Quick Analysis of Steamflood, Bremer Fee, Midway Sunset Field, California, Using Production Enhancement Technologies (PET)

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes the application of a practical process to determine infill locations, reserves, and underperforming areas in cyclic and pattern areas in heavy oil fields. Nuevo Energy Company had a need to quickly identify infill locations, reserves, and underperforming areas in Bremer Fee, Midway Sunset field, west of Bakersfield, California. The area used for the study consists of 393 wells over approximately 275 acres with just over 200 acres used in pattern and cyclic analysis. The challenge was to evaluate large data sets in a short time and a cost-effective manner. The study incorporated techniques such as diagnostic plots, heterogeneity index, Voroni gridding, bubble maps, and pattern analysis from a well and reservir analysis software. The tools were used in a semi-automated process to quickly identify areas to improve steamflood performance by performing a geologic review, reserves analysis, production history review, cyclic well analysis, pattern analysis, and economic analysis. From the study we determined oil-in-place and recovery, and looked at 393 wells in a low-cost, timely manner. We identified eight wells to be shut in, three wells to convert to injectors, several infill potential areas, and low-recovery areas. The infill areas independently validated Nuevo’s internal recommendations that had not been shown to Schlumberger staff performing the production enhancement technology (PET) analysis.