bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrocyclone Separation: A Preferred Means of Water Separation and Handling in Oilfield Production
Authors: Stroder S. M. , Wolfenberger E. E. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
Hydrocyclone technology has been successfully applied to standard oilfield production separation in the North Cowden Deep Field of West Texas. A hydrocyclone was successfully tested as the primary means of water separation for a high water cut electric submersible pump (ESP) well, thereby eliminating the need for expanding the conventional water separation and handling facilities at the recipient battery. This hydrocyclone system was environmentally and economically preferred over conventional systems. A permanent unit has since been installed. With its feasibility proven, the hydrocyclone has countless applications to standard oilfield production separation; its proper use will substantially reduce capital investment for facilities and lower operating expenses for many oilfield leases.
Visualization of Flow Into a Vertical Fracture
Authors: Clark P. E. , Courington T. J. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Particle transport in vertical fractures has always been assumed to be controlled by particle settling. Recently, comments have appeared in the literature that suggest that segregation by convection may be more important in a class of fractures where the perforation height is small relative to the fracture height Unfortunately, this proposition has not been substantiated with experimental data or other observations.
In order to test the concept two small slot flow models have been constructed that allow the visualization of flow from a point source into a fracture. To be classified as a point source the height of the fracture must be large relative to the height of the perforations. The models can be used over a wide range of entrance and fracture shear rates. One of the models represents a parallel-sided, uniform fracture while the other contains a non-uniformity below the fluid entrance. Little is known about the effect of non-uniformities on fracture flow especially with non-Newtonian fluids.
Advanced Design and Quality Control Techniques for Acidizing Oil and Gas Wells
Authors: Johnson D. E. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
Past production results after acidizing treatments on oil and gas wells have been unsatisfactory in many areas due to the use of conventional acid mixtures along with inadequate lab testing and design procedures. This paper presents a means of acid-oil emulsion and sludge testing analogous to downhole conditions which appears to be a key element to effective acidizing designs. This study produces improved techniques for testing, design, quality control, and evaluation of such treatments. Production results authenticate the success of these advanced quality control and design measures.
Patents Aid Research Utilization
Authors: Hawley Paul F. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Inventions are an important product of research. They are not automatically used, even when improvement has been demonstrated.
In petroleum exploration and production, many operations such as well logging, drilling, well completion, etc., are not ordinarily carried out by the oil companies. Inventions in such lines usually must be licensed to service companies. Frequently such licenses accelerate commercialization much beyond in company development.
Service companies find their own inventions can be applied more readily with patent protection than without.
Ordinarily an independent researcher can only profit from a new idea by selling or licensing his patent.

Discussion
Most research workers do not deliberately try to invent. They try to find a reasonable answer to a problem. The new method, or apparatus, or composition, which is a suitable answer to his problem may already be publicly available. However, frequently no one has thought of it before. Such a solution is patentable. To the research worker this may be of only academic interest, unless he works for himself. If (as the usual case in the petroleum industry) he is an employee, the fact that it is capable of being patented may be of great practical importance.
Research results just do not get automatically used. The situations in which the world is waiting to beat a path through the woods to the home of the better mouse trap maker are extremely few and far between. Often the attempts of the innovator to get his new idea in use are met with indifference; frequently with active opposition. Anyone who holds a job is usually proud of his work. He owes his position to the fact that he does it competently, why should he risk his reputation to try some new-fangled idea? It is frequently observed, and I think truly, that most of us resist change. Change represents insecurity. Let somebody else try the new idea. At this point, the innovator finds himself, or his supervisor, in the role of salesman. Now innovators are not necessarily gifted with diplomacy nor the instinctive ability to share the other man's thoughts which characterizes a good salesman. Accordingly, it may be very hard to get cooperation. If the innovator in despair attempts to get the general management to ramrod the new idea, he frequently finds he has merely set up additional hurdles. It is in this situation where the patentable nature of his new idea may be of much greater importance than he visualizes.
Obviously the mere existence of a patent opens no doors. However, the existence of the patent does offer an advantage, since it automatically offers the opportunity of enabling companies or individuals during its life to make a profit where they otherwise could not. This, of course, immediately enhances the interest of some people in the results of this research.
Let us narrow consideration for a minute to the research worker in the laboratory of an oil company who comes up with a new and patentable improvement.
Exploration and Production Wastes and Class II Injection Wells: Current Regulatory Developments
Authors: Worrell D. G. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Regulation of oil and gas exploration and production wastes and of Class II injection wells (those that inject produced brines and drilling fluids) could become more rigorous in the next several years. First, many of the wastes associated with oil and gas activities, including those disposed in Class II wells, may come under increased regulatory control. Presently, most oil and gas wastes are "exempted" from the severe requirements of the hazardous waste regulatory program. Other wastes from exploration and production activities, however, are not exempted and may potentially be subject to hazardous waste regulation. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently "clarified" the scope of this exemption with respect to wastes associated with crude oil reclaimers, service companies, and gas plants and feeder pipelines. Moreover, Congress has been debating the reauthorization of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (the federal hazardous waste management statute), and one of the key issues is whether oil and gas wastes should be subjected to further regulatory control. In addition, the Railroad Commission of Texas has draft proposed rules on regulation of hazardous oil and gas wastes, which will impose additional regulatory standards and controls over such wastes. Second, EPA has been considering changes to the Class II injection well program. An Advisory Committee was assembled and was composed of representatives of major and independent oil companies, environmental interests, and state and federal regulators. The EPA has evaluated the Committee's recommendations and has drafted a proposal for additional Class II regulations. The draft proposal includes tough new construction requirements for newly drilled or converted Class II wells; added monitoring and testing requirements; and additional area of review requirements that would apply to both new and existing wells. The EPA may formally propose these rules in the Spring of 1994, and they could be finalized by Summer 1995.
The OSHA File System: The Basis for Maintaining OSHA Compliance in Oil and Gas Production Operations
Authors: Clark D. E. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
Adapting and implementing OSHA requirements in oil and gas production operatioris is an on-going challenge. To address this, Exxon's Southwestern Division developed and implemented an OSHA File System in all division field offices. The file system includes required written programs and records, inspection and compliance procedures, health surveys, and training records. It details inspection and training frequencies and provides a mechanism for the field to schedule and document the periodic activities mandated by OSHA regulations. The intent of the file system is to promote employee awareness of OSHA requirements so that they will be able to recognize and correct deficiencies as part of their routine activities. All of this will promote overall OSHA compliance in the field.
Automatic History Matching for an Integrated Reservoir Description and Improving Oil Recovery
Authors: Sultan A. J. , Ouenes Ahmed , Weiss W. W. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
Infill drilling is a common approach to improve oil recovery in the Permian Basin. The economical success of such projects depends on the guessed reservoir characterization. In this paper, the impact of infill drilling locations on oil recovery is discussed. The major characteristic of this study compared to previous work is the reservoir description used to select the infill locations. The reservoir was totally characterized by using an automatic history matching algorithm that solves an inverse problem using the simulated annealing method (SAM). The major advantages of this approach are: 1) it can estimate a large number of reservoir parameters and 2) it is able to integrate various disciplines, such as geology, petrophysics, and reservoir engineering. The parameters estimated from a recent study for the pilot area of the East Vacuum Grayburg San Andres Unit (EVGSAU) were discussed for designing infill and waterflood projects.
The oil saturation map obtained at the end of waterflood period helped in locating interwell areas with a high saturation of mobile, unswept oil as potential infill drilling locations. By combining the oil saturation map with other parameters estimated by the inverse model, isolated infill locations were suggested in the pilot area. The incremental oil recovery of various schemes of infill and waterflood are compared. It appears that infill drilling locations selected with scientific criteria do improve the oil recovery of a very heterogeneous reservoir.
Critical Scales, Upscaling, and Modeling of Shallow-Water Carbonate Reservoirs
Authors: Wang F. P. , Lucia F. J. , Kerans Charles 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
High-frequency cycles and rock-fabric units are the two important scales for modeling shallow-water carbonate reservoirs. A reservoir model of the Seminole San Andres Unit (SSAU) was constructed that incorporated the high-frequency sedimentary cycles that compose the geologic framework and identified the rock fabric types of the principal flow units. Three rock-fabric units are used: dolograinstone, grain-dominated dolopackstone and medium crystalline mud-dominated dolostones, and fine crystalline mud-dominated dolostones. Rock properties such as capillary pressure and relative permeability are grouped according to rock fabric. Sensitivity studies and history matching in a two-section area of the SSAU suggest that rock-fabric-averaged models provide fluid saturation distribution more accurately than do cycle-averaged models.
The use of rock-fabric-dependent properties (initial water saturation, residual oil saturation, and relative permeability) in simulation predicts lower waterflood recovery. For carbonates with separate-vug porosity, waterflood recovery decreases and residual oil saturation increases with increasing vuggy porosity ratio (VPR). Residual oil saturation determined by the steady-state method is significantly lower than that determined by the unsteady-state method.
Upscaling permeability values into simulation block sizes was investigated using outcrop and core data. Using detailed minipermeameter data from outcrop it can be shown that the variogram range increases and the sill decreases with increasing horizontal block size. Effective vertical permeability of the simulation block is normally estimated using the ratio of harmonic mean to arithmetic mean of permeability. An analytical equation shows that this ratio is a function of variance rather than thickness.
History matching of primary production in a two-section area of the SSAU is dominated by vertical permeability, which controls the fractions of gas flowing vertically. In order to match production history, the vertical permeabilities used in the simulation are much lower than those measured from cores.
Evaluation of Gas Well Fracture Stimulations Using New Production Profiling Method
Authors: Magalski M. J. , Carlson N. R. 
Published: December 2007

SUMMARY
One common method of diverting a fracture treatment is the limited entry technique. A possible drawback of this technique, however, is the lack of diversion due to erosion of perforations by proppant, ineffective perforations, or plugging of perforations during the treatment. After using this technique for over a decade, production response on newly recompleted and fracture stimulated wells raised the issue of possible inadequate treatments. To fully evaluate the effectiveness of these treatments, a new fluid profiling method was utilized to accurately determine the contribution of multiple sand stringers before and after treatment. This profiling method confirmed the limited entry technique as a viable option for successful fracture stimulations.
Characterization of Flow Units in Sandstone Reservoirs: La Cira Field, Colombia, South America
Authors: Canas J. A. , Malik Z. A. , Wu C. H. 
Published: December 2007

ABSTRACT
This paper presents a new and practical methodology to identify the flow units in a mappable geological formation. This approach uses Interwell Flow Capacity Index (IFCI) to describe the flow unit. IFCI is defined as the ratio of actual flow rates (production or injection) in any two wells in a producing unit, with the higher fluid flow rate of the two wells in the denominator. The presented approach uses core, log and production-injection data to describe the variations in reservoir connectivity. The flow units are identified and described by the use of IFCI1. A flow unit is identified by the similarities between IFCI's calculated by using petrophysical and production-injection data. A Colombian (South America) sandstone, La Cira Field "C1C unit", is used to illustrate the application of IFCI to identify and describe flow units.
The Potential for Additional Carbon Dioxide Flooding Projects in the Permian Basin
Authors: Lang K. R. , Biglarbigi Khosrow 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
A significant amount of incremental recovery from new CO2 miscible injection projects in the Permian Basin could be realized at oil prices between $16 and $20 per Bbl. In this analysis, major Permian Basin reservoirs were screened for their technical viability as CO2 injection candidates. Those reservoirs passing the screen were modeled using a combination of CO2 process recovery and economic models to predict incremental oil recovery and CO2 requirements under various economic scenarios. The results show that the recent resurgence of new CO2 injection projects could be sustained as long as oil prices do not remain below $16/Bbl. With the transfer in ownership of many mature Permian Basin properties which are rapidly approaching their economic limits, both majors and independents are facing the prospect of either investing in CO2 injection or abandoning the 10 to 15% of original-oil-in-place that may be recoverable by this process. A combination of low CO2 prices, government tax incentives, and innovative engineering could maintain production of this incremental oil into the next century.
Foam Processes: An Assessment of Their Potential in North Sea Reservoirs Based on a Critical Evaluation of Current Field Experience
Authors: Hanssen J.E. , Holt Torleif , Surguchev L.M. 
Published: December 2007

SPE Members

Abstract
This paper reviews the field experience with the use of foam for improved recovery from oil reservoirs and attempts to transfer this experience to foam processes as they might be applied in North Sea reservoirs. The review of published field trials, mainly from North America, is augmented by a simulation study on a generic North Sea reservoir, covering the foam process options of greatest relevance and their sensitivity to selected reservoir, foam, and process parameters. 30 field projects have been critically evaluated with the main objective of assessing the potential of foam in a North Sea environment. For this purpose, foam processes are categorized by the desired mechanisms of action of foam: in-depth mobility control, diversion, or GOR control in production wells. A set of target foam properties (an "ideal foam") is defined for each category. Despite the differences in conditions, the field trials allow extracting significant information relevant for the comparison. It is concluded that foam has significant potential in North Sea reservoirs. The degree of recovery improvement varies between the process options and with the degree of vertical communication between reservoir layers or units. Of the foam parameters considered, the sensitivity to mobility reduction factors is the strongest with high MRF being most favorable.

Introduction
The high mobility of gas in a reservoir may cause a number of flow problems, summarized in Figure 1. A foam confined inside the pore network has many properties that are desirable for controlling gas flow. The dispersed microstructure of pore-bridging liquid films separating individual gas bubbles gives foam its unique ability to selectively reduce gas mobility. Foam has the potential of alleviating all the problems illustrated in Figure 1. Foam has been used or considered for increasing the sweep efficiency of injected gas (vertical and aerial), for blocking and diverting injected gas from entering high-permeable zones or fractures, and in treating production wells suffering from unacceptably high gas/oil ratio (GOR) levels.
Several foam pilot tests are presently being considered for North Sea oil reservoirs. Foam is a priority topic in the on-going Norwegian IOR research program RUTH, and is studied in a dedicated subprogram. A recent RUTH-Foam report which is part of the basis for the present paper discusses potential uses of foam in the North Sea, based on a critical review of the existing field experience, mostly from open sources. A difference from other, more comprehensive (data bases such as that maintained by the U.S. DOE, is that our work contains judgements by the operators and authors in addition to "hard" data.

Foam process concepts
Three gaseous fluids are involved in foam processes; steam, CO2, various hydrocarbon gases (HC) and N2.
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A Systems Approach to Enhanced Oil Recovery Planning in Malaysia
Authors: Egbogah E. O. , Hovdestad W. R. , Daud M. E. , Raja D. A. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
It is estimated that more than fifteen billion barrels of oil will remain in Malaysian offshore reservoirs at the end of primary and secondary recovery. This considerable resource base is the target of planned EOR projects. Although contractor specific field evaluations have been carried out, no previous study has addressed the potential EOR contribution to the Malaysian reserves mix on a broad national scale attempted herein. This paper therefore examines the potential Malaysian reserves additions through the application of suitable EOR technologies. In doing so, the paper proposes a comprehensive approach to reservoir screening and selection of technically feasible and economically viable reservoir-specific EOR processes for Malaysian fields.
Results of a screening study indicate that carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon miscible gas displacement processes are the most attractive EOR technology for large scale application in Malaysian reservoirs. Data on resource evaluation, allocation and utilization of natural gases in Malaysia, have been reviewed as to the availability of injectant supplies. These data indicate that significant carbon dioxide supplies in gas fields offshore Peninsular Malaysia and surplus natural gas supplies in Sarawak and Sabah states, provide the injectant needed for commercial miscible displacement operations. Carbon dioxide injectant is preferred for Peninsular Malaysia as it is in close promixity to potential user fields, while natural gas is reserved for onshore industrial and other commercial uses.
Given certain assumptions regarding development timing and industry cooperation, it is found feasible that incremental oil reserves additions of up to three billion barrels could be achieved within fifteen years through the application of proven gas injection technology. The effects of improved reservoir management, for example, better residual oil saturation determination, improved reservoir characterization and more accurate reservoir simulation, have not been factored into this total. However, the realization of these EOR reserves will be predicated upon a broad spectrum of economic, technological and policy constraints, which will require the concerted efforts of both industry and national energy policy makers. This paper also presents details of the constraints which must be removed in order to maximize the benefits of the EOR technologies and associated reserves for Malaysia.
In-Depth Drive Fluid Diversion Using an Evolution of Colloidal Dispersion Gels and New Bulk Gels: An Operational Case History of North Rainbow Ranch Unit
Authors: Fielding R. C. , Gibbons D. H. , Legrand F. P. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract
The North Rainbow Ranch Unit (NRRU) is located in Campbell County, Wyoming, and produces from the Minnelusa "A" Sand. In the absence of a strong water drive, primary production from the Minnelusa is generally less than 20% of the original oil in place (OOIP). Waterflooding the Minnelusa is an accepted procedure; however, sweep efficiencies can be poor due to high permeability variation. This variation can cause rapid water breakthrough, high producing water-oil ratios (WOR's), and low injection pressures.
Polymer augmented waterflooding is utilized to improve reservoir conformance and can increase recoveries to over 45% of OOIP. Two different types of polymer-augmented systems have been used successfully on injection wells at NRRU. The first system was a long-term, in-depth colloidal dispersion gel (CDG). This process used cationic polyacrylamide and anionic polyacrylamide crosslinked with aluminum citrate. Fresh water was required for mixing. Incremental oil recovery from this process totaled 300,000 stock tank barrels of oil (STBO). The second system was a short-term bulk gel (BG) consisting of a new anionic polyacrylamide and chromium acetate combination. Produced water was used to mix the BG. Incremental oil recovery from this process is estimated at 155,000 STBO.
This paper summarizes the design and performance of both systems and discusses operational issues encountered with the polymer augmented applications at NRRU.