Steam Conformance Along Horizontal Wells at Cold Lake

Abstract

Steam Conformance Along Horizontal Wells at Cold Lake R.J. Smith; R.J. Smith Imperial Oil Resources Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar K.R. Perepelecta K.R. Perepelecta Imperial Oil Resources Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium and International Horizontal Well Technology Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, November 2002. Paper Number: SPE-79009-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/79009-MS Published: November 04 2002 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Smith, R.J., and K.R. Perepelecta. "Steam Conformance Along Horizontal Wells at Cold Lake." Paper presented at the SPE International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium and International Horizontal Well Technology Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, November 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/79009-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium Search Advanced Search AbstractThis paper describes Imperial Oil's success in identifying and remediating poor steam conformance in a horizontal well used in Cyclic Steam Stimulation operations.Imperial Oil is conducting Horizontal Well Cyclic Steam Stimulation (HWCSS) at nine horizontal wells located at two pads in Cold Lake. Steam conformance along horizontal wells is a significant issue in these types of thermal applications. The horizontal wells are completed with Limited Entry Perforations (LEP) to improve distribution of steam along the liner. One of the HWCSS pads, D36, has been the subject of both 4D seismic and injectivity analyses to characterize steam conformance along the horizontal section over the first three cycles. These analysis techniques showed that four out of the five wells on the pad had excellent steam distribution along the horizontal liners. However, one of the wells, D36-H1 showed little or no steam conformance along the last half of the liner. This lack of horizontal steam conformance put the recovery expectations of this well at risk. A workover conducted on D36-H1 successfully removed sand that had been obstructing the liner. Steam injection subsequent to the clean out showed steam distributed across the majority of the liner (most of the LEPs accepting steam).IntroductionImperial Oil has been conducting commercial operations at Cold Lake using Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS) since the mid 1980's. CSS involves injecting steam at fracture pressure (>10 MPa) and producing a mixture of water, bitumen and gas from the same wells. Approximately 3000 wells are in operation at Cold Lake, the vast majority of which are deviated vertical wells. These wells are drilled from common surface pads, typically in groups of 20. As an enhancement to the CSS process, Imperial has been piloting Horizontal Well CSS (HWCSS) at nine 500 m long wells located at two pads. One of the main challenges of the CSS process is the control of steam conformance in the reservoir. To maximize recovery it is necessary to contact as much of the reservoir as possible with steam. This becomes more difficult with advancing cycles because steam preferentially accesses channels that have already been heated and depleted. Horizontal wells with conventional perforations or slotted liners could be further compromised by preferential steam injection into the heel of the well. To overcome this problem, Imperial Oil uses its patented Limited Entry Perforation (LEP) design to control the distribution of steam along the horizontal well liners.A schematic of the well completion and LEP design is shown in Figure 1. Keywords: obstruction, steam conformance, cycle 4, liner, enhanced recovery, injection, upstream oil & gas, injection rate, cold lake, reservoir pressure Subjects: Improved and Enhanced Recovery, Thermal methods, Completion Installation and Operations This content is only available via PDF. 2002. SPE/PS-CIM/CHOA International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium and International Horizontal Well Technology Conference You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.