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SPE 163059

Drilling the First SAGD Wells in the Orinoco Oil-Belt Bare Field:
A Case History
Pedro Guinand, Fernando Ruiz, Ronald Mago, ngel Hernandez, PDVSA; Rosa Ospina, Ramon Soto, Eduardo
Papaterra, Osbadis Mndez, Halliburton

Copyright 2012, Society of Petroleum Engineers


efficiency of the recovery methods. Conventional light oil
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2011 South American Oil and Gas Congress, corresponds to 20 to 30% of the worlds oil reserves. The
organized by the SPE Western Venezuela Section, held in Maracaibo, Venezuela, 1821
October 2011. other percentage corresponds to oil-sand bitumen, extra heavy
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Western Venezuela Section Program
oil and heavy oil, which is why the importance of heavy and
Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). extra heavy oil is escalating today. Canada and Venezuela
Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum
Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not account for 90% of all known heavy-oil reserves, according to
necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members.
Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees
the Alberta Research Council. Venezuela has the largest
of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any deposits.
part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of
Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract Heavy crude is notoriously difficult to recover, transport,
of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The abstract must contain
conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. .
and refine. Only about 10% of heavy oil in place is considered
recoverable with conventional technology. One of the main
Abstract technical challenges is to lower the viscosity of the oil to make
Application of proper technologies in the heavy and extra- it flow more easily.
heavy oil field of the Orinoco Oil Belt of Venezuela has led to Most heavy-oil deposits are in poorly-consolidated sand,
significant improvements in oil production during the last 30 as it is the case of the Orinoco Oil Belt of Venezuela. Many
years. However, the many cold production methods tested in cold production methods have been tested in the area,
the area have achieved a maximum recovery of only 20%. achieving a maximum recovery of 20%. Increasing the
Increasing the recovery factor remains a priority for the oil recovery factor is set as a priority for the Venezuelan oil
industry and has led to the testing of hot production methods, industry, and with this purpose, hot production methods are
such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). being tested.
SAGD uses two parallel horizontal wells, one drilled An alternative thermal-based recovery technique is steam-
above the other, with continuous steam injection to achieve assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Pairs of horizontal wells
recovery efficiencies up to 60% in many heavy and extra- are drilled into the producing zone, one above the other. Steam
heavy oil fields worldwide. Magnetic ranging technologies are injected into the top well heats the formation and reduces the
used to maintain precise separation along the trajectory of the viscosity of oil around the wellbore. Gravity then drives the
two wells, which is critical for the effectiveness of SAGD warm oil toward the producing well below.
technique. If the horizontal wells are too close, the steam will Heating a reservoir with steam can boost the recovery
rapidly migrate to the production well. If there is excessive factor, in some cases to as much as 60%, which is far better
separation, gravity drainage will not occur. than most conventional reservoirs achieve.
A national Venezuelan operator determined that SAGD Wellbore positioning is one of the critical components in
technology is applicable in the San Tome area of the Orinoco the distribution of the steam, which is directly related to the
heavy-oil Belt and proposed to drill a pair of SAGD wells in production of the reservoir. Maintaining precise separation
the U1, 3 MFB-53 reservoirs to evaluate the effectiveness of along the trajectory of the two wells is decisive for the
the technology to recover an additional 2 MMBB. Increasing effectiveness of SAGD technique. If the horizontal wells are
the recovery factor to 38% in the area affected by injection too close, the steam will rapidly migrate to the production
with a rate of 1,500 BNPD and holding it for 3 years will well. If there is excessive separation, gravity drainage will not
determine the success of the technique in the Orinoco Oil Belt. occur.
This publication will describe the characteristics and The national Venezuelan operator has determined that this
production history of the Bare Reservoir, as well as the technique is applicable in the San Tome area of the Orinoco
implementation of SAGD drilling techniques in the Heavy Oil Belt, and it was proposed to drill a pair of SAGD
development of related fields. Specifically addressed will be wells to increase the recovery factor up to 38%.
how the precise pre-planning and execution of the separation
and alignment between the two existing wells was achieved Field and Reservoir Challenges
using active magnetic-ranging technology. Finally, production
results will be presented and explained. General MFB-53 Reservoir Descriptions
The Orinoco Oil Belt is a stratigraphic trap that contains about
Introduction 1.36 trillion barrels of original oil in place and is the worlds
Recovery factor is the key issue when discussing heavy oil. largest known reservoir of crude. 272 billion barrels are
Here, the question is not how much is in the ground, but how estimated to be recoverable reserves based on a 20% recovery
much of it can be recovered. The answer depends on the factor. Geographically, it occupies a territory of 55,314 km2,
which borders the mountain, El Baul, to the west, running
Pedro Guinand, Fernando Ruiz, Ronald Mago, ngel
Hernandez, Rosa Ospina, Ramon Soto, Eduardo
2 Papaterra, Osbadis Mndez SPE-WVS-051

parallel to the present Orinoco River, covering the Monagas, Horizontal Drilling in Bare Field
Anzotegui, and Gurico states of Venezuela. It is divided into The Bare field, located in the heart of Ayacuchos Division in
four main areas: Boyac, Junn, Ayacucho, and Carabobo, Orinocos Oil Belt, with Carina and Arecuna, is one of the
which, in turn, are segmented by blocks. most productive fields by the Extra-heavy Production Unit.
The first SAGD project in the Orinoco Oil Belt is applied Until now, this field contains 888 wells drilled, including 251
on the Bare Field of Ayacucho Blocks, specifically in the verticals, 140 deviated or high angle, 455 horizontals, 20
MFB-53 reservoir, sand U1, 3, which consists of multilaterals, 14 stratigraphics, 2 SAD, 2 SWSAGD, 2 HASD,
unconsolidated sands rich in quartz, with variable amounts of and 2 SAGD. Owing to the extra-heavy oil type present, the
detrital clay. This sand is of excellent reservoir quality with Bare field wells need a major drainage area unlike the
porosities around 30% and permeabilties ranging up to 7,000 conventional wells; for this reason, the operator is trying to
md. The net sand thickness in the reservoir varies between 60 achieve longer horizontal sections that vary from 1,500 ft to
and 100 ft. more than 5,000 ft.
From a structural standpoint, the MFB-53 reservoir is a
monocline with an average dip angle of 3 North, and it is
enshrined into the trap 15. Stratigraphically, the MFB-53
reservoir is located in the formation of Oligocene Merecure,
beneath the surface unconformable on the igneous -
metamorphic, overlying Formation Office Freites and Mesa
Las Piedras.

Fig. 2Bare Field Wells Distributions.

To minimize environmental impact and optimize drilling


time, the horizontal wells are typically drilled from multi-well
pads to intersect the different heavy-oil sands that exist in the
field. The pad dimensions vary according to the number and
type of wells that will be drilled.
The typical directional profile of 2-D horizontal wells
Fig. 1Simulation Grid. Sand U1, 3 (U2, 3) MFB-53 Reservoir. consists of a 17-1/2-in. vertical top hole drilled with a Tri-
Cone bit down to 1,000 ft, where a 13-3/8-in., 54.5-lpf, N-80
The official data reservoir under study are listed below: casing is set to isolate shallow water and permeable zones.
This interval consist of highly-soluble shales with
Thickness (ft) 80 intercalations of sand of small to medium grain sizes, usually
Porosity (%) 28 drilled with a simple 8.6-lpg native mud water, where
Permeability (darcy) 5
sometimes barite is added for weight and caustic soda for
API 10
alkaline control.
Oil Viscosity (cPs) 684
Reservoir Temp. (F) 137
The 12--in. intermediate hole section is then drilled from
OOIP (MMBls) 5,935.5 the surface casing, keeping the verticality to 1,2001,800 ft,
POES (MMBls) 1,127.749 where the hole is kicked off with 3.03.5/100 ft until
Rem Reserves (MMBls) 846.6 reaching 5570 of inclination. A tangent section of 100200
ft for artificial lift-pump placement is then drilled. After
Horizontal Drilling Challenges concluding this straight line, it continues building curve, but
As drilling technology progressed in the world, it has been this time with 5.07.0/100 ft until reaching an angle of +/-
applied in the Orinoco Oil Belt. First well drilled in the area 86, landing the hole just facing the sand body predetermined
was a vertical one named Oficina 1, and then drilling of by the geologic method chosen by the operator as reference
deviated and horizontal wells began. Many multilateral wells control. Generally, the hole is landed at 3,0503,350 ft TVD,
are being drilled, too. In order to improve production and to depending on the target sand. In the 3-D well types, the second
increase the recovery factor some thermal production methods construction section includes an additional turn rate, which
such as Combustin In Situ, SAGD, SWSAGD and others are increases the dogleg severity requested to 6.010.00/100 ft.
being applied in the area. An 8-in. fulcrum steerable assembly with a 1.83 bent-
Actually, the predominant types of wells in Orinocos Oil housing motor and PDC bit is used to achieve the required
Belt are horizontal, with production sections from 1,500 to dogleg severity, sliding 3060% of the total drilled footage.
6,000 ft of length, depending on the operator constraints. This assembly is also equipped with logging-while-drilling
tools, providing the necessary data to correlate lithologies and
Drilling the First SAGD Wells in the Orinoco Oil-Belt Bare
SPE-WVS-051 Field: A Case History 3

allowing for adjusting the planned profile in real time during including the mobilization that depends on several factors,
the drilling process according to the judgment of the geologist which can add 6 days/well.
present on location, assuring landing accuracy and correct well
positioning into the pay zone. The first 500 to 800 ft of this Drilling Operations of First Pair Wells in the Orinoco
section is reactive shale, followed by alternating sands and Oil Belt
shales to TD, where 9-5/8-in., 53.5-lpf, N-80 casing is set,
with ROP oscillating between 30 and 450 fph. Because of the Well Planning of Producer MFB 772 and Injector MFB
high reactivity of the shale presented in this interval, a 9.2 773 Pair Wells (Planning Stage)
10.2-lpg polymeric inhibited water mud system is used. The first phase of the project assessed the several critical
Once the producer sand is reached at +/-85 and the 9-5/8- factors prevailing during the application of any pilot SAGD.
in. casing is set, a 3,0004,500-ft 8--in. lateral production For this, simulation models were conducted, which evaluated
section is drilled. Then angle building continues until reaching important parameters, such as the optimum rate of injection,
+/-90. From this point lateral section is drilled to TD.A 6-- the vertical spacing, and the effective horizontal section. In
in. fulcrum steerable assembly with a 1.50 bent-housing addition, the models determined the appropriate cement grout
motor and PDC bit is used, requiring sliding 1015% of the to prevent mechanical problems in the wells during the
total drilled footage to keep horizontality between 89102 of project. The simulation model of the SAGD process main
inclination, depending on the formation dip angle, although objective was to evaluate the implementation of the SAGD
the difficult geometry associated with the sands small process in the MFB-53 Reservoir Sand U1, 3, analyzing the
thickness that we encountered all through this part of the well behavior of fluid production, recovery factors, and steam-oil
demanded several actions to be performed by the directional ratio.
driller, increasing the percentage of slided footage. It is The study was developed with a 3-D Cartesian mesh
important to control the deviation in this hole, trying at all 34x29x38 ft. It was defined as two parallel horizontal wells,
times to keep it straight, where DLS should be reduced as according to the definition of the SAGD process. A sensitivity
much as possible to facilitate drilling the well to TD and study was performed to identify possible scenarios that might
running the production liner to TD as well. This section is arise in the application of the SAGD process in the reservoir
generally drilled by geosteering using conventional LWD sand MFB-53 U1, 3. Sensitivities were conducted on the
tools, cutting samples obtained from shakers, correlations to steam injection rate, the length of the horizontal section of the
nearby wells, and the judgment of the geologist present on wells, and the vertical spacing between the producer and
location. From time to time, a sidetrack is required to drill a injector. These sensitivities were focused on optimizing the
cleaner and better section after an inaccurate wellbore application of the SAGD process from the point of view of the
placement in the objective sand. Typical ROP for this stage reservoir.
oscillates between 250 and 800 fph. At times, to avoid sand To determine the effect of the steam-injection rate,
exits resulting in sidetracks, a 8--in. slant well is drilled from sensitivities were performed using values of 100, 200, 300,
the surface casing shoe and then abandoned before drilling the 400, and 500 Ton/D. It can be seen that by injecting between
12--in. intermediate hole section, contributing to the sand 100 to 200 ton/d of steam, it was possible to recover as much
continuity. An 8.68.8-lpg calcium-carbonate-densified reserves as compared to the remaining rate.
viscoelastic mud water system is used to minimize formation
damage. Once the well is finished, it is chemically stimulated
with 5% HCL.
In both phases, 12--in. build section and 8--in
horizontal section, the mud system poses an inverse reology
(YP>PV), which is used to increase the transportation capacity
for the formation cuttings and to keep the hole clean. High
drilling rates of penetration in the Orinoco Oil Belt (300800
fph) require low flow rates (450500 gpm), in order to avoid
losing inclination, thus affecting directional work. Here some
common practices are: Back ream two times after each stand
is drilled, pump High-Vis pill every certain interval, perform
short trips to the last casing shoe and reaming the hole when
reaching the desired depth, before running casing or liner.
Once reaching TD, a 7-in., 23-lpf, N-80 slotted liner is run
over a 0.015in. wide slot, which is well defined for the area
and statistically determined to control sand production. This Fig. 3Steam-Rate Simulation.
liner is set in 9-5/8-in. casing with a 9-5/8-in. x7 -in. packer
hanger having an overlap of 200 ft. For closing operations, 4- When the optimal rate of injection was reached, the
-in. EUE or 3--in. EUE free-point tubing is run in the well, optimum horizontal section was determined using sensitivity
and in some cases, PCP can be run with the same drilling rig. lengths from 750 ft to 2,000 ft. It was determined that 1,500 ft
Drilling average times for the Bare field at surface hole is is the optimum horizontal section for the drilling of the wells.
3.4 days, 8.4 days for the intermediate section, and 4.2 days
for the production hole, for a total of 16 days per well, not
Pedro Guinand, Fernando Ruiz, Ronald Mago, ngel
Hernandez, Rosa Ospina, Ramon Soto, Eduardo
4 Papaterra, Osbadis Mndez SPE-WVS-051

the directional driller enough time to correct for TVD and


azimuth while drilling the injector to line the injector up
properly over the producer before the intermediate casing
point. In this manner, the horizontal section begins with
making a good SAGD hole directly over the top of the lower
well and in the direction of the lower well, maximizing the
potential recovery of the SAGD. The execution plan at this
point must be flexible to allow the landing of the build to be
appropriately placed in the direction of the lower well rather
than in the planned direction.
As a last consideration, because the producer accepts the
gravity drainage of the reservoir, it is very important to drill it
as flat as possible to assist in an even flow along the length of
Fig. 4Horizontal Section Optimum Simulation. the well. It was recommended to use the at-bit inclination tool
to assist in the reduction of wellbore tortuosity. Additionally,
Once these were defined, designing the appropriate the use of LWD tools was mandatory to allow the producer to
directional trajectories added a new challenge. The first be placed as close as possible to the bottom of the formation
consideration was the surface location spacing and without endangering the productive life of the well by placing
configuration of the well pair (producer and injector). A it into the bottom shale layer.
minimum of 45 ft was set between both wells to avoid
magnetic interference from the producer well while kicking Drilling Execution of Producer MFB 772 and Injector
off the injector, as well as guaranteeing total access to the MFB 773 Pair Wells (Drilling Stage)
producer well at all times while drilling the injector, because The drilling execution of this pair of wells was done between
one must be able to rig up a wireline mast unit above the February and April 2008. As planned, the first well to be
producer well head so the magnetic reference tool can be drilled was the producer MFB-772. After drilling a 17-1/2-in.
lowered into the well for surveying while drilling the injector vertical top hole down to 1,010 ft and setting the 13-3/8-in.
well. For the configuration issue, it was decided to locate the casing at 1,003 ft, the 12-1/4-in. intermediate hole section was
producer and injector in a perpendicular direction to the drilled to 3,716 MD, with an inclination of 74.56 and azimuth
vertical section of the well pair, reducing the possibility of of 242.30, without problems and according to the standard
collision of the two wells. drilling procedure for this phase in the Bare field. An 8-in.
Because the producer is usually the first well in the well fulcrum steerable assembly with a 1.83 bent-housing motor
pair to be drilled, its placement is extremely important. Once and ABI was used, achieving the required dogleg severity 3.5
the producer is drilled, the injector is drilled following the 5.5/100 ft, sliding 3060% of the total drilled footage. This
producer within the optimized target window specified by the assembly was also equipped with logging-while-drilling tools,
simulations. The target window for the first pair of wells was a providing the data necessary to correlate lithologies and
distance center to center of 3035 ft with an orientation of allowing for adjusting the planned profile in real time during
30L30R. Because of these restrictions, a new proposal should the drilling process, assuring the correct well positioning into
be made for the injector after the producer was drilled, the pay zone. Completing the respective calibration trip, a 9-
keeping the proposed injector line centered within the required 5/8-in. casing was set at 3,652 ft. A Gyro was then run in hole
target window. to minimize the uncertainty associated with the MWD tools
One important concern when drilling the injector was to be and to assure a better reference for the injector well. Once the
careful not to hit the producer well below. To accomplish that, Gyro was run, a 6--in. fulcrum steerable assembly with a
the well planner had to define the well MD before the 1.50 bent-housing motor, ABI sensor, and standard M/LWD
Magnetic Reference Tool was used according to what depth tool was picked up and tripped in hole, to drill 8--in. lateral
the ellipse of uncertainty was needed to prevent a collision production section. At the first attempt, the section was drilled
between the two wells. From this point forward, magnetic to define the borders of the objective sand. Once the sand was
ranging was mandatory to proceed in every survey until the defined, a sidetrack was fulfilled, drilling the definitive 8--
build section of the injector was completed so as not to hit the in. lateral production section of producer well MFB-772, with
producer. In addition, the case where Magnetic interference a length of 2,120 ft, an average inclination of 90.2, DLS
from the producer well was present was considered, hence the 0.88/100 ft and 100% net pay zone. The respective
azimuth in the magnetic MWD survey is considered unreliable calibration trip is then performed, and the 7-in. liner is tripped
and requires the magnetic ranging to be employed for the and set in hole.
remainder of the build section. This was determined and Once the producer well was drilled and cased, all the
communicated to all parties involved to make sure that there is preparatiions for drilling the injector wells were made.
enough measured depth left in the build section to give the With the rig skidded to the slot of injector well MFB-773,
directional driller the space he needs to get back over top of the drilling of the 17-1/2-in. vertical top hole began up to
the lower well and in the correct direction by the end of the 1,021 ft, and the 13-3/8-in. casing was then set at 1,003 ft.
build. Then, an 8-in. fulcrum steerable assembly with a 1.83 bent-
An horizontal tangent section of 140 ft was planned into housing motor, ABI sensor, and Magnetic Ranging Tool
the producer before landing the intermediate casing, providing (MGT) was used to drill the 12-1/4-in. intermediate hole
Drilling the First SAGD Wells in the Orinoco Oil-Belt Bare
SPE-WVS-051 Field: A Case History 5

section up to 3,142 ft, where it was decided to include a set of in the reservoir. Gravity drives the warm oil toward the lower
LWD tools in the BHA as an additional support for producing well. In Venezuela, heavy oil is produced with a
appropriate well placement. After picking up the new BHA, mix of cold and thermal recovery processes. Today, SAGD
the 12-1/4-in intermediate hole section was completed at at drilling technique is being evaluating for its implementation in
3,868 ft, with an inclination of 77.10, azimuth of 240.10, the development of San Tome Area Bare field.
distance center to center of 34.50 ft, and orientation of HS.
The magnetic ranging began at 3,000 ft MD, where the
respective directional corrections were conducted to assure the
fulfillment of the target separation window.
Once the 9-5/8-in. casing was set at 3,780 ft, a Gyro was
run in hole to minimize the uncertainty associated with the
MWD tools and to assure a better reference for future collision
analysis with nearby wells. A 6--in. fulcrum steerable
assembly with a 1.50 bent-housing motor, ABI sensor,
Magnetic Ranging Tool (MGT), and standard M/LWD tool
was then picked up and tripped in hole to drill a 2,000-ft, 8--
in. lateral injection section, with an average inclination of
90.0, DLS 0.87/100 ft, distance center to center of 31.60 ft,
and orientation of 12R. In this stage, the magnetic ranging was
Fig. 8SAGD Drilling Schematic.
used all along the drilled interval.
Maintaining Precise Distance between Wells Along 1,998 ft
of Trajectory
After drilling and completiing producer well MFB 772,
drilling of injector MFB 773 began. The exact relative
position of the injector well with respect to the producer was
determined by the MGT, which includes a downhole
electromagnetic source used in combination with a specially-
designed directional sensor for magnetic-ranging applications.
The data acquired by this tool provided exact coordinates to
the position of the upper horizontal injector well MFB 773
relative to the lower reference producer well MFB 772,
resulting in well pairs that are vertically aligned at 34 ft
(average distance) apart, along 1,998 ft of lateral section into
100% of net sand. The MGT tool solenoid was pumped down
into producer well MFB 772 on the end of an electric wireline.
For each station, two directional MWD surveys were taken,
Fig. 5Sand Percentage at Horizontal Section. while alternating the magnetization on the coil to correct the
effect of the earths magnetic field, casing interference, and
formation magnetic influences. The survey data was then
transmitted to surface, and high-side and right-side distance
values were calculated with high accuracy.
During ranging, clean magnetic surveys are not required,
which allows bringing the measurements closer to the bit. This
short bit-to-sensor distance, combined with the use of an at-bit
inclination sensor improved the ability to steer within the
required tolerance window for the MFB 773 and 772 pair
wells. The at-bit inclination sensor assisted in diminishing the
uncertainty of directional behavior of the bottomhole
assembly, thereby keeping the well bores correctly separated
and maximizing the heavy-oil recovery possibility from MFB
772 well by optimal placement of the wellbore into the
reservoir.
Fig. 6MFB-772 and MFB-773 Wells Section Graphic.

SAGD Technique as a Solution for Bare Field


Several worldwide operators have had success with Steam-
Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD, thermal process). As it is Fig. 9At-Bit Inclination - Halliburton Directional Sensor.
well known, a pair of horizontal wells is drilled into the
producing zone, one above the other. Steam injected into the Transmitting Downhole Data Efficiently at High Rates of
upper well heats the formation and reduces the viscosity of oil Penetration
Pedro Guinand, Fernando Ruiz, Ronald Mago, ngel
Hernandez, Rosa Ospina, Ramon Soto, Eduardo
6 Papaterra, Osbadis Mndez SPE-WVS-051

Common in Orinoco Oil Belt, unconsolidated sands rates of


penetration above 500 ft/hr require an extremely quick data
delivery, which, in turn, needs a telemetry system that could
keep up and minimize rig time for surveying. This problem
was solved with the integration of an electro-magnetic
telemetry system to the MGT technology. The injector well of
SAGD pair was drilled using an electro-magnetic system,
saving significant time while transmitting the magnetic-
ranging data. This data is almost double that of a regular full
survey. The EM telemetry system encodes data into
electromagnetic waves with frequencies in the 2- to 15-Hz
range. The signal is transmitted from the downhole tool
through the drillpipe and earth and is detected at the surface as
a very low-voltage potential between the wellhead and a
remote electrode. Unlike negative and positive pulse systems,
an EM system can transmit data without a continuous fluid
column. This feature allows pump-off telemetry, which Fig. 11Completion Diagram of MFB-772 Well (Productor)
translates into direct time savings. The EM signal transmitted (Injector).
the directional surveys while the drill crew was adding new
pipe, so when the pumps came on, the surveys were already Productor well MFB-772 was completed with mechanical
received and the crew started drilling, saving three to five pump equipment, using a 5--in. x 3--in. x 3-ft x33in.
minutes per connection. insertable pump IRHA-F with a lifting capacity of 3,000 lb of
All of these technologies, together with a high-performing fluid. This was tied to a 2-3/8in. tale tubing pressure and
team of skilled personnel, successfully faced the challenges temperature sensors, as well as optic fiber for monitoring the
encountered while drilling the first pair wells in Orinoco Oil effect of the steam injected along the well horizontal section.
Belt Bare field. In a 3/8in. capillary tube for chemical injection used at the
bottom, there was the possibility of H2S production as a result
of the aquathermolysis effect created by the reaction between
the sulfur present in heavy oil and hot water.

Fig. 10Electromagnetic Waves.

Completion and Production Operations of SAGD


Project in the Orinoco Oil Belt

Completion Operations
February 2009 marked the start of the completion of the pair
of wells for SAGD project. Injector well MFB-773 was Fig. 12Completion Diagram of MFB-773 Well.
completed with 4--in. x 3--in. pre-isolated tubing, which
had shown excellent results in heat-loss reduction in the well SAGD Project Production Results
besides injection valves, which allow for selectively injecting The production phase of the project began in February 2009
(70% of the steam rate at the end of the horizontal section and with the initiation of cold production of the MFB 772 well,
30% in the heel). In such well pressures and temperatures, which showed an average oil production of 300 BOPD. Later,
sensors were installed in the horizontal section and tied to the in September 2010, the second phase of the production stage
pre-isolated tubing for monitoring steam conditions in the began with the injection of 100 tons of steam (80% quality)
reservoir. per day through the MFB 773 well. The oil-production rate
increase in 166%, gaining 500 BOPD by applying SAGD
technology. Todays production is 800 BOPD. Preliminary
calculations indicate that under production conditions, the
Drilling the First SAGD Wells in the Orinoco Oil-Belt Bare
SPE-WVS-051 Field: A Case History 7

recovery factor increases from 14 to 40% in the area where References


steam is injected. SAGD pilot project, wells MFB-772 (producer) / MFB-773
(injector), U1,3 MFB-53 Reservoir, Bare Field. Orinoco Oil
Belt. Venezuela. WHOC11-155 paper presented in the
3000
PRODUCTION BEHAVIOUR MFB-772
200
proceeding for the 2011 World Heavy Oil Congress
Qo (BNPD)
(WHOC11).
NP (MBN)
180
Bejarano, C., Castillo, E., Germain, P., et al. 2010. Challenging
2500
160 Complex Deltaic Reservoirs on the Orinoco Heavy-Oil Belt
140
Aided by New-Generation Azimuthal Deep-Resistivity Tools
2000 and Advanced Real-Time Geosteering Techniques: Successful
120
Case Study from the Eastern Venezuela Basin. Paper SPE

NP (MBN)
QO (BNPD)

1500 100 139134 presented at the SPE Latin American & Caribbean
Petroleum Engineering Conference, Lima, Peru, 13 December.
80

1000
Silva, G. and Romero, T. 2001. Orinoco Oil Belt Well Construction
60 Using "Wells - In - Series" Technology With Horizontal and
40 Multilateral Trajectory. Paper SPE 69710 presented at the SPE
500
International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium,
20
Porlamar, Margarita Island, Venezuela, 1214 March 2001.
0 0 Zimmer, C., Person, J., Richter, D., Tilley, J., and Bittar, M. 2010.
Sep-09 Jan-10 May-10
DATE
Sep-10 Jan-11 May-11 Drilling a Better Pair: New Technologies in SAGD Directional
Fig. 13Production Behavior of MFB-772. Drilling. Paper CSUG/SPE 137137 presented at the Canadian
Unconventional Resources & International Petroleum
Conclusions Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1921 October.
SAGD drilling technique is a suitable technology for
the Orinoco Heavy-Oil Belt Bare Field.
Producer Well MFB-772 was drilled with an
effective combination of LWD-MWD tools and geo-
navigation techniques, reaching a horizontal section
of 2120 ft and 100% of oil net sand.
Oil-production rate can be increased in the area by
applying SAGD technology.
The recovery factor of the Orinoco Oil Belt Bare
Field was improved in 100% by applying SAGD
technology.
The precise placement of steam injector MFB 773
directly over and at a specified distance of 34 ft
above producer well MFB 773 by using MGT Active
Magnetic Ranging Technology was one of the main
drives of the success of this SAGD project.
The successful drilling of the first pair of wells in the
Orinoco Oil Belt opened a priceless way for the
Venezuelan operator to effectively meet its priorities.

Nomenclature
SAGD: Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage
SWSAGD: Single Well SADG
SAD: Steam Alternated Drive
HASP: Horizontal Alternating Steam Drive
M/LWD: Measure/ Logging While Drilling
PCP: Progressive Capacity Pump
MGT: Magnetic Guidance Tool
ABI: At-Bit Inclination
EM telemetry: Electromagnetic Telemetry

Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank all PDVSA and Halliburton
personnel who were involved in the planning and execution of
this successful project, even if they were not directly involved
in the collaboration of this paper.

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