Innovative Upscaling First HT/HS Polymer Injectivity Tests Towards Multi-Well Pilots

Abstract

Abstract Following the successful results of the two Polymer Injectivity Tests (PIT) carried out within ADNOC Onshore fields, this paper focuses on the surface de-risking plan for the multi-well pilot's preparation. The objective is to ensure that the designed Key Performance Indicators can be met by the upscaled process design related to polymer solution quality, viscosity, concentration, injection rate and skid running time. The main challenges and lessons learnt from the two PIT operations were implemented in the polymer skid upgrade and helped define the polymer solution and equipment qualification criteria to meet the requirements set for the final skid's design and operation. This work is part of a larger de-risking strategy developed from laboratory studies to polymer field deployment, in preparation for hybrid SIWAP/SIMGAP (Simultaneous Injection of Water and Polymer / Simultaneous Injection of Miscible Gas and Polymer) EOR pilots in ADNOC Onshore. This paper sheds the light on key operational findings and lessons learnt from the first High Temperature (HT) / High Salinity (HS) polymer injectivity tests conducted by ADNOC Onshore. The initial polymer injection implemented on two wells belonging to large ADNOC onshore reservoirs and their success, allowed the preparation of a pre-qualification process of the Polymer Injection Unit (PIU) and subsequent scale-up with improved features serving the challenging conditions of ADNOC Onshore fields. The preparation of the skid pre-qualifications tests is detailed including Performance Criteria set up, PIU Skid Pre-qualification process, upscaling PIU skid design features for the execution of the multi-well polymer pilot, followed by pre-qualification results, summary & conclusions. The key outcome of this paper presents a new qualification scheme for deploying polymer injection technologies in the region under high temperature, high salinity and high H2S conditions. It also serves as a key contributor to the EOR strategy in the UAE and represents a vital benchmark for the future polymer EOR implementation across the region with advanced look-ahead on the key performance indicators for similar installations.