Saudi Aramco Research Articles

PERTAMINA AND SAUDI ARAMCO JOINT VENTURE PROJECT OF REFINERY BUILDING IN INDONESIA AS INDONESIAN STRATEGY FOR ENERGY SECURITY

Indonesia’s demand for energy to maintain its industrial development has grown significantly. As a consequence, Jakarta needs new energy sources to support the shortage of diesel and gasoline as the main resources. Saudi Aramco has been a vital partner to fulfil the energy supply considering its source and production capacity. This paper will scrutinise the joint venture project between Indonesian oil company, Pertamina and Saudi Arabian oil company, Saudi Aramco as an Indonesian strategy to overcome its growing need for oil and pursue its energy security. This qualitative research will employ the concept of the International Joint Venture (IJV to examine the role of the government of Indonesia in the negotiation and Implementation process and the challenges in implementing the project.

Well Performance Classification and Prediction: Deep Learning and Machine Learning Long Term Regression Experiments on Oil, Gas, and Water Production.

In the oil and gas industries, predicting and classifying oil and gas production for hydrocarbon wells is difficult. Most oil and gas companies use reservoir simulation software to predict future oil and gas production and devise optimum field development plans. However, this process costs an immense number of resources and is time consuming. Each reservoir prediction experiment needs tens or hundreds of simulation runs, taking several hours or days to finish. In this paper, we attempt to overcome these issues by creating machine learning and deep learning models to expedite the process of forecasting oil and gas production. The dataset was provided by the leading oil producer, Saudi Aramco. Our approach reduced the time costs to a worst-case of a few minutes. Our study covered eight different ML and DL experiments and achieved its most outstanding R2 scores of 0.96 for XGBoost, 0.97 for ANN, and 0.98 for RNN over the other experiments.

Physics-Informed Neural Networks Help Predict Fluid Flow in Porous Media

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 203033, “Prediction of Fluid Flow in Porous Media Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks,” by Muhammad M. Almajid, SPE, and Moataz O. Abu-Alsaud, SPE, Saudi Aramco. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The authors of the complete paper write that the realm of reservoir engineering is considered to belong to the small-data regime because of the complex physical systems involved and the inherent uncertainty of the problems. The objective of the paper is to present a physics-informed neural network (PINN) technique that is able to use information from the fluid-flow physics and observed data to model the Buckley-Leverett problem. Fractional-Flow Theory Through their study of fluid displacement in sands, Buckley and Leverett introduced the fractional-flow theory. The theory estimates the rate at which one fluid displaces another and, consequently, the change in fluid saturations. The theory has been applied to many fluid-flow processes in porous media such as waterflooding, carbonated waterflooding, alcohol flooding, miscible flooding, steam flooding, foam flooding, low-salinity waterflooding, and carbon sequestration. The authors use the fractional-flow theory to simulate the displacement of water-filled porous media by gas, a process detailed in the complete paper. Once the Buckley-Leverett solution is obtained, the saturation profile of gas or water can be plotted at different times. It is noteworthy that a gas viscosity of 0.2 cp in this case is used so that the shock is visually apparent in the Buckley-Leverett solution. Additionally, having this large of a gas viscosity is justified. For instance, foamed gas can develop apparent viscosities orders of magnitude larger than unfoamed gas. Fig. 1 plots the gas-saturation profile along the dimensionless distance. Obtaining the corresponding water-saturation profiles is trivial. The authors compare the analytical solution and the PINN prediction with respect to water saturation.

“Sustainable Materials for Transitional and Alternative Energy”

“Sustainable Materials for Transitional and Alternative Energy”

Analysis of Post-Fracturing Pressure Tests Helps Develop Tight Sands Reservoirs

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 200206, “Lessons Learned From Recent Post-Fracturing Drawdown/Buildup Tests in Tight Sands Reservoirs,” by Ali Alshawaf, Mohammad Al Momen, SPE, and Ghaliah Khoja, SPE, Saudi Aramco, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Developing tight sandstone reservoirs across a vast area requires proper data collection and analysis. Because of the nature and heterogeneity of these reservoirs, several vertical and horizontal wells must be drilled and completed with multistage hydraulic fractures to assess their potential. An integrated work flow was developed to build a single-well model to predict the production, cumulative gas, and recovery factor for each well. The paper presents findings and key lessons learned to efficiently design pressure-buildup (PBU) tests in tight sandstone reservoirs. Motivations and Challenges of Drawdown/Buildup Tests in Tight Sands Pressure-transient analysis (PTA) can provide direct and accurate measurement of fracture and reservoir properties, flow regimes, and possible boundaries or faults away from the wellbore within the radius of investigation in conventional reservoirs. In tight sand reservoirs, a wide range of technical measurements is required, such as routine core analysis, log interpretation, diagnostic fracture injection tests (DFIT), post-fracture history matching, vertical lift, and infow performance matching to integrate all gathered data to support the technical understanding of the reservoir.

The Controversy of Muhammad Baqir Ash-Sadr's Thoughts (Eastern Capitalist) with the Thoughts of Karl Marx and Max Weber (Western Capitalists) in the Context of Global Islamic Economic System

The fight in the globalization field between Eastern business people and Western industrialists shows strength for both. This article examines the improvement of Islamic financial matters in light of the contemplations of Muhammad Baqir Ash-Sadr, Karl Marx, and Max Weber in the humanistic perspective by taking a gander at the standards of worldwide Islamic financial matters in helping out a few non-Muslim nations. This research method uses library research, namely, taking information from books and scientific articles relevant to the problem to be answered. The consequences of this study show that the reasoning of Marx and Weber about the Islamic monetary framework encountering a decay was gone against by Muhammad Baiqr Sadr. That's what sadr censures if Marxism denies things connected with a powerful way of thinking; without anyone else, Marxism has isolated itself from things not related to science. The standards of Islamic lessons as the principal reason for making progress in business are demonstrated to have the option to contend worldwide. For instance, Saudi Aramco organizations, Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Qatar National Bank (QNB), Ooredoo, and the Fly Emirad Company are clear confirmations that they are huge organizations and impact financial backers in Western nations.

Surface-Modified Nanoparticle Gelled-Acid System Stimulates Without Formation Damage

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 22443, “Surface-Modified Nanoparticle-Based Novel Gelled-Acid System: A Unique Formation-Damage-Free Well-Stimulation Technology,” by Rajendra Kalgaonkar, SPE, and Nour Baqader, SPE, Saudi Aramco. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2022 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. Gelled-acid systems based on the gelation of hydrochloric acid (HCl) are used extensively in both matrix and fracture acidizing to prevent acidizing-fluid leakoff. However, these systems can lead to formation damage. To mitigate this risk, the authors have developed a self-breaking, formation-damage-free, novel nanoparticle-based gelled-acid system to replace polymer-based gelled-acid systems. Nanoparticle-Based Gelled-Acid System The complete paper showcases a method for gelling up an acid formulation for stimulating a carbonate reservoir. The technique is based on surface-modified nanoparticles. The new gelled-acid system does not contain any polymer-based gelling agents. It consists of inorganic nanoparticles with a gelation-activator material to activate viscosification. The increase in viscosity will lead to a slowdown of the reaction rate of the acid with the carbonate formation. Suitable functionalities are used to surface-modify the nanoparticles to stabilize them in acidic media. The treatment fluid can be pumped downhole as a single homogeneous fluid system in the same pumping stage. The nanoparticles are easily miscible with the acid formulation without any need for the batch-mixing processes that may be required for a polymer-based gelled-acid system to account for polymer hydration. Thus, this formulation can be mixed easily while pumping the acidic fluid downhole. This ensures that the new gelled-acid system can increase operational efficiency by reducing operational time substantially. Nanoparticle gelation takes place in situ in the acid fluid and does not require a separate pumping stage to introduce the activator. The gelation of nanoparticles is predominantly a pH-based phenomenon. The gelation rate can be influenced also by temperature. As the fluid’s temperature increases, the treatment fluid viscosifies, thus diverting the tail-end acid to less-permeable zones in the reservoir. As the acid spends after reacting with the carbonate formation and the pH of the system increases beyond a pH of 4, the nanoparticles lose their ability to further viscosify the acid, thus reducing the viscosity of the fluid system. This enables easy flowback of the fluid post-treatment. Because the viscosifying material used in the present invention is a nanoparticulate, it will be potentially nondamaging to the formation because of effective flowback and no residual deposition inside the formation.

Technology Focus: Hydraulic Fracturing Operations (June 2022)

The recovering global economy, post the pandemic and current geopolitical circumstances, has underscored the reliance on energy to drive global development. Underinvestment in oil and gas projects over the past few years, coupled with a sudden increase in energy demand, has put the onus on oil and gas companies to accelerate the ramp-up of deferred projects. As winter approaches every year, global gas consumption increases exponentially. Because gas is a cleaner source of energy, countries and organizations once solely focused on oil exploration have shifted their strategies to concurrently explore for gas reserves. As a means of meeting the current increase in energy requirements, there is a push around the world to replicate the North American shale-development strategy of long horizontals with multiple hydraulically fractured stages targeting these oil and gas reserves. Low oil and gas prices in the recent past have necessitated a focus on the wider implementation of efficient fracturing technologies, in terms of both operations and production, with the aim of maximizing returns with minimal investment. There has been greater emphasis on moving away from the factory approach and using a more-engineered well-by-well approach. The past decade has seen many technological innovations in the well-completion domain focused on hydraulic fracturing. Within openhole multistage completions, we have seen a wider use of higher-expansion-ratio packers, such as metal expandable packers; fracturing-sleeve configurations, which enable greater stage count in a single well than previously possible; multicluster fracturing sleeves; dissolvable ball and seat technologies; and reclosable sleeves, to name a few. On the other end of the spectrum, when we look at cased-hole completions, we have seen great improvements in pumpdown technologies, dissolvable plugs, and advanced perforation and logging technologies, among other developments. There have also been great advances in fracture propagation and stage-contribution monitoring, moving from traditional radioactive tracers to various nonradioactive tracers, and developments in microseismic and fiber-optic monitoring as well as production-logging technologies. In an environment where we are limited by both surface facilities and subsurface well placement, these technologies have been crucial in trying to better understand the interaction between parent and child wells along with formulating field strategies in new basins. The implementation of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the fracture design and analysis domain, as well as in fracturing equipment operation and maintenance, has led to further optimization in planning and resource management. Some of these technologies can indirectly help us lower the carbon footprint while fracturing. As an industry, we are at a critical point where, along with advancements in hydraulic fracturing optimization, it is important to focus on highlighting our technological achievements and developments through the mainstream media. It is critical to emphasize the efforts of the oil and gas industry in lowering the environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing by using minimal resources and maximizing energy generation to fuel global economic growth. Considering the renewed focus on hydraulic fracturing as a means of meeting the world’s energy requirements, we can expect to see considerable advancement and introduction of new innovative technologies in the near future. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 200846 - Novel Application To Recognize a Breakdown Pressure Event on Time Series Fracture Data vs. an Artificial-Intelligence Approach by Alberto Jose Ramirez, Well Data Labs, et al. SPE 201376 - Pumpdown Diagnostics for Plug-and-Perf Treatments by David Cramer, ConocoPhillips, et al. SPE 203284 - Critical Review of Multistage Fracturing Completions and Stimulation Methods by Eyad A. Alali, Saudi Aramco, et al.

Intelligent Approach for Gas-Oil Separation Plant Oil Recovery Enhancement

Summary The present practice is to operate the gas-oil separation plant (GOSP) at the predetermined set of conditions obtained during the design stage. These predetermined sets of conditions are fixed and do not account for the effects due to changes in the ambient temperature (Ta), resulting in low recovery and profitability. The variation of Ta highly affects the separation process, where Ta varies greatly from summer to winter. Thus, this study proposes an intelligent approach to maximize profitability by improving the oil recovery through optimization of low-pressure production trap (LPPT) and high-pressure production trap (HPPT) accounting for the changes in the Ta. This work also proposes an advisory system for guiding the operation team to set the HPPT/LPPT pressure at an optimal value that accounts for the changes in Ta for maximizing the oil recovery. To generate the data accounting for the variation in Ta, a GOSP model was developed using the OmegaLand dynamic simulator. A typical Saudi Aramco GOSP parameter was used for the design. The oil recovery was obtained for the various runs of simulation for the representative range of HPPT/LPPT pressure over a wide range of Ta. Then, artificial intelligence (AI) techniques were applied to determine the optimal pressure of LPPT and HPPT units, and an intelligent advisory system is developed based on the correlation obtained for the optimal set of pressure according to the variation in Ta. Results show that at constant HPPT and LPPT pressure, liquid recovery decreases with an increase in Ta, suggesting that readjustment in HPPT or LPPT operating pressure can counter the temperature changes to improve the oil recovery. The analysis of the results reveals that at a fixed value of Ta and LPPT pressure, the oil recovery increases with an increase in HPPT pressure up to the optimal value of HPPT pressure and then decreases above the value of optimal HPPT pressure. Similarly, when the HPPT pressure and Ta are fixed, the oil recovery increases with an increase in LPPT pressure until it reaches the optimal value and then decreases above the value of optimal LPPT pressure. The improvement in the oil recovery signifies the existence of optimal pressure conditions for HPPT/LPPT separators at which maximum oil recovery can be obtained. This study shows the novel way to incorporate the changes in the ambient condition by optimizing LPPT/HPPT operating pressure for enhancing the liquid recovery of the GOSP plant. The advisory system developed from this study maximizes the oil recovery by determining the optimal set of operating conditions for the HPPT/LPPT separators.

Integrated Approach Improves Completion Reliability Using Compact Horizontal Wellhead

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 20201, “Improving Completion Reliability by Integrating ESPs, Intelligent Completion, and Zonal Downhole Monitoring With a Compact Horizontal Wellhead,” by Suresh Jacob, SPE, Maithem Al-Nakhli, SPE, and Muhammad Munir, SPE, Saudi Aramco. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. The complete paper presents an oilwell completion integrating multilaterals, intelligent completions, permanent downhole monitoring systems, electric submersible pumps (ESPs), and a horizontal wellhead system. The paper discusses the completion drivers and design, individual equipment, preparation, field experience during installation, and performance of the system during production. The completion has been installed successfully and its lessons are being applied in the design of future installations. Background The well was drilled in a field comprising two main stacked reservoirs separated by a thick nonporous impermeable mudstone barrier. The two reservoirs are in an asymmetrical anticline structure sharing the same oil/water contact. The two reservoirs have a common pressure gradient and similar crude oil properties while having different petrophysical properties, with one reservoir having twice the productivity of the other. Both reservoirs were developed simultaneously using peripheral water injection with horizontal injector and producer wells. Dedicated producer and injector wells targeting individual reservoirs were drilled because of the differences in productivity and the areal extent between the reservoirs. ESPs were installed in all producers to increase rates and to transport fluid to surface facilities. Multilateral wells were drilled to increase production rate and to decrease pressure drawdown. These wells were drilled as TAML Level 2 wells, with openhole laterals drilled from a cemented liner. An intelligent completion allowed the production from each lateral to be controlled remotely from the surface. While both ESPs and intelligent completions are widely used in the industry, the integration of these technologies in the same well is rare because of the difference in operating cycles for the two systems. A well with both ESPs and intelligent completions should be designed to allow periodic ESP workovers while retaining the intelligent-completion equipment within the wellbore for the life of the well. The downhole-disconnection tool is a key enabler in the integration of ESPs and intelligent completions. However, the high level of operational planning and precision required to reconnect the control lines after ESP workover and the absence of downhole sensors in the intelligent completion prompted the design of an ESP/intelligent-completion integration without the downhole wet-connect tool.

Technology Focus: Natural Gas Processing and Handling (April 2022)

Natural gas has two faces. On one side, it is an important part of the energy-transformation toolkit. On the other side, it is a potent greenhouse gas. Technology can bring the two sides together. The three papers selected for this Tech Focus feature describe technologies that can make natural gas safer to move and store. The first paper, OTC 30655, describes an effort to eliminate flaring during offloading from a floating liquefied natural gas facility (FLNG) and an LNG carrier. Managing the balance of fuel gas and boiled-off gas between the FLNG and the carrier is vital to maintaining equilibrium and eliminating flaring. The paper looks at carriers with spherical tanks and presents a process study to identify potential causes of flaring during offtake and corrections that could eliminate it without capital modifications. The second paper, OTC 30871, considers the benefits of barges over ship-type LNG carriers. Ship-type LNG carriers are designed to operate offshore over fields, which does not necessarily provide optimal opportunity for monetization. The paper argues that near-shore barges holding liquefaction facilities linked to the rest of the system elsewhere could be a more-viable gas-monetization concept. The third paper, SPE 204787, describes a characterization and monitoring approach for underground gas storage. The approach involves close integration of subsurface understanding with the optimization of surface facilities. It also addresses sustainable operations through an asset-integrity-management plan. To learn more about the advancement of technology in the natural gas space, check out the suggested additional reading and visit the OnePetro online library. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. IPTC 19783 - Hybrid System—An Emerging Solution to Sour Gas Treatment by Siddharth Parekh, Schlumberger SPE 202984 - Sour Gas Has a Sweeter Future—Bulk H2S Removal Using Polymeric Cellulose Triacetate-Based Membranes by Pinkesh Sanghani, Schlumberger, et al. SPE 208134 - Inventory Verification in Underground Gas Storage Rebuilt From Depleted Gas Reservoir: A Case Study From China by Lina Song, PetroChina, et al. SPE 207956 - Unconventional Waste and Flare Gas Recovery System in New Circular Economy by Mohamed Ahmed Soliman, Saudi Aramco, et al.

Sustainable Recovery: New Risks for Global Recovery

Just as the pandemic situation is receding and restrictions to entry in many countries have been lifted, the geopolitics of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian army has led to nearly historical highs in gas and oil prices. SPE was one of the first global energy-related societies to issue a statement from its leadership on Ukraine. SPE’s leadership condemns the human tragedy unfolding in Ukraine and supports all actions by the international community to prevent further escalation of the conflict. We also encourage all efforts to find a peaceful solution. SPE is providing financial support through our sections in the region to aid with food and humanitarian aid, and the evacuation of our Ukraine-based members and their families. The worldwide spare capacity in oil production (mostly limited to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iraq) is so low that it would be insufficient to prevent oil prices from skyrocketing, should further restrictions be imposed on Russia’s oil exports. The upstream underinvestment resulting from two downcycles in 2015 and 2020 has strongly impacted both production capacity and record-low reserve discoveries. Higher energy prices are leading to global inflation and to an economic slowdown, a macroeconomic phenomenon called stagflation. In this context, 2022 had a strong start for SPE, with the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC) being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time (the previous edition was held in Dhahran) with an attendance of more than 13,000. The efforts by the IPTC organizing program and executive committees were exceptional, with an enthusiastic involvement of Saudi young volunteers. The IPTC Excellence in Project Integration Award was the opportunity to recognize exceptional projects as a showcase of technology, efficiency, collaboration, and sustainability. Such projects make us all feel proud to be part of the oil and gas industry. Saudi Aramco’s exclusive sponsorship also contributed to the great success of IPTC. The Saudi hosts organized two geological field trips, the first one being “A Visit to Jurassic Succession and Edge of the World.” The second was “The Great Discovery,” one of the world’s most historically significant geological localities—the magnificent outcrop of Dahil Heet which contributed to the discovery of the world’s largest oil deposits. I was very impressed by the progress made by the city of Riyadh in the promotion of sustainability, including an outstanding public transportation system with six metropolitan lines being developed simultaneously. In May 2021, the SPE Board of Directors and the AAPG Executive Committee announced that they were exploring the possibility of a merger between the two organizations. The Steering Committee, comprising volunteers, was created to define the conditions for the merger and worked tirelessly to develop a merger plan. SPE’s leadership viewed the idea of a merger, which has been broached many times over the years, as a catalyst for change that our organization needs. We must better position SPE to address declining corporate support and the significant loss of younger members, as well as deal with the changes occurring in our industry.

Electrical Heating Can Optimize Production in Heavy-Oil Fields With Intelligent Multilaterals

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper IPTC 20134, “Production Optimization Through Intelligent Multilateral Wells in Heavy-Oil Fields by Electrical Heating,” by Cenk Temizel, SPE, Saudi Aramco; Celal Hakan Canbaz, Ege University; and Fatma Bahar Hosgor, Petroleum Software, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2020 International Petroleum Technology Conference. Reproduced by permission. Electrical resistive heating provides key advantages over other thermal methods in the recovery of heavy-oil resources. However, the recovery efficiency with electrical heating is relatively lower compared with more-conventional methods such as cyclic steam stimulation, steamflooding, and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) because it does not introduce a (pressure) drive mechanism and the radius of effect is relatively small, which may result in marginal economics. In this study, the application of electrical resistance heating on multilateral wells is studied in order to illustrate the enhanced physical and economic benefits of the method in such a setting. Smart Tools in Multilateral Wells Placement of a multilateral well is a decision that must be considered carefully. The easiest method of determining whether the approach is the right one for a field is to analogize multilateral wells with the traditional single-bore wells that penetrate to the same formation area. The multilayered well has less drilling depth and reduced rig time compared with the conventional wells. Thus, multilaterals are an advantageous completion design in locations such as offshore platforms or harsh-weather areas. However, multilateral well-completion design is challenging because of its increased complexity. Most smart wells include hydraulic-control systems to satisfy a simpler, more-reliable operation. Current wellhead-control systems allow a limited number of penetrations. The indications are that smart tools controlled with electrical systems will be an emerging focal point of the industry. The cost of a multilateral well is higher because of the equipment used and operational complexity. It also includes a higher risk compared with the risk of a conventional well. Any problem that results in abandoning the well will bring a major economic loss equal to the cost of several conventional wells.

Regulation of oil and gas reserves reporting in Saudi Arabia: Review and recommendations

The regulatory framework and guidelines for reserves reporting in Saudi Arabia are reviewed – the ongoing privatization process of the national oil company (Saudi Aramco) will benefit from the establishment of transparent asset appraisal rules. Previously, Saudi oil reserves were exclusively reported to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as mandated by confidential considerations and internal policies of the Saudi government. Truly independent appraisal of oil and gas reserves as commonly performed by oil and gas investment analysts becomes increasingly relevant when national oil and gas companies are seeking to privatize and must gain the trust of the international investment community. Under such scenarios the regulation of – and compliance with – the governing reserves reporting guidelines need to be conducted with the utmost transparency. Successful monetization of the corporate asset value via bond issues and initial public offerings (IPO) to potential new shareholders critically depends on independent reserves appraisals. Some of the complexities of reserves estimations for a national oil company, such as Saudi Aramco, making the transition – from a formerly wholly state-owned enterprise to a public-private-partnership company – are highlighted. Recommendations are given for improved reserves reporting governance.

Technology Focus: High-Pressure/High-Temperature (March 2022)

What a difference a year can make. Oil and gas prices have reached and stabilized at levels that have not been seen for over half a decade, demonstrating that the adage “low oil prices are the remedy of low oil prices” is still true. Let us now see if we are again at the cusp of a new period of exuberance and if the cyclical nature of oil prices could soon show its grim face once more. A key industry discipline required to delay, or maybe even avoid, another price collapse is the planning and execution of high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) projects. Perhaps the movement of some financial institutions toward considering environmental, social, and governance aspects when deciding to fund oil and gas projects will provide the beneficial longer-term stabilization of the current oil and gas price levels. More than ever, the saying “the easy/cheap oil is over” is true, and that requires a more-stable economic environment than we had in past years to assure the world’s uninterrupted energy and chemical feedstock supply, an important share of which will come from HP/HT reservoirs. For this year, I think we can see where the activity currently is from the available HP/HT related papers of the past year or two. A predominance of papers came from Chinese companies enthusiastically embarking on these challenging projects to secure their domestic energy needs and reporting their technology innovations and learning curves in interesting case studies. I was able to find some geographic diversity by including case studies from the Middle East as well, where good ideas and innovative low-cost approaches have enabled economically feasible project delivery in tough times. Notably absent in the choice of papers were the traditional HP/HT areas of the deep Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. But maybe the more favorable oil and gas prices will spawn some new activity in these areas as well, if the regulatory and fiscal environment also improves. Reading this year’s case studies, some of the more experienced engineers among us will notice that, on some occasions, known challenges have been encountered that, in our experience, had been successfully mitigated in previous projects. This is likely a weakness from the Great Crew Change, where the knowledge preservation and transfer may not always have happened satisfactorily. The cut-throat cost-saving environment of the past few years, combined with the worldwide health crisis leading to curtailed travel and many workshops and conferences being canceled, certainly contributed to this lack of information flow as well. This is why it is so important to engage in SPE through online interest/discussion groups to find the necessary expertise in our pool of members. With this recommendation, I hope you will read the 2022 featured papers with interest and take them as encouragement and a source of good ideas for the years of greatly improved activity levels before us. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. IPTC 20148 - Solid Management Optimization for Offshore Big-Bore HP/HT Sour Gas Well Cleanup by Ardian Nengkoda, Saudi Aramco, et al. SPE 199052 - One of the Deepest Wells Drilled in Bolivia: High Pressure and Temperature in More Than 9 Months of Drilling, No Casing Wear Detected by Russell Mertens, WWT International, et al. SPE 202250 - Next-Generation Ceramic Sand Screens as Openhole Completion Solution in High-Rate Erosive and Corrosive Well Environment at Dvalin HP/HT Field, Offshore Norway by Robert Ritschel, Wintershall DEA, et al.

Thermochemical Fluid Used in Field Application of Sandstone Stimulation

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 207702, “Novel Sandstone Stimulation Using Thermochemical Fluid: Successful Field Application,” by Amjed Mohammed Hassan, SPE, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; Ayman Raja Al-Nakhli, SPE, Saudi Aramco; and Mohamed Ahmed Mahmoud, SPE, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Sandstone acidizing is implemented to remove damage from the near-wellbore region. Different techniques are used to remove the formation damage and improve reservoir productivity. This paper presents a novel sandstone stimulation technique using thermochemical fluids. The used chemicals are not reactive at surface conditions and react only at the downhole conditions. The reservoir temperature or pH controller can be used to activate the chemical reaction. A successful field application of the proposed method is reported in the complete paper. Background The literature indicates that strong acids [such as hydrofluoric acid (HF)] can create concerns not only from the reservoir-formation but also from the environmental point of view. HF can lead to severe corrosion downhole and for the surface facility. However, developing a new technique of generating acids inside the reservoir can minimize the negative effects of acid injection significantly. Several approaches can be used for generating acids within the formation of interest, such as capsulation or in-situ acid generation. Different chemicals can be injected to react at downhole conditions to produce acids such as HF. The reservoir temperature or triggering agent can be used to activate the chemical reaction. In this study, the acid foam will be generated in situ in the reservoir formation for the purpose of sandstone stimulation using thermochemical fluids. Different techniques were used to assess the efficiency of the proposed technique. A compatibility study, coreflooding, permeability measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were performed. Also, the treatment was applied in the field successfully. The in-situ generation of the foam acid can improve well injectivity, eliminate risks associated with environmental concerns, and mitigate corrosion issues.

An Argument for Cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia

Abstract In this paper, the researcher briefly discusses the attacks that have occurred recently within Saudi Arabia to entities such as Saudi Aramco to the Ministry of Health. These attacks are aggressions against government institutions that can render a sector vulnerable. Observing the ongoing attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine one can see a replication of similar attacks that could occur and spread over the Middle East. As this nation is a politically turbulent region, there is no small number of external threats. To combat these evolving threats, a shift towards cyber readiness must occur. This includes new laws, security-hardened technologies, and education for people living in the kingdom.

The Impact of Cultural Differences on Foreign Cooperation of Chinese Petroleum Companies ——Take Sinopec Zhongyuan Petroleum Engineering Company Saudi Arabia Company and Saudi Aramco as Examples

Under the new situation of the increasing trend of globalization of the world economy and the accelerated development of regional economic integration, the Chinese government has taken into account the overall situation of international and domestic development and put forward the the Belt and Road Initiative, which has an important strategic value in promoting economic cooperation and trade between China and countries along the route and creates a good opportunity for Chinese enterprises. With the accelerating process of economic globalization, cultural conflicts caused by cultural differences are becoming more and more common in the foreign cooperation of China's petroleum companies. To solve these problems, this paper starts from the cultural differences of China's petroleum companies, takes China and Saudi Arabia as examples, studies the cultural characteristics of the two countries, and focuses on the cultures of Zhongyuan Saudi Arabia Company and Saudi Aramco, analyzes the cultural differences between the two petroleum companies, and discovers the reasons affecting foreign cooperation according to the cultural differences, and explores how different national cultures and company cultures should better integrate with each other.

Polyaramide Vesicles Prove Effective for Wellbore Integrity and CO2 Sequestration

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 204385, “Wellbore Integrity and CO2 Sequestration Using Polyaramide Vesicles,” by Elizabeth Q. Contreras, SPE, Saudi Aramco. The paper has not been peer reviewed. The complete paper describes a cementing additive chemically engineered to react with formation fluids that act antagonistically toward cement. Engineered polymer capsules house encapsulants to react with antagonistic gases downhole, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), to form a more benign and beneficial material. Embedded in cement, the polymer capsules with semipermeable shells allow fluids to permeate and react with encapsulants to produce beneficial byproducts, such as calcite and water from CO2. Reactivity between the encapsulant and antagonist gas CO2 is demonstrated using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and other tests from oilfield equipment. Cementing Applications for Polyaramide Vesicles The study presents the third and final technology for polyaramide vesicles, a novel polymeric material for cement enhancement and for multifaceted cement applications. In oil and gas wells, polyaramide vesicles have applications as a cement additive with delivery capabilities. This family of polymers also is chemically inert and stable enough to serve in various applications under extreme downhole conditions during the construction of an oil well. When incorporated into cement, the high thermomechanical stability of these vesicles serves to enhance mechanical properties of Portland cement such as elasticity while maintaining the full strength of the cement. The unique vesicular design of the polymer also serves as a delivery system for relevant cement additives and is applied in the development of right-angle-set cements. Thereafter, the robustness of the shell remains intact after chemical delivery to impart strength and flexibility to set cement for the lifetime of the well. In this study, the vesicles housing reagents are used for the sequestration of antagonistic gases, to neutralize and to produce mineral precipitate for the applicatory repairs of microannuli in the cement sheath, and for self-healing cements. During the construction process, a good cement job serves the purpose of providing a reliable infrastructure during production and for zonal isolation of the casing string from subterranean environments. Zonal isolation by cementing is important to prevent the loss of hydrocarbons during production and to prevent the influx of unwanted formation fluids into the wellbore, such as sweet and sour gases. Maintaining cement-sheath integrity helps keep the production of hydrocarbons cost-efficient and safe. However, numerous factors may cause cement to fail. Oil and gas wells generally go through stress and thermal cycles during production. Changes in downhole conditions, in terms of temperature and pressure, can induce enough destructive stress to affect the integrity of the cement sheath. Any producing oil and gas well can suffer sudden thermomechanical fatigue failure, leading to microannuli and fractures in cement sheaths. Elastomeric materials such as polyaramide vesicles can be added to make cement less brittle and reduce the development of microannuli. However, in the event of gas migration by casing/casing annulus (CCA) events, mitigation requires a solution for complete remediation and recovery of the well.

Engineering introduction on the drainage system of Saudi Aramco booster gas compressor station

Saudi Aramco engineering standard is famous for its strictness. The engineering of three kinds of drainage systems including surface water system, closed drain system and sanitary water system in the booster gas compressor station of Saudi Aramco project are introduced in this paper. The characteristics of all the facilities related to the drainage systems have also been described which can help to familiarize the engineering of Saudi Aramco booster gas compressor station.