Comparison of Water Treatment Plant and Water Source Well: Field Evaluation of Waterflooding Project in Shushufindi-Aguarico Field
Authors: Maulidani Oki , Maldonado Veronica , Gallardo Juan , Zurita Victoria , Giol Cristian , Vega Jorge , Bravo Luciano , Muslera Manuel , Estevez Diego , Pineda Alexander , Chicango Edgar , Ramos Geovanny , Carrion Johanna , Freire Carola , Guaman Juan 
Published: December 2021

Waterflooding project has been implemented in Shushufindi-Aguarico mature field since late 2014. Having a compatible and cost-effective injected water is one of the key elements to ensure the success of this project. In perspective, water treatment plant was constructed in 2014 during pilot stage while water sources wells were completed in 2019 as an alternative source of injected water at the expansion stage of waterflooding project. This paper presents the comparison between both systems used as part of the water injection strategy: the Water Injection Plant (WIP) and Water Producer Wells (WPW).

A complete system of water treatment plant is located in one of the production stations. The process basically starts by collecting water from production wells and workovers then treating it mechanically using a flotation unit and chemically to remove solid as well as oil contents. The water is then injected into injection wells with the help of horizontal pumping system (HPS).

In the system of water source wells, two wells were converted to produce water from Hollin water reservoir utilizing electrical submersible pumps (ESP). The water is directly injected without any treatment into injection wells given the analysis of its fluid properties.

The initial investment for water treatment plant is four times compared to water source well providing equal injection capacity where the operational cost per barrel of injected water is similar. The operational cost for water treatment plant refers to surface facilities maintenance and daily chemical consumption while for water source well it refers to associated cost of ESP reparation and workover operation. The average run-life of the water source wells in Ecuador Oriente basin is 1,200 days.

The biggest challenge of water treatment plant is dealing with solid content whereas for water source well is on how to ensure integrity of the well and the flowline system in the high temperature and CO2 environment. Continuous improvements have been performed to address these challenges such as chemical treatment adjustments, real-time surveillance of injection wells, and modification of flowline system. Water treatment plant not only provides compatible water for injection wells but also supports water handling capacity as it utilizes water from production wells. In the other hand, compatible and clean water from Hollin water reservoir is the main benefit of water source wells.

This paper will outline the pros and cons of water treatment plant and water source well based on field evaluation in Shushufindi-Aguarico field. It outlines the operational experience and lessons learned that can be used as a guide and reference when evaluating water sources for a waterflooding strategy. Economical analysis as well as continuous improvement will also be presented in this paper to deliver an integrated analysis.