Enhancing Deposit Exploitation Efficiency Utilizing Small-Diameter Radial Boreholes via Hydraulic Drilling Nozzles for Optimal Resource Recovery

Abstract

The exploration and development of new hydrocarbon deposits is facing increasing challenges as the global shift to renewable energy sources, such as shallow geothermal deposits, wind farms, and photovoltaics, reduces the dependence on hydrocarbons. To navigate this evolving landscape, it becomes crucial to find solutions that optimize the energy extraction efficiency while maximizing the use of hydrocarbon deposits. This requires exploring opportunities in existing fields and wells, including those slated for decommissioning. This article discusses the potential for extracting resources from seemingly depleted fields, where some 60–70% of the resources remain unrecoverable due to low reservoir energy. Meeting this challenge requires the implementation of secondary and tertiary EOR methods that involve the introduction of external energy to increase reservoir pressure and enhance resource recovery. One of the proposed innovative tertiary methods involves reaming the reservoir using multiple small-diameter radial boreholes generated by a hydraulic drilling nozzle. This strategy is designed to intensify the contact between the production hole and the reservoir layer, resulting in increased or commenced production in certain cases. The described method proves to be a practical application in hydrocarbon deposits, offering the dual benefits of mitigating environmental pollution by eliminating the need for drilling new boreholes and providing a cost-effective means of accessing resources in decommissioned deposits with insufficient reservoir energy for self-exploitation. Another article points out the design variation of a hydraulic drilling nozzle tailored specifically for reaming a reservoir layer. Taking the above into account, this article provides very practical information for future projects in which paths should be sought for the design and development of hydraulic wellheads, among other things, in order to intensify the production from hydrocarbon deposits.