Nitrogen Injection in the Cantarell Complex: Results After Four Years of Operation

Abstract

TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThe nitrogen injection project in the Cantarell Complex, offshore Mexico, implemented in May 2000, has been the most ambitious pressure maintenance project around the world regarding incremental oil, production rate, nitrogen injection rate, and investment.In this paper, the main drivers and objectives of the project, along with key issues that have been taken into account to guaranty success, are reviewed. A description of the data acquisition program implemented to monitor reservoir performance during nitrogen injection is discussed and results analyzed.The pressure-production behavior of the reservoir during nitrogen injection is presented and results obtained after four years of operations are assessed, along with additional field development and benefits from updating and increasing facilities.

Recovery rates, enhanced oil recovery and technological limits

“…Nitrogen requires a relatively high reservoir pressure for miscibility and involves the use of additional equipment to separate it from the air. As a result, it has not been widely used [53]; the Mexican supergiant Cantarell field is the best known example [55]. Hydrocarbon gas is usually readily available from the field itself or adjacent fields and is thus most widely used, especially in fields where there is no ready market for the gas [22,51,53,56].…”

“…The chemicals existing at that time would have degraded rapidly at these conditions. CO 2 injection was also deemed infeasible because of the lack of CO 2 supply and also the costly changes to wells, facilities and pipelines that would have been required to cope with the associated corrosion [55,86]. Nonetheless, the geology of Magnus was felt to create a favourable target for miscible gas injection.…”

Nitrogen Injection Experience to Development Gas and Gas Condensate Fields in Rocky Mountains

“…Nitrogen injection to hydrocarbon fields to maintain pressure and enhance hydrocarbon recovery has been used widely in different formation and fluid types, and significant amount of experiences with reservoir surveillance, nitrogen separation and hydrocarbon processing, and fluid phase behavior have been accumulated and documented (Sinanan and Budri 2012;Sanchez et al 2005) . In Rocky Mountains, the fields are of particular interest because of the fluid type and formation characteristics.…”

Histerese nas curvas de permeabilidade relativa trifásica em carbonatos usando tomografia computadorizada de raios-x

“…Na década de 80, os recursos limitados de gás natural e seu alto custo levaram à injeção de gases inertes. A injeção de nitrogênio (N 2 ) emergiu como um dos melhores métodos de recuperação, sendo este um gás abundante, barato, seguro e não tóxico [Sanchez et al, 2005]. Em 1982, mais de 500 milhões de pés cúbicos de nitrogênio foram injetados diariamente em vinte campos nos Estados Unidos.…”

“…Porém, somente a atividade de injeção de CO 2 está crescendo continuamente. Entretanto, em maio de 2000 foi implementado, com sucesso técnico e econômico, através de 9 poços injetores, nos reservatórios carbonáticos altamente fraturados do Complexo de Cantarel, no México, o projeto de injeção de N 2 para manutenção de pressão mais ambicioso do mundo [Sanchez et al, 2005]. Porém, em geral, a injeção de gás puro não é economicamente atrativa, devido à alta mobilidade do gás, resultando em baixa eficiência de varrido [Riazi et al, 2009].…”