Petroleum Experts Research Articles

Use of Petroleum Experts Prosper software to obtain additional oil production by analysis of well operation mode

Relevance. Current situation, when an increasing number of subsoil users are moving towards the correct choice of a development system. Therefore, the applicability of integrated asset models is growing exponentially every year. One of the integrated approaches in the field of reservoir–well–ground infrastructure modeling is the use of Petroleum Experts software. This solution has successfully established itself in the international market due to the presence of a large number of various correlations suitable for certain geological conditions, as well as a complex methodology for calculating the tasks. Thanks to the above product, the tasks of calculating the inflow from a reservoir, well flow rate and infrastructure throughput analysis formed a single integrated solution for high-quality modeling of fields/groups of fields. In its turn, the Petroleum Experts Prosper software allows you to evaluate the efficiency of a well, as well as to obtain additional production through optimization calculations on a well model tuned to actual parameters. Aim. To form and analyze the approach to setting up component models (wells) by adapting parameters to actual data in order to obtain additional oil production. Methods. Setting up and adaptation of well models equipped with installations of electrical center pumps, setting up and adaptation of fountain wells, approach to working with a periodical fund, assessment of the effectiveness of the use of Prosper in terms of additional oil production. Results. The results obtained allow us to adapt well models with an accuracy of more than 95%, which simulates the operating mode of the mechanized and fountain mining fund in order to optimize and increase oil production. As a result of the analysis, the criteria for tuning wells were identified, and the minimum necessary set of parameters for high-quality adaptation of models was presented. The effectiveness and accuracy of the method by comparing the actual data on the regimes of the wells with synthetic are also proved. Based on the work done, we can conclude that the use of an integrated model shows us a high convergence with real data, which allows you to conduct optimization calculations with high accuracy with obtaining a result that provides the greatest effect.

Increasing Oil Recovery by Gas Injection for Libyan Carbonate Sedimentary Field (LCSF) by using Eclipse Software

In this study, two software MBAL - Petroleum Experts and Eclipse are used to do comprehensive reservoir study for LCSF plane of development, this study covered analyses and evaluation. Gas injection essentially increases the rate of oil field development and in many cases permits increased oil recovery. This paper demonstrates a successful simulation case study based on a field data of a project. The objective of this study is to improve recovery from Libyan Carbonate Sedimentary Field by three wells of gas injection. To do that, first, the simulation 3-D model was built by using advanced reservoir simulation software (Schlumberger Eclipse). Second, select the best zone for gas injection. Third, select the best location for injector well. Fourth, determine the injector well depth. The results of the paper can be seen to match the real data of the reservoir with the results of the program using a MBAL software. The simulator results show the reservoir pressure history curve is matching to the stimulation curve, this gives a good allusion of the input data that has been entered to the model. The driving mechanism of this reservoirs it comes from three natural forces, which are fluid expansion, PV compressibility, and water influx. Gas injection scenario has a good plateau bpd lasts approximately 3 years and after that started to decrease. The Cumulative oil production is 108442340 STB barrels of oil with the recovery factor approximately 0.52805 and final reservoir pressure is maintained 328.76 pisa

Impact of technology management in improving sustainability performance for Egyptian petroleum refineries and petrochemical companies

PurposePetroleum companies have various goals in light of high energy prices, uncertainty and potential fluctuations in demand in the current digital age, including making a profit while maintaining long-term sustainability and lowering their environmental impacts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technology management (TM) and its practices through process and maintenance technologies on sustainability performance (SP) for petroleum refineries and petrochemical companies in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability.Design/methodology/approachA new proposed framework has been developed for a clearer understanding in relation to these aspects. The study was conducted among Egyptian refineries and petrochemical companies. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 65 petroleum experts and professionals, which was then summarized using statistical analysis, hypothesis testing and regression analysis.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that TM has a significant and direct impact on SP. Furthermore, the study shows that process technology (PT) has a positive influence on the three aspects of SP. Although maintenance technology has a positive impact on economic and environmental sustainability, it shows no direct effect on social sustainability.Research limitations/implicationsThe degree to which TM and sustainability principles are implemented across petroleum companies in various countries varies significantly because of managerial and cultural dimensions. Therefore, when conducting the research, it is important to consider the study’s geographical area to comprehend how these practices are impacted by the distinctive managerial and cultural settings of each country. Also, respondents in developing countries do not participate in such surveys with much enthusiasm.Practical implicationsThe study shows that implementing TM practices generates more economic stability and ensures environmental and social sustainability. The research studied how PT and maintenance practices affected each aspect of sustainability. These findings can apply to all downstream oil companies, regardless of their size or type of operations. Further research can be conducted to examine the relationship between variables in other industries.Social implicationsDecision-makers and managers may use the study's findings to improve their companies' performance and develop new plans and policies. The results demonstrate that companies will have a greater chance of achieving sustainable performance if they incorporate process and maintenance technologies into their activities. Besides economic and environmental sustainability, petroleum companies must strive for social sustainability.Originality/valueThe study is regarded as a significant contribution to the management of petroleum refineries and petrochemical companies, as it combined TM practices with SP in a single research framework. Industry executives and researchers can use this research as a guide that can be applied to all petroleum companies in the same country.

Modelling the relationships between the barriers to implementing machine learning for accident analysis: the Indian petroleum industry

PurposeThis paper aims to identify, prioritise and explore the relationships between the various barriers that are hindering the machine learning (ML) adaptation for analysing accident data information in the Indian petroleum industry.Design/methodology/approachThe preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) is initially used to identify key barriers as reported in extant literature. The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is then used to discover the interrelationships between the barriers, which are then prioritised, based on three criteria (time, cost and relative importance) using complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) and multi-objective optimisation method by ratio analysis (MOORA). The Delphi method is used to obtain and analyse data from 10 petroleum experts who work at various petroleum facilities in India.FindingsThe findings provide practical insights for management and accident data analysts to use ML techniques when analysing large amounts of data. The analysis of barriers will help organisations focus resources on the most significant obstacles to overcome barriers to adopt ML as the primary tool for accident data analysis, which can save time, money and enable the exploration of valuable insights from the data.Originality/valueThis is the first study to use a hybrid three-phase methodology and consult with domain experts in the petroleum industry to rank and analyse the relationship between these barriers.

Research of the widespread methodologies for forecasting gas deposit development under the gas drive

The determination reliability of development technological indicators plays an important role in the further field development, since they affect the field development rate, the drill footage, the amount of capital investments, the construction of ground communications, etc. Therefore, the choice of the methodology for forecasting technological indicators plays a decisive role in making investment decisions. To forecast the technological indicators of the gas/gas-condensate fields development a significant number of methods have been developed, among which the main ones are the methods of integrating the differential equations of fluids unsteady filtration within a porous medium inhomogeneous in reservoir properties, consistent change in stationary states and the basic laws extrapolation of the actual data dynamics. The above methods are characterized by varying degrees of the calculated values reliability ​​and certain technological limitations. To assess the magnitude of the possiblemargin of error in the design of the hydrocarbon fields development, a study of generally accepted methods that are widely used in the oil and gas industry has been carried out. Based on the study results, it has been found that the Petroleum Experts IPM suite software package provides the highest accuracy and reliability of the predicted development indicators, since it takes into account the reservoir properties, phase transformations of complex reservoir hydrocarbon systems and the regularities of fluid movement along the wellbore. The results of the conducted research allow us to assert that the use of the main tools of hydrodynamic modeling in accordance with the world practice of designing the deve-lopment of hydrocarbon fields will increase the production efficiency of residual hydrocarbon reserves at the final stage of development, which form the main potential for increasing its own production in Ukraine.

OPTIMIZING ONSHORE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR LARGE GAS FIELD USING INTEGRATED MODELING

An integrated approach to modeling implies the construction of a single digital model of the object, which consists of related models of the reservoir, wells and surface facilities. The integrated model makes it possible not only to optimize the operation of surface elements, but also to take into account the mutual influence of system objects. Creation of a permanently operating integrated model (PDIM) is of great practical importance in PJSC NK Rosneft, since it allows performing long-term calculations for various scenarios of gas production, as well as substantiating rational technological modes of gas field operation. The paper examines the stages of building an integrated model of a gas field in the Turonian reservoir of one of the fields in Western Siberia, the main elements of which are: a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model, well models and a surface infrastructure model. The Petroleum Experts software package (Prosper, Gap, Resolve) is used to create a model and carry out calculations. The article analyzes the predicted technological indicators of the gas field operation according to the base case, on the basis of which optimization approaches to the development of the Turonian deposit are formed. The authors have proposed an option that takes into account the operation of mobile compressor units (MCU) in order to reduce capital investments for large site facilities. The paper also considers the option of reconfiguring the gas gathering network (GSS), which provides for a decrease in the number of collectors. The option will reduce the cost of construction of the GSS and minimize the mutual influence of the work of the bushes on each other. Summing up, a technical and economic assessment of the base and alternative options was carried out, based on the results of which the most rational option for the development of the T.

Prediction of Pressure Profile During Multi-Phase Flow in Different Oil Well: A Comparative Study

Multiphase flow is a very common phenomenon in oil wells. Several correlation models, either analytical or experimental, have been investigated by various studies to investigate this phenomenon. However, no single correlation model was found to produce good results in all flow conditions. 14 models available on the Prosper software were selected for the purpose of calculating the pressure gradient inside wells within a range of different flow conditions. The pressure gradient was calculated using Prosper software, then compared with the measured gradient based on the production log test (PLT) data. This study was conducted on 31 wells from five different oil fields (Kirkuk, Jambur, Bai-Hassan, Al-Ahdab, and Rumaila). It is worth noting that these wells have not been studied previously. The results indicated that the best correlation models were the Original Duns and Rose (DRO), Petroleum Experts 2 (PE2), and Hagedorn and Brown (HB), which outperformed the models of Hydro-3p and Mukherjee and Brill. The calculations also showed that the overall performance of all correlations is generally better in two-phase flow wells. Despite this, Fancher and Brown (FB), Hydro-3p, HB, and Orkiszewski (OR) models demonstrated an improved performance in three-phase flow wells as compared to the other correlation models.

Применение интегрированного моделирования в нефтегазовой отрасли

The present stage of the oil industry development is characterized by a growing share of hard to reach reserves, the amount of complicated well stock, oil production costs and increasing requirements to production accounting accuracy, implementation of energy-efficient and resource-efficient technologies for development and production, in conditions of the multifactorial evaluation of asset development prospects a problem of the asset intellectualization is a priority. Within this problem, automation and implementation of integrated approaches to production optimization, prevention and control of difficulties, effective asset development management both on operative and long-term levels are considered. At present, a complex and effective tool in resolving the problem is an integrated model, i.e. a model of a well production process (oil, gas, water), including all production chain elements in the form of consequential component models. An integrated simulation is effectively used in operational activities of LUKOIL-PERM LLC and is an optimal tool to solve multidisciplinary tasks in field development and technology of oil and gas production, transportation and processing (using software by Petroleum Experts company). Experience of implementing the integrated simulations suggests a synergetic effect related to a need in developing associated aspects manifesting themselves by improvement of skills of the specialists, improvement of input data quality and increase of input data volume, improvement of separate component quality during their integration. A set of actions developed and substantiated using the integrated simulations and their separate components resulted in obtaining some additional oil production over 21.9 thou. t.

Comparative environmental life cycle assessment of several powertrain types for cars and buses in France for two driving cycles: “worldwide harmonized light vehicle test procedure” cycle and urban cycle

PurposeEnvironmental assessments in the transportation sector are often lacking in transparency and completeness. In this article, the environmental trade-offs in road passenger transportation between conventional vehicles and electrified vehicles are compared, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Hence, the relevance of a massive electrification approach can be questioned. Assessing a set of current midsize passenger cars and buses allows for investigation of potential environmental issues. This is the first detailed LCA concerning several hybridization levels for cars and buses, and it is based on real consumption data for two traffic conditions.MethodsWe focused on the ISO standards (ISO 2006a, b) and analyzed the energy carriers’ life cycle and the vehicle’s life cycle. The functional unit is clearly defined as the transportation of one passenger over 1 km in specific driving conditions from a point A to a point B, without prejudice toward the path taken. Vehicle specifications were derived based on the available manufacturers’ data, literature, and French Institute of Petroleum (IFPEN) experts. For the use stage, two driving cycles were assessed: the “worldwide harmonized light vehicles test procedure” (WLTP) cycle and an urban cycle. France was selected as the study area, and a sensitivity analysis was performed based on a European electricity charging mix for electrified vehicles.Results and discussionBattery electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) exhibit the highest climate change (CC) mitigation potential, provided that the electricity mix has low carbon and that the PHEV is used with a fully-charged battery. With these conditions, PHEVs can perform even better than EVs. In that regard, PHEVs using only a thermic engine perform the worst in regard to CC indicator. It is also worth mentioning that electric buses are the best solution in urban traffic conditions for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Among powertrains, the electrified powertrains are even more important when performing in urban cycles. For other environmental indicators, such as particulate matter emissions, EVs perform worse than conventional thermic vehicles.ConclusionsThe results underline the importance of considering vehicles’ life cycles for LCA in the transportation sector and the need for multicriteria environmental analysis. Therefore, electrification of the transportation sector should not be driven by a single CC indicator, as this may generate potential environmental drawbacks. It is also crucial to adapt public policies to the local context because the results are highly sensitive to the electricity charging mix.

Geochemical evaluation of oil and gas samples from the Upper Devonian and Mississippian reservoirs Southern Anadarko Basin Oklahoma and its implication for the Woodford Shale unconventional play

Abstract The Woodford Shale, Sycamore, and Goddard formations have become important liquid rich unconventional resource play targets. Most petroleum experts believe the mature Woodford Shale is responsible for much of the southern Anadarko conventional and unconventional petroleum production with notable exceptions. This paper will focus on the well head oil and gas samples from the South Central Oklahoma Oil Province (SCOOP) area Woodford Shale and the younger Mississippian reservoirs. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the SCOOP area unconventional resource play using the produced petroleum. Discrepancies between produced oil and gas geochemistry, rock maturity, and production characteristics presents an interesting conundrum. The produced volatile oils contain lower boiling point compounds (C6–C8) that indicate a high maturity product from the Woodford Shale source, whereas the high molecular weight fraction (C15+ biomarkers) suggests a middle mature product from the Woodford Shale source. The produced gas chemistry suggests a low to middle mature product using published gas plots. Lastly, the production Gas Oil Ratio (GOR) and well head fluid gravities are typical of a gas-condensate. There is no simple unified petroleum system process to explain all these observations. There could be a combination of factors resulting in this conundrum such as mixing of multiple charges from both local and off-structure sources, phase separation as a result of production, or well head sampling/storage issues. At present it may be difficult to fully explain the current results, however we do believe the geochemistry and production results demonstrate a significant off-structure contribution. A simple petroleum systems model based on source rock organic matter type and maturity does not always correctly predict production or ultimate recovery.

Chance-Constrained Model Predictive Control for SAGD Process Using Robust Optimization Approximation

Control of a steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process is a challenging task, because of the presence of various uncertainties, such as geological uncertainty and steam quality uncertainty. They often lead to constraint violations and performance degradation. In this work, a chance-constrained model predictive control (CCMPC) method is presented to generate a safe and optimal control strategy, considering the presence of uncertainties. A novel robust optimization method is applied to solve the chance-constrained optimization problem under general distribution of uncertainties. Two case studies are presented to demonstrate the proposed approach. Furthermore, the modeling of SAGD process is discussed, and the proposed robust optimization-based CCMPC is tested using a reservoir simulator (Petroleum Experts) of the SAGD process. The proposed approach reduces constraint violations that are due to uncertainties and achieves satisfactory performance.

DETERMINATION OF THE BEST-FIT MULTIPHASE FLOW CORRELATION FOR HIGH WATER-CUT WELLS USING PROSPER

Pressure drop in a vertical or deviated borehole is mainly due to hydrostatic changes and friction when the produced fluids flow to the surface. When the oil is flowing upwards, the flowing pressure along the tubing string will drop and gas starts to liberate from the oil. Thus, multiphase flow forms in the tubing string. Hence, adequate modeling of vertical lift performance is required to predict the pressure drop and subsequently the wellbore pressure. The bottomhole pressure prediction was realized by using PROSPER, a program developed by Petroleum Experts. The data of oilwell X-01 with high water cut (i.e., 56%) in field X was used in this research work. The most accurate correlation was chosen from 12 selected built-in correlations to predict the pressure drop via gradient matching. A sensitivity analysis has been done to observe the parameters that affected the vertical lift performance of a high water cut well. These parameters were tubing diameter, gas-oil ratio, wellhead pressure, water cut, and tubing roughness. The results show that Dun and Ros original correlation appeared to be the best-fit correlation for well X-01. Results from sensitivity analysis indicated that reduction of wellhead pressure from 390 psi to 285.3 psi could increase liquid rate by 13.2%. An adjustment of wellhead pressure gave the most significant impact on the production rate of well X-01 as compared to other four parameters studied.

Interdisciplinarity in Higher Petroleum Education in the Context of International Standards

Abstract The article deals with the problem of interdisciplinarity impact on higher petroleum education in Ukraine. Different views on the essence of interdisciplinarity, especially in the context of higher petroleum education, have been presented. It has been indicated that many scholars have studied the essence of interdisciplinarity within higher education systems of different countries and identified that interdisciplinarity encompasses a combination or interrelation of various sciences that are embodied in engineering training process. Interdisciplinarity is considered as one of the effective tools to support enthusiasm of young generation for petroleum engineering; to increase motivation of future petroleum experts; and to enhance the efficiency of collaboration between professionals from different fields. In reality, interdisciplinary approach is very often confused with multidisciplinarity when educators give students knowledge from various disciplines without making the link between them into a coordinated whole. It has been concluded that interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary approach can be regarded as a natural training context in which boundaries between knowledge systems tend to be erased and a new teaching paradigm is required. It has been revealed that implementation of interdisciplinary approach in engineering programmes necessitates the development of such an educational framework that would provide educators with the relevant methods, tools, and models for design of interdisciplinary engineering curricula regarding specific learning outcomes and ensure support for faculty members to improve their own competence in the interdisciplinary issues. The standards and guidelines of international educational interdisciplinarity of degree programmes in petroleum engineering are analyzed in the article.

A chemical EOR benchmark study of different reservoir simulators

Interest in chemical EOR processes has intensified in recent years due to the advancements in chemical formulations and injection techniques. Injecting Polymer (P), surfactant/polymer (SP), and alkaline/surfactant/polymer (ASP) are techniques for improving sweep and displacement efficiencies with the aim of improving oil production in both secondary and tertiary floods. There has been great interest in chemical flooding recently for different challenging situations. These include high temperature reservoirs, formations with extreme salinity and hardness, naturally fractured carbonates, and sandstone reservoirs with heavy and viscous crude oils.More oil reservoirs are reaching maturity where secondary polymer floods and tertiary surfactant methods have become increasingly important. This significance has added to the industry's interest in using reservoir simulators as tools for reservoir evaluation and management to minimize costs and increase the process efficiency. Reservoir simulators with special features are needed to represent coupled chemical and physical processes present in chemical EOR processes. The simulators need to be first validated against well controlled lab and pilot scale experiments to reliably predict the full field implementations.The available data from laboratory scale include 1) phase behavior and rheological data; and 2) results of secondary and tertiary coreflood experiments for P, SP, and ASP floods under reservoir conditions, i.e. chemical retentions, pressure drop, and oil recovery. Data collected from corefloods are used as benchmark tests comparing numerical reservoir simulators with chemical EOR modeling capabilities such as STARS of CMG, ECLIPSE-100 of Schlumberger, REVEAL of Petroleum Experts. The research UTCHEM simulator from The University of Texas at Austin is also included since it has been the benchmark for chemical flooding simulation for over 25 years.The results of this benchmark comparison will be utilized to improve chemical design for field-scale studies using commercial simulators. The benchmark tests illustrate the potential of commercial simulators for chemical flooding projects and provide a comprehensive table of strengths and limitations of each simulator for a given chemical EOR process. Mechanistic simulations of chemical EOR processes will provide predictive capability and can aid in optimization of the field injection projects. The objective of this paper is not to compare the computational efficiency and solution algorithms; it only focuses on the process modeling comparison.

Structural Investigation for Locating Petroleum Reservoirs Using Geoinformatics in Meyal, Potwar Region, Pakistan

Reflection Seismology technique (Seismic Survey) is widely used around the world to produce a detailed analogue image of subsurface geological structures. This information is used by petroleum experts to accurately plan the location of oil wells. Seismic survey sections and corresponding well logs exhibit different variables like acoustic impedance of rock, seismic velocity, rock density, porosity, time and depth that can be manipulated in GIS to infer a subsurface model for stratigraphic as well as structural interpretations. In recent years, GIS has emerged as a powerful analytical tool for subsurface mapping and analysis. Petroleum exploration is a map intensive process that requires the powerful capabilities of GIS. Purpose of this research is integration of Geographical Information System with Seismic Surveys for Structural and Stratigraphic Interpretation of subsurface Geology and locating Petroleum Prospects. In this research work, GIS has been used to investigate subsurface geological structures and stratigraphy to carefully analyze the capabilities of GIS for finding new petroleum prospects in active thrust belt of Meyal, Potwar region, Pakistan. Acquisition of two-dip and three-strike seismic lines is along with well log data, followed by spatial seismic data processing, development of geophysical data management interface, interpolation of shot point data, trend surface analysis and Geostatistical analysis using GIS. Subsurface zones of high, low or null probability of petroleum accumulation were then, mapped. Finally, GIS based maps were developed. Geospatial tomography GIS model inferred that study area is structurally deformed and exhibits excessive geological faults, and structural traps. With GIS-tomography interpretation of section 97-MYL-08, a potential oil bearing zone (popup anticline), bounded by two thrust faults was observed at almost 3.6 Km depth in Meyal area with average density of about 2.6 gm/cm3. Thrust fault recognized from sharp discontinuity in GIS based survey raster was encountered at 2.9 Km depth. Structure contour map was developed. It depicted that Chorgali formation (dolomitic limestone) at 3.68 Km depth was proven to be reservoir rock in study area. GIS has proved to be a powerful and efficient subsurface modeling and analytical tool and it should be integrated with survey based studies for exploration of oil and gas and investigation of subsurface geological structures.

Labour Conflicts in Kazakhstan: A Specific Character of their Solution

It is impossible to imagine the modern world without impact of interests of people, various groups, and the states as a whole. By virtue of differentiation of social structure of the Kazakhstan society, diversity of economy, and of some other objective reasons, recently we have been observing growth of social conflicts, including labour conflicts. Strike of petroleum experts in the Western Kazakhstan last year and a miners’ strike in the Central Kazakhstan speak that the interests of the certain groups of the population, workers in particular, are not considered, which in turn leads to the increase of a level of social tension not only in regions sphere, but also in a society as a whole.After December events in Zhanaozen, the government created the centre of social partnership among the functions of which is monitoring of labour attitudes, settlement of labour disputes and their prevention. Novelty of the given article is not only the review of modern labour conflicts in Kazakhstan, but also the analysis of a role of each participant of labour process, a specific character of their behaviour in business of achievement of the objectives and satisfactions of the demands. As it is shown by an expert, in Kazakhstan there are no operating mechanisms for the solution of labour conflicts, technologies on settlement of labour disputes with participation of all parties of labour process. Today the experts predict a decrease in the level of strike movement at the mining and metallurgical enterprises of Kazakhstan. That is not a parameter of activity of the nongovernmental organizations, a merit of employers and close attention of the state.

Investigation of CO2 Sequestration during Cold Heavy Oil Production

CO2 sequestration during cold heavy oil production using captured carbon dioxide was investigated using REVEAL of Petroleum Experts. The results indicated that the CO2 release was influenced by the production phases. The prediction showed high CO2 retention in the first few years post start-up, followed by a gradual decline toward 16.5% post peak production. The recovery rate was strongly influenced by the reservoir characteristics, such as fluid properties, permeability, aquifer, and well completion. Horizontal wells provided better performance than vertical wells. The CO2 utilization and retention per barrel of heavy oil increased as the CO2 injection pressure increased.

Heavy Oil Recovery: A Cold Process Using CO<sub>2</sub>-EOR Technique

Owing to substantial improvement in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies and significant decline in discovery of light and medium crude oil fields, the heavy oil development is progressively receiving considerable attention to fill the supply gap. Cold heavy oil production (CHOP) using captured carbon dioxide (CO2)-EOR technique was investigated using the state-of-the-art Integrated Product Modelling packages of Petroleum Experts as part of the Well Engineering Research Group unconventional oil reservoir management studies being undertaken at Robert Gordon University. Beyond ascertaining the feasibility of the CHOP using CO2-EOR, the objectives of the investigation were to establish the process requirements at the onshore facilities based on series of parametric studies and to enhance the understanding of the subsea integrated injection and production systems during the injection process. The injection system consisted of an injection well connected to a 240 km subsea pipeline transporting CO2 from an onshore compression station. The production system included a topside separator connected to the production well via a 2km riser. A broad range of reservoir production history was used and the simulation results indicate that heavy oil displacement was easily achievable under miscible conditions (i.e. high reservoir pressure), but the production trend was strongly influenced by the reservoir characteristics (i.e. GOR, WC, Pressure).

CO2 Injection Into Depleted Gas Reservoirs

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 123788, ’CO2 Injection Into Depleted Gas Reservoirs,’ by Hrvoje Galic, SPE, Steve Cawley, SPE, and Simon Bishop, SPE, BP, and Steve Todman, SPE, and Frederic Gas, Petroleum Experts Ltd., prepared for the 2009 SPE Offshore Europe Oil and Gas Conference & Exhibition, Aberdeen, 8-11 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Depleted gas fields represent an opportunity for CO2 storage. However, low reservoir pressure will present a significant challenge for CO2 injection because of phase-behavior issues. This behavior will constrain injection operating parameters significantly during the early stages of CO2 injection. An efficient way of understanding and possibly resolving flow-assurance problems is to adopt an integrated-asset-modeling (IAM) approach. The IAM recognizes the interaction between all system elements and enables observing the effects of many parameter changes within the whole system. Introduction The case study modeled a BP-operated asset offshore UK in the southern North Sea (UK SNS) for CO2 injection. The modeled CO2 supply would come from burning fossil fuels at a power plant. The resulting CO2 would be captured, dehydrated, compressed, and transported to an onshore pumping facility at approximately 70–80 bar and at ambient temperature (0 to 20°C). Under these conditions, CO2 is in dense liquid phase. An onshore pump then would move the CO2 through a subsea pipeline to an offshore injection facility. From there, it would be distributed to several injection wells (most likely converted from existing production service) and injected into a depleted gas reservoir, which had initial conditions of approximately 27 bar and 90°C. The model assumed an approximately constant CO2 delivery rate of 2×106 t/a for a nominal project life of 20 years, with injection beginning in 2013. Toolkit The injection-modeling toolkit comprised a full-field thermal reservoir model with wells and well-network descriptions, surface-network descriptions, dynamic connections between the reservoir and the well-/surface-net-work models (acting as a data-transfer system and master controller for the integrated full-field model at each forecast timestep), and a consistent set of fluid pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) descriptions between the different models. A major technical challenge was related to the phase behavior of CO2. As Fig. 1 shows, pure CO2 has a triple point of 5.18 bar at −56.6°C and a critical point of 73.8 bar at 31.1°C, enabling three different phase regions to be defined under real reservoir conditions: liquid, vapor, and supercritical fluid. Keeping the CO2 in a liquid or super-critical phase is essential to realize the benefits from the high density of the fluid in terms of bulk-transportation efficiency, injectivity potential, and stored-CO2 mass.

Fourteen Years of Progressing Cavity Pumps

This article, written by Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 80919, "Fourteen Years of Progressing Cavity Pumps in a Southern Oklahoma Waterflood," by Kenneth D. Oglesby, SPE, Oak Resources Inc.; Jose Luis Arellano, Petroleum Experts Ltd.; and Gary Scheer, SPE, Advanced Rotary Pump Systems Inc., originally presented at the 2003 SPE Production and Operations Symposium, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 23-25 March 2003.