra-Deepwater depths, and long distances from flowline tie-ins. The Cascade field started producing in 2012 and has succeeded in proving the feasibility of the LT play as a new GoM producing horizon.The Cascade Field is located in the GoM at 250 miles South of New Orleans, Louisiana and 165 miles from the closest position on the Louisiana coast. Its wells are placed at 8,200 ft. water depth in the Walker Ridge area. The LT reservoirs (Wilcox Fm.) are composed of many sandstone layers extending vertically for approximately 1,000 ft. This paper will describe technologies applied in LT projects to deal with reservoir characterization and management, well construction, and production operations as a case history. Some of the topics addressed in this paper include: fracture design optimization, well completion design, pressure history, skin analysis, reservoir characterization, and technical limitation on production drawdown, artificial lift, and their impact on the formations.The current low oil price market forces operators to become more efficient and creative in reducing the overall capital expenditure to develop the LT play. This paper will suggest potential future enhancements in well design to make the wells more efficient and improve project economics.

show abstract

Cascade and Chinook Fields: Integrated Overview of the Reservoirs

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Improve Ultimate Reservoir Recovery from Deepwater Wells in the Gulf of Mexico Using an Emerging Subsea Processing System

Improve Ultimate Reservoir Recovery from Deepwater Wells in the Gulf of Mexico Using an Emerging Subsea Processing System

Alternatively Deployed Artificial Lift System for Deepwater Subsea Operations

Gulf of Mexico Lower Tertiary Development Wells - Cascade Field Case History

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About