bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Core Flood Test-Program Performed with a Pilot-Skid to Quantify the Permeability Decline Induced by Real Treated Produced Waters Also Containing Degraded Polymer or Not
Authors: Oughanem Rezki , Gumpenberger Thomas , Boero-Rollo Jean Grégoire , Suleiman Scherwan , Ochi Jalel , Chiotoroiu Maria-Magdalena , Hannes Abdalla 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
A water treatment pilot skid called WaOω has been developed by TotalEnergies to test the efficiency of the centrifugation technology in treating the produced water containing back produced polymer. In case of success, this technology would be implemented on field and the water quality targeted by the technology must allow re-injecting the treated produced water in matrix flow regime for pressure maintain and sweep efficiency. The same interest was expressed by OMV and a partnership project has been built. It was also agreed that OMV builds a second pilot skid called PRT that allows carrying out core flood tests onsite to assess the formation damage and related permeability decline that could be induced by the treated produced water.
Both pilot skids have been implemented, connected to each other, and tested during more than one year on the OMV's Matzen oil field nearby Vienna where degraded polymer is already back produced by wells and present in the produced water.
More than seventy core flooding tests have been performed in different centrifugation conditions in terms of speed and water qualities, some of them on high permeable sand packs representing the field targeted by TotalEnergies and some others on consolidated sandstone samples of lower permeability representing OMV reservoirs. The effect of adding fresh polymer to the treated produced water for EOR purposes has also been investigated. Some complementary core flood tests have also been performed in TotalEnergies labs using reconstituted sand packs and produced waters with and without polymer to understand the contribution of the degraded polymer alone, the produced water quality alone and both to understand the formation damage and some uncommon results observed with the PRT pilot skid.
Core flood tests data often obtained on long injection periods revealed of a high quality, reliable and reproducible. They also showed that even if centrifugation seems to be a good technology, the very clean and transparent water that it delivered induced surprisingly some core permeability declines the origin of which would be discussed in this paper. However, it was clearly established that the presence of degraded polymer has a cleaning effect and limits the formation damage induced by the produced water injected on cores if the Total Suspended Solids in the treated water remains at an acceptable level. Adding fresh polymers limited even more the formation damage because their cleaning effect is more pronounced than with degraded polymer.
Commercialization of Al Reyadah – World's 1st Carbon Capture CCUS Project from Iron & Steel Industry for Enhanced Oil Recovery CO2-EOR
Authors: Sheikh Fathesha 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
As fossil fuels will continue to be a key source of energy for the world, the role of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) has become increasingly important in addressing climate change by limiting emissions and by establishing a pathway to reaching net-zero. In spite of its significance, the deployment of CCUS globally in the past decade has not met expectations. It is largely due to the challenges in commercializing the technology. On the contrary, ADNOC successfully deployed CCUS in 2016 and has been operating Al Reyadah - the world's first CCUS project in Iron & Steel Industry and Middle East's first commercial CCUS project for enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR).
Similar to other industrialized economies, Abu Dhabi has various sources where carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted. It also has an advanced oil & gas industry which requires CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in order to improve production output. ADNOC synergized these two industries to create a business case. The concept of a CO2 network, linking CO2 producer (source) and CO2 user for EOR (sinks) was developed as far back as 2008. Various studies where undertaken and a steel facility was identified as an ideal choice for a 1st project, given availability of CO2 and proximity to the ADNOC oil fields. In 2012, Al Reyadah was formed to develop the facility and pipeline that is operating today. This is the first step in a vision that would see multiple sources within Abu Dhabi that will be connected via a pipeline network to supply the CO2 needs of ADNOC for EOR, sequestering CO2 and reducing the UAEs greenhouse footprint, whilst freeing up vital hydrocarbon gases (used currently in EOR) for use in commercial industry.
From inception, Al Reyadah has been referenced for decarbonization by many global organizations including International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and has won prestigious recognitions from Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) and Emirates Energy Awards (EEA).
This paper discusses the various strategies and commercialization tactics that ADNOC applied to deploy this unique project, which is only among 21 CCS/CCUS projects operating in the world in 2020 and a precursor to thousands of CCS/CCUS projects that are expected to be built globally in the coming years.
Understanding the Impact of Brine Hardness on Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Surfactants Performance: A Data Journey
Authors: Company Roberto , Hocine Sabrina , Pousset Baptiste , Morvan Mikel 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Brine composition is one of the key parameters in the design of a surfactant based oil recovery process and is a condition imposed by the reservoir nature. This brine can contain a large variety of ions including monovalent and divalent cations (hardness), which impacts the surfactants solubility. Moreover, hardness evolution during the injection process can also impair surfactant formulations’ performances. Water treatment processes are useful ways to mitigate such risks, but they imply higher CAPEX for the process. As a consequence, the selection of the right surfactant will have a large impact on the cost and on crude oil production. This paper describes solution properties of the most common surfactants used in surfactant flooding i.e. Alkyl Benzene Sulfonates (ABS) and Internal Olefin Sulfonates (IOS) as a function of the brine hardness and will be compared with Internal Ketone Sulfonates (IKS), a new bio-based surfactant family.
New Insights on the Lower Lekhwair Formation offshore Abu Dhabi: Understanding the Key Role of Lithocodium/bacinella Floatstones on Large Scale Reservoir Quality Variations
Authors: Tendil Anthony J.-B. , Galluccio Laura , Breislin Catherine , Alsabeai Jawaher A. , Lavenu Arthur P. C. , Obara Hidenori 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
The Lower Cretaceous Lekhwair Formation is one of the most prolific oil reservoirs in onshore and offshore UAE, yet the available literature on this interval remains limited. Based on a recent study carried out in collaboration with ADNOC Offshore, the present paper provides new insights into the comprehension of the interplay between primary depositional and secondary diagenetic controls on the reservoir performance, which is of crucial importance for the refinement of the static and dynamic models.
In offshore Abu Dhabi, the Lower Lekhwair Formation is characterised by an alternation of relatively thick argillaceous (dense zones) and clean limestones (reservoir zones). Reservoir zones consist of basal, low to moderate energy inner ramp deposits, grading upward into thick inner and mid-ramp sediments. Lithocodium/Bacinella is the volumetrically dominant skeletal allochem and can form m-thick, stacked floatstone units. Such Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones are interpreted to originate from a mid-ramp depositional setting as a result of an increase in the accommodation space. By contrast, the contribution of Lithocodium/Bacinella floatstones is significantly reduced in inner ramp settings where these tend to form cm- to dm-scale, laterally discontinuous interbeds.
The combination of sedimentological findings with diagenetic data provided an enhanced understanding of the origin and variations of the reservoir quality across the Lower Lekhwair Formation. In more detail, the best reservoir quality occurs within poorly cemented, Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones with grain-supported matrices, which favoured the preservation of a macropore-dominated pore system allowing an effective fluid flow. By contrast, the mud-supported textures with only rare and localised occurrence of mm- to cm-scale Lithocodium/Bacinella clumps, present the poorest reservoir quality due to the isolated nature of the macropores and the relatively tight micrite matrix surrounding them. At the large scale, the Lower Lekhwair shows an upward increase in reservoir quality, consistently with the upward increase in abundance and thickness of the Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones.
The integration of depositional features with diagenetic overprint in the Lower Lekhwair Formation shows the fundamental role played by Lithocodium/Bacinella-rich floatstones with grain-supported matrices on the reservoir quality distribution. The impact of the Lithocodium/Bacinella floatstone matrices on the reservoir performance was never investigated before and hence represents an element of innovation and a powerful tool to predict the distribution of the areas hosting the best reservoir properties.
Capex-Free Production Facilities Optimization Opportunities by Exploiting Installed Automation Infrastructure and Unused Functionalities
Authors: De Sousa Drumond Jose David 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Operational Excellence and Automation Excellence go hand in hand when it comes to enabling process optimization and cost-reduction opportunities in Upstream Oil & Gas Operations.
As part of our Digital Journey in the Upstream Business, multiple streams and workflows have been created to successfully identify and explore the use of new technologies to foster collaboration, achieve higher levels of efficiency, lower operating costs, maximize production and asset integrity, improve decision making, and lower the carbon footprint of all of our exploration and production activities.
While our Digital Journey has been highly successful in identifying, assessing and implementing new technologies and novel solutions, it has also made very clear, during the development of business-cases’, that a rather big number of existing and older facilities were not going to be good cost-effective candidates for the deployment of many of the identified solutions and technologies. As an established and rooted operator with a large number of aging facilities, these presented an additional challenge to dig deeper and look further for solutions to cover all of these remaining assets, no matter how old or small they could be.
Novel Sandstone Stimulation Using Thermochemical Fluid: Successful Field Application
Authors: Hassan Amjed Mohammed , Al-Nakhli Ayman Raja , Mahmoud Mohamed Ahmed 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Sandstone acidizing is implemented to remove the damage from the near-wellbore region. Different techniques are used to remove the formation and 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 this paper.
Different measurements were conducted to assess the performance of the new technique. A compatibility study was conducted at different conditions to evaluate the generation of acid foam. Also, Coreflood experiments were performed by injecting the foam generating solutions into tight sandstone cores. The rock permeability and the pores network were evaluated before and after the chemical injection. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and analyses were performed. Moreover, a field application of the in situ acid foam generation was conducted. The treatment was implemented by injecting the solutions to react at the downhole conditions and improve the well injectivity. The profiles of injection rate, circulation pressure, and total volume were monitored during the field treatment to assess the treatment performance.
Results showed that the used solutions can generate foam in less time and the volume of the generated foam is around 30 folds of the original chemical volumes. The in situ generated foam can penetrate deeper in the reservoir due to the larger foam volume compared to original chemicals, leading to improve treatment efficiency. Also, the new technique increased the rock permeability from 0.6 to 420 mD due to the dissolution and removal of illite minerals as well as the generation of micro-fractures due to the pressure pulses. The field application showed a very successful performance and the well injectivity was increased by 18 times after the treatment.
The proposed technique utilizes thermochemical fluids to generate acid foam at the reservoir conditions. This technique can eliminate all the risks associated with HSE concerns, in addition to the corrosion issues. Also, the proposed treatment showed a successful field application and increased the well injectivity up by 18 folds of the original injectivity.
Mangrove Restoration and Conservation as a Carbon Offset Option: A Case Study in the Niger Delta Region
Authors: Calderucio Duque Estrada Gustavo , Sali Jason , Piras Patrizio , Jallais Norbert , Amaechi Uchechukwu , Bedford-Fubara John , Pedroni Paola Maria 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Despite their limited global distribution, mangroves have gained attention as a potential carbon offset option due to their high carbon storage capacity and diverse social and environmental co-benefits. Carbon stock in mangroves (global average=2,790tCO2eq/ha) is about four times higher than in terrestrial forests and contributes to almost 10% (37GtCO2eq) of global terrestrial carbon pool. Mangrove carbon sequestration averages 6.9tCO2eq/ha/yr but may reach more than 20tCO2eq/ha/yr. Literature suggests that over 812,000ha of mangrove areas, spread over 106 countries/territories, show potential for restoration. Furthermore, globally, mangroves have been lost at a rate of 1-2%/yr, which may account for an annual emission of about 0.09-0.45 GtCO2eq/yr that can be potentially avoided through conservation actions.
Mangroves within the Niger Delta Region (NDR) cover 800,000ha (6% of world extent), and contain an estimated carbon stock of 2.2GtCO2eq. In 2017, Eni's subsidiary Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) launched a voluntary initiative to restore mangroves to promote social and biodiversity benefits while also contributing to offsetting its GHG emissions. A 30-ha pilot restoration area was identified in Okoroma, Bayelsa, where mangroves had failed to naturally recover from oil spills caused by third party interference in 2014. Site assessments were carried out in 2018 and indicated residual soil contamination (hydrocarbons/metals) and low fertility, a typical characteristic of soils in the NDR.
A restoration trial (n=90 seedlings) using nursery-reared seedlings resulted in 100% survivorship and high growth rates, confirming the feasibility of active restoration across the entire site. Although soil contamination was lower than when the spills occurred, we concluded that the combination of residual contamination, low soil fertility and site topography had restricted the natural regeneration process. This in turn risked further soil degradation and ultimately erosion and permanent habitat loss. To prevent this from happening, a long-term restoration program based on the transplantation of fertilized seedlings in partnership with local communities is proposed.
In addition to the benefits to the local communities and the environmental restoration, this project is expected to allow for the sequestration of 2,970tCO2eq in 20 years and avoid the emission of an estimated 60,000tCO2eq from soil carbon, numbers that could be scaled up in the future to a much larger area. The results of this case study further confirm the possibility of using mangroves as a Natural Climate Solution to offset GHG emissions from O&G operations.
Engineered Composite Lost Circulation Solution to Successfully Cure Total Losses During Drilling Across Naturally Fractured Formations in Ghawar Gas Field, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Siddiqi Faizan Ahmed , Caballero Carlos Arturo Banos , Moretti Fabricio , AlMahroos Mohamed , Aswal Uttam , Atriby Kamal 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Lost circulation is one of the major challenges while drilling oil and gas wells across the world. It not only results in nonproductive time and additional costs, but also poses well control risk while drilling and can be detrimental to zonal isolation after the cementing operation. In Ghawar Gas field of Saudi Arabia, lost circulation across some naturally fractured formations is a key risk as it results in immediate drilling problems such as well control, formation pack-off and stuck pipe. In addition, it can lead to poor isolation of hydrocarbon-bearing zones that can result in sustained casing pressure over the life cycle of the well.
A decision flowchart has been developed to combat losses across these natural fractures while drilling, but there is no single solution that has a high success rate in curing the losses and regaining returns. Multiple conventional lost circulation material pills, conventional cement plugs, diesel-oil-bentonite-cement slurries, gravel packs, and reactive pills have been tried on different wells, but the probability of curing the losses is quite low. The success with these methods has been sporadic and shown poor repeatability, so the need of an engineered approach to mitigate losses is imperative. An engineered composite lost-circulation solution was designed and pumped to regain the returns successfully after total losses across two different formations on a gas well in Ghawar field.
Multiple types of lost-circulation material were tried on this well; however, all was lost to the naturally fractured carbonate formation. Therefore, a lost-circulation solution was proposed that included a fiber-based lost-circulation control (FBLC) pill, composed of a viscosifier, optimized solid package and engineered fiber system, followed by a thixotropic cement slurry. The approach was to pump these fluids in a fluid train so the FBLC pill formed a barrier at the face of the formation while the thixotropic cement slurry formed a rapid gel and quickly set after the placement to minimize the risk of losing all the fluids to the formation. Once this solution was executed, it helped to regain fluid returns successfully across one of the naturally fractured zones. Later, total losses were encountered again across a deeper loss zone that were also cured using this novel approach.
The implementation of this lost-circulation system on two occasions in different formations has proven its applicability in different conditions and can be developed into a standard engineered approach for curing losses. It has greatly helped to build confidence with the client, as it contributed towards minimizing non-productive time, mitigated the risk of well control, and assisted in avoiding any remedial cementing operations that may have developed due to poor zonal isolation across certain critical flow zones.
Innovative Reverse Engineering Approach in Design and Construction of New Gas Processing Facility in Brown Field Block Through Optimum Utilization of Excess Materials and Idle Equipment to Improve Capital Stewardship and Inventory Management. Case Study: Field X Associated Gas Recovery Project
Authors: Yudhy Muhammad Riandhy Anindika 
Published: December 2021

Abstract
Successful project management boils down to effectively and efficiently managing resources to meet the project's cost and schedule. The ability to manage project effectively becomes increasingly important to recover capital project expenditures in expiring Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) blocks. The longer the time needed for a project to complete, the higher the project capital and the lower the capital recovery. Referring to look back result of several major capital facility projects, the key challenge in meeting the project cost and schedule is related to procurement of long lead materials and key process equipment. In brown field blocks, there is an opportunity to perform reverse engineering by optimally utilizing the excess materials in the warehouse and idle/unused process equipment to solve the key challenges. As additional benefit, utilization of excess materials and idle process equipment will improve inventory management and capital stewardship, since the cost to relocate and modify the equipment are significantly lower than the cost of buying a new equipment.
Field X Associated Gas Recovery Project (AGRP) provided an excellent case study of successful reverse engineering approach using excess material and idle equipment in design and construction of a new gas processing facility in brown field block. Field X AGRP is designed to recover and process associated gas from X field to be used as fuel gas for the gas turbines at the internal Power Generation Plant. However, based on lesson learned from similar opportunity in the past, the cost of construction and installation of a new gas processing facility using new construction materials and new process equipment is very high, which is uneconomic at the current oil price environment. Therefore, to make the project economic, the project team shall consider the utilization of available excess material in the warehouse and idle/unused equipment into design basis. Project team conducted assessment to several facilities across the concession area to gather equipment specification data of idle process equipment and the size of available excess materials. The gas processing facility design was reverse engineered to optimally utilize the idle process equipment and excess materials.
The utilization of idle equipment and excess material in construction of the gas processing facility has successfully generated cost saving up to 5 times the project cost from avoiding purchase of new equipment and new construction materials. The project successfully recovered associated gas at the rate of 0.5 MMSCFD to be used as fuel to gas turbine and produced 60 BOPD condensate from gas-liquid separation process