CO2 Flood: Design and Initial Operations, Ford Geraldine (Delaware Sand) Unit

Abstract

ABSTRACT A miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) flood was initiated by Conoco Inc. in a 3850-acre area of the Ford Geraldine (Delaware Sand) Unit in Reeves and Culberson Counties, Texas in February, 1981, after a staged waterflood was nearing completion. The CO2 supply is a by-product source obtained from the Lone Star Pikes Peak Gas Plant near Fort Stockton. This previously vented product is compressed to a supercritical state and then transported to the Unit through a 112-mile pipeline which has a capacity of 30 MMCFPD. Compression and transmission system design has minimized start-up and operational problems. Capital costs were reduced by utilizing most of the existing waterflood distribution system. Lack of a sufficient and stable CO2 supply has caused most of the operational problems. New vessels have been installed to better handle production well testing. In addition, a system has been developed and installed to automate all injection and production data so as to provide the surveillance information to properly monitor the flood performance. Response to the limited and unstable CO2 injection supply has been encouraging. Once additional supplies are secured and response is verified, CO2 recycle facilities will be installed. In addition, the flood could later be expanded to the remaining 1430-acre northern area of the Unit, which is still under waterflood.