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Redesigned Cyclic Steam Project Boosts Production at South American Heavy Oil Field by 1,000 bbl/d
Client utilizes Solomon’s Performance Excellence Process™ methodology to improve cyclic steam injection process.
A heavy oil field in South America was producing very low volumes despite the use of cyclic steam injection.
A combined team of Solomon experts and the client’s technical experts redesigned the steam injection methodology to optimize production and economic viability.
The client enhanced the production and reservoir recovery efficiency from the 25-well field section and applied this new methodology across the entire field.
STEAM EFFECTIVENESS FOR DECLINING PRODUCTION
A client requested Solomon Associates evaluate the effectiveness of a cyclic steam stimulation pilot project that had been underway at a South American heavy oil field for several years. The field was initially developed without steam, but steam was later applied to boost production. This approach worked initially, but after a few years, production started to decline substantially.
TEAM INTEGRATION: BETTER TOGETHER
The client had worked with two other companies before contacting Solomon. After the solutions created by the other companies failed, the client realized they needed to do things differently. The client determined that Solomon’s Performance Excellence Process™ (PEP™) methodology could provide the out-of-the-box solution needed to reverse the field’s production decline. To accomplish this goal, the client’s team of experts committed to working side-by-side with Solomon’s world-class steam injection experts in subsurface, well design, and surface facilities. Working together allowed for more efficient technology transfer from Solomon to the client and enabled better analysis work to occur.
EVALUATING WITH PURPOSE
The team performed a comparative integrated analysis of a 25-well field section with similar, successful projects to serve as the basis for actionable plans. Surface facilities and operations analysis revealed how best to optimize steam quality, generation, measurement, and distribution. A separate well design and completions analysis identified a design that could drastically improve the placement and distribution of steam in the pay zone and reservoir.
POISED FOR SUCCESS
The analysis found that the client was not performing enough cyclic steam injections to reverse declining production, was not injecting enough steam, and not directing the steam towards the best parts of the reservoir. The integrated team redesigned the cyclic steam injection project to substantially improve vertical and areal sweep efficiencies and created a plan to improve steam injection volume to optimize reservoir response.
Additionally, the client gained knowledge of key subsurface and surface technologies that it shared with its local staff, setting the wheels in motion for improved field management and performance.
With minimum financial investment, the client’s implementation of the recommendations resulted in an approximately 1,000 bbl/d increase in fluid volumes in the 25-well section. The client also expanded use of the improved cyclic steam injection methods across the field to boost output.
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