Methodologies, Solutions, and Lessons Learned from Heavy Oil Well Testing with an ESP, Offshore UK in the Bentley Field, Block 9/3b

Abstract

Abstract Due to increased hydrocarbon demand and technological advances, production from heavy oil fields in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) has become possible over the past 10 years. Despite substantial reserves in the UKCS with crudes less than 20° API, most of the activity has been confined to exploration and appraisal drilling. The main reason for the restricted activity has been the high uncertainty of the reservoir and fluid properties. Operational complexities inherent to heavy oil also limit the use of conventional appraisal-well testing technology. A method was developed to determine the most suitable technology for testing wells with heavy oil using an electrical submersible pump (ESP). The solution was applied in the Bentley field located in the UK sector of the North Sea in block 9/3b, on which final appraisal well 9/3b-6Z was flow tested in December 2010. The technical challenges included a short weather window, maintaining fluid mobility through the surface-testing equipment, oil and gas separation for metering, obtaining accurate flow measurements, and designing the most appropriate ESP system. A combination of technologies—dual-energy gamma ray venturi multiphase flowmeter, real-time monitoring, and a novel ESP completion—provided a solution that enabled successful well test execution. A multirate test reaching a final stabilized rate of 2900 bpd, with a subsequent period of pressure buildup was accomplished in less than 2.5 days with 10 to 12° API crude. A key lesson was how to obtain the quality of data that would enable reservoir engineers to extract with confidence a productivity index and perform pressure transient analysis for reservoir characterization. This success paves the way for development drilling to commence on the Bentley field at the end of 2011, but also demonstrates potential that can enable new heavy oil field developments.