Notes
Slide Show
Outline
1
Approaches to Cold Heavy
Oil Production: Workover Practices and Strategies
  • March 15th, 2000
  • Tropical Inn – Lloydminster AB



  • M. Dusseault, K. Hayes, M. Kremer, C. Wallin


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Workshop Goals
  • “Produce the MAXIMUM possible VOLUME at the MINIMUM possible OPEX resulting in the MAXIMUM possible NETBACK
  • Understand the Problem Solving Process
  • Develop the “Best” Workover Strategy
  • How to effectively Implement and Evaluate
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Format and Rules of Engagement
  • Workshop not a Lecture
  • Develop a “screening process”
  • Form a basis for “Decision Tree/Grid”
  • Workshop participants will be acknowledged in Paper
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Workshop Outline
  • Introduction to CHOP
  • The Problem Solving Process
  • Root Causes:  Why does CHOP stop?
  • Possible remedies – Discussion of Workover Methods
  • Choosing and Implementing the “Right” Solution
  • Monitoring and Evaluating
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Introduction to CHOP
  • World Scale: Heavy Oil Future
  • Lloydminster Scale: CHOP Processes
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Problem Solving Process
  • Define The Problem
  • Symptoms
  • Define Potential Root Causes
  • Analyze for the Particular Root Causes
  • Possible Remedies/Solutions
  • Choosing the Best Solution
  • Execution of the Workover
  • Monitor
  • Post Workover Evaluation
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Problem Definition
  • Define problem in terms of $$$
  • Well is SI - not making any $$$
  • Well has lower oil production
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Symptoms
  • No Pressure Test
  • No Inflow/Fluid Level
  • Low Production
  • High Torque
  • Can’t reseat rotor after flush
  • Increased Gas production
  • Increased Water production
  • Low Injectivity (High P/Low V)
  • High Injectivity (Low P/High V)
  • …more
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Root Causes - Mechanical
  • May be root causes but are often symptoms of reservoir type problems
  • Surface
    • Drives/VFDs
    • Prime Movers
    • SCADA alarms/controls
  • Downhole
    • Rod String
    • Tubing String
    • BHP
    • Casing Problems
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Root Causes - Reservoir/Near Wellbore
  • Blockage of sand flow
    • No sand, little oil
  • Excessive sand production
  • Energy Loss in the reservoir
    • Depletion of drive mechanism
    • “disconnection”
  • Water influx
    • Localized
    • Regional
  • Gas influx
    • Phase separation
    • Gas coning/fingering
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Particular Root Causes
  • Well Scale: CHOP Workovers
  • “Why does CHOP stop”?


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Possible Remedies or Solutions
  • “Cookie cutter” approach not good
  • Specific problems require specific solutions
    • Mechanical Fixes
    • “Quick” Fixes
    • Sand Cleanouts
    • Reservoir/Near Wellbore Problems
    • Combined Methods
  • “Staged” approach


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Key - Describing Workover Methods
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Key - Ranking
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Remedies - Mechanical
  • Easy to diagnose and fix – replace or change equipment
  • Charge/Booster Pump
  • Compression Pumps
  • Downhole Gas Separators/Anchors
  • Extended rotors
  • Z-tools, Sliding Sleeves
  • BHP landing Depth
  • Lined tbg
  • Downhole Water separator
  • …others?
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Remedies - “Quick Fix”
  • Fluids are introduced into tubing or annulus to flush sand away from intake or perforations – Be Very Selective in workover fluid!!!
  • Vary casing pressure, RPM or fluid level
  • Flushby
    • “SUPER” Flush
    • CTU and Flushby
  • Loading
    • Continuous Load
  • Swabbing
  • …others??
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Remedies – Sand Cleanouts
  • Often determined by: geometry, reservoir pressure and characteristics, sweet/sour
  • Circulating
  • Perforation wash
  • Bailing
    • Sand Line
    • Sand Pump/Tubing
  • Pump to Surface (PTS)
    • Rig
    • Portable
    • Continuous
  • Stable Foam Cleanouts
    • CTU
  • …others?
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Remedies - Low/No Inflow
  • Often determined by proximity of damage
  • Could spend a whole day discussing each method….
  • Reperforating
  • Abrasi-Jet
  • Proppant/Hydraulic Fracturing
  • Chemical Stimulations
  • Chemical Treatments
  • Pulse Enhancement
  • …others?


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Remedies – Combined Methods
  • A combination of two or more methods producing enhanced results…
  • Foam while perforating
  • Perf wash w/foam, chemicals
  • Pressure Pulse w/chemicals
  • Foam Acid frac
  • Pressure Pulse /CSE
  • …others?
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Remedies - Water Problems
  • Not in the scope of this workshop
  • Dye Testing
  • Wax Squeeze/Placement
  • Polymer Squeeze
  • Cement Squeeze
  • Gas Injection
  • …others?
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Choosing the Best Solution
  • Engineering Assessment
    • Short term “fix” vs long term “solution”
  • Economic Assessment
    • Corporate knowledge base
    • Cost Ranking
    • Adding in Risk
  • External Advice
  • Service Company help
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Execution of the Workover
  • Success Criteria
  • Flexibility
  • Bringing the well back on production


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Monitoring
  • Rates/cuts
  • Sand cuts/volumes
  • Fluid levels/Pressures
  • GORs
  • Surface Equipment/BHP parameters
  • Fluid/debris analysis
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Post Workover Evaluation
  • Technical success – Shorter term
    • Well back on production
  • Economic success – Longer term
    • Payout + Profit
  • Documentation
  • Lookbacks/Followup Reports
  • Learn more from mistakes than successes!!!
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Perhaps next workshop….
  • Disasters, Failures and Mistakes in CHOP :
  •  How We Learned to do Things Better!!!


  • Continuous or long term applications of existing workover techniques


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Acknowledgements
  • The Lloydminster and District Heavy Oil Section of the Petroleum
  • Society would like to thank the following people for their contribution to
  • this workshop:
  • M. Dusseault All workshop participants
  • C. Wallin
  • M. Kremer
  • K. Hayes
  • J. Bootsman
  • C. Gall
  • D. Pavka
  • S. Reid