bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nano-Surfactant Packages for Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery in Hydraulic Fracturing-Impact on the Nano-Sizers on the Performance of Conventional Surfactants
Authors: Kakadjian Sarkis , Flowers Amanda , Kitchen Jarrett , Gebrekirstos Amanuel , Boyd Kristopher , Algadi Otman 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Surfactant packages have been known to enhance the post-treatment clean-up of stimulation treatments from hydraulic fracturing. When used this way, the surfactant packages are known as flowback aids. These additives reduce the completion fluid loss from the fracture surface to the formation by assisting the return of trapped fluids in the wellbore and reservoir to the surface. Nano-surfactant packages have also been reported to create somewhat their equivalent mechanism of performance and benefit to the application. The current work shows the development of flowback recovery aids based on Nano-Surfactant packages from currently used surfactant technology and their actual impact in the Permian when compared both technologies within the same formation.
Nano-Surfactants have been formulated with current surfactant packages by the introduction of nano-sizers. The performance of the different formulations have been evaluated by different methodologies including monitoring the changes on the size of the micelles by light scattering. Those formulations that once diluted in brackish and/or produced water showed size of the micelles below 100 nanometers (nm), were then rated by interfacial tension with crude oils from Wolfcamp formations. Over 25 formulations were evaluated and those that passed the size screening and after showed the lowest interfacial tensions were then analyzed using the column load recovery and oil recovery by spontaneous imbibition tests.
The results of the study showed that for those selected conventional surfactants reformulated with the nano-sizer to generate the equivalent Nano-Surfactant versions, not only managed to drop the size of the micelles well below the 100 nm mark but also reduced the interfacial tension down to 10−4 mN/m to enable faster load recovery by up to 84% and the oil recovery by up to 227% per spontaneous imbibition in the amott cells - all tested with Wolfcamp Cuttings and Outcrop samples and crude oils from the Wolfcamp-A and B. As additional observation, the selected Nano-Surfactants showed general trends to lower emulsification of crude oil in the lab as well as in the field which is not always guaranteed with their conventional surfactant versions.
The chemical solutions implemented in the Permian using the formulated Nano-Surfactant versions, managed to increase the barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) in average perforated feet from 26 bbl/ft with the conventional surfactants to 34 bbl/ft with the Nano versions in the Upper Wolfcamp for the first 12 months of production with a marginal cost increase.
Performance of Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) in Horizontal Injection Wells with Injection Induced Fractures
Authors: Hu Jinchuan , Ou Yuhao , Zheng Shuang , Sharma Mukul , Clemens Torsten , Chiotoroiu Maria M. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Inflow Control Devices (ICDs) have been extensively used in injection wells to control the injection profile. The design of ICDs is usually based on the permeability and thickness of each injection zone. The primary objectives of this paper are to (a) study the influence of ICDs on the initiation and propagation of injection induced fractures (IIFs), (b) to demonstrate the importance of injection induced fractures on the design and placement of ICDs in horizontal injectors.
A fully coupled reservoir-fracture-wellbore simulator is applied to study the performance of injectors with ICDs. The simulator implicitly couples the performance of the ICDs with multi-phase flow in the reservoir, solid mechanics, thermal effects and allows for fracture propagation and particle plugging. The stress field in the reservoir accounts for thermo-poro-elastic effects during cold water injection. Fracture initiation and propagation induced by both internal and external filtration and thermal effects are simulated. The ICD pressure drop is implicitly solved in the fully coupled non-linear system of equations using a Newton-Raphson method. This allows us to predict fracture initiation and growth in different sections of the well over time. The impact of ICD placement and characteristics can be clearly evaluated by the model. It is shown that the growth of injection induced fractures plays a dominant role in the performance of the ICDs and controls the injection flow profile.
The flow distribution without ICDs can vary significantly with time due to injection induced fracture growth. Injector performance is evaluated for different ICD arrangements. The ICDs are shown to effectively control the flow distribution along the wellbore for better conformance control. If properly designed, ICDs can help to minimize the impact of potential "thief" fractured zones. While ICDs reduce injectivity by creating an additional pressure drop, the flow is much more evenly distributed, and this can help to slow down the injectivity decline, improve reservoir sweep and oil recovery. The results show that, in most cases, more ICDs and specific ICD arrangements can improve the injection profile to increase the recovery and decrease the risk of out zone fracture growth.
This paper presents a method to study the influence of ICDs and injection induced fractures on water injector performance using a fully coupled reservoir-fracture-wellbore model. The model, for the first time, presents results showing the dynamics of growth of multiple fractures in segments of the injector wellbore separated by ICDs and the impact they have on the flow distribution in the well. These results form the basis for the design and placement of ICDs in horizontal injectors.
Fiber Assisted Enhanced CO2 Foam Fracturing and Proppant Placement
Authors: Khan Abdul Muqtadir , BinZiad Abdullah , Alshammari Fahad O. , Glaznev Ivan 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Low-pH fracturing fluid systems face a challenge to maintain rheological stability at elevated temperatures beyond 300°F. The objective is to have a reliable fluid system with high foam quality and viscosity demonstrating required proppant transport and retained permeability at the end of the treatment. To best balance the tradeoff, a solution that has been utilized for many treatments is to viscosify a novel biopolymer-based slurry gel fluid system with CO2. There are associated challenges with this strategy, though, in generating sufficient fracture width to place higher proppant concentrations. In this paper, we summarize a case study where enhancement of foam stability utilizing degradable fiber showed some improvement in proppant placement performance.
Degradable polymer fiber with novel polymer rearrangement was utilized to enhance the performance stability and used with the base fluid. Foam half-life was measured by varying fiber concentrations from 0 to 32 lbm/1000 galUS. Static and dynamic proppant transport was also studied by varying fiber concentrations from 0 to 22 lbm/1000 galUS. Proppant utilized for this testing was high-strength ceramic proppant. After the laboratory phase, fracturing treatment was implemented in two wells with CO2-assisted foam fracturing with (Well-B) and without the fibers (Well-A) to analyze the impact on proppant placement.
Three different fiber products made of different synthetic polymers were utilized in the initial phase to compare for proppant settling, and the high-temperature (HT) version was selected based on superior proppant suspension at high temperatures. For the next evaluation phase, the addition of HT fibers increased the foam half-life from 100 minutes to 200 minutes for 0 and 32 lbm/1000 galUS loadings, respectively. Similarly, the proppant settling time was increased from 59 minutes to 152 minutes for 0 and 15 lbm/1000 galUS loadings, respectively. Slot tests were conducted in a 3-mm slot to evaluate proppant transport in dynamic conditions and showed no sand banking effect with fibers. Tests were conducted with 0, 8, and 22 lbm/1000 galUS of fibers and show a clear impact of the fiber addition. During the field implementation, the HT fiber addition of 20 lbm/1000 galUS demonstrated 15% lower friction analyzed from treating pressure trends at the end of treatment. Also, no indications of near-wellbore bridging, or entry issues were observed in Well-B, similar to Well-A where CO2 foam was pumped without fibers.
The implementation of this approach can be impactful for CO2 foam treatments and can also be easily extended to liquid CO2 or supercritical CO2 fracturing, which provides the worst case environment for friction and proppant transport.
Significant Reduction of the Viscosity of Waxy Oils by Electrical Treatment
Authors: Wang Hao , Lu Yingda 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Wax crystallization at low temperatures sharply increases the viscosity of waxy oils, posing difficulties to their pipeline transportation. Conventional methods of lowering the viscosity of waxy oils include adding chemicals or externally heating the pipeline, both of which are energy costly and carbon intensive. In light of the need for low-carbon and sustainable energy production, we present an environmentally benign concept that lowers the viscosity of waxy oils by electric fields generated from renewable sources.
The viscosity of model waxy oils (mineral oil + decane + paraffin wax) before and after electrical treatment was characterized by a rheometer equipped with an Electro-Rheology accessory. We monitored the oil's viscosity changes in three consecutive 10-minute stages: before, during, and after the application of DC electrical fields ranging from 0 to 3.5 kV/mm. The results show that the viscosity of waxy oils can be significantly reduced upon the application of electric fields and the highest viscosity reduction achieved is 82%. The magnitude of viscosity reduction strongly depends on the treatment temperature and the strength of the applied electric fields. Notably, the model oil systems used in this work contain no asphaltenes and resins, which challenges the widely agreed theories in the literature that the presence of charged colloidal particles like asphaltene and resin in waxy crude oils are the prerequisites for electrical treatment of waxy oils to be effective. The observed viscosity reduction is speculated to be caused by a combination of electrophoresis, Quincke rotation, and electrohydrodynamics. Overall, this technology of electrical treatment presents new opportunities to remediate wax-related flow assurance issues in a low-carbon and more sustainable manner.
Preventive Maintenance Schedule Automation in Oil and Gas Facilities Using Constraint Programming
Authors: Chandola Gaurav , Singh Sanchit , Kundu Manas , Jaysval Kishankumar , Onwusoh Mark U , Ukanah Joseph A 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This paper presents details of an optimization tool which is developed to automate the week-wise preventive maintenance (PM) scheduling of equipment on oil and gas facilities for a 5-year scheduling horizon. The tool has been developed employing constraint programming (CP) paradigm and employs IBM ILOG CP Optimizer as the optimization engine. The tool takes the schedule auto generated by the computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) as an input and efficiently load-levels the weekly-loads distribution by rescheduling maintenance activities from their scheduled dates while ensuring relevant business constraints are satisfied. The performance of the tool has been tested on certain maintenance service centers and the obtained results are in good agreement with the business requirements. The run time of the tool for generating the load-leveled schedule on the test cases is of the order of ∼10 mins per work-center. This tool results in considerable time savings resulting from the automation of the load leveling procedure. Additionally, the tool enables quick identification of problems with the input schedule which would lead to infeasibility and is easily adaptable across multiple facilities, thanks to the rich library of scheduling constraints in CP optimizer, helping test different planning scenarios.
Failure Analyses of Gas Lift Valves that Caused Improper Tubing-Annular Communication in Subsea Wells
Authors: Bastos S. X. , Oliveira G. H. , Sanomya T. , Ribeiro G. S. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This work presents the results of several failure analyses of gas lift valves retrieved from Petrobras subsea wells. These valves were unable to prevent the backflow from tubing to annulus, so compromising the well integrity. The purpose of these analyses was to unveil the root causes of the failure, which is essential information to prevent its recurrence.
When a tubing-annulus communication is detected and a damaged gas lift valve is identified as the cause of the problem, the valve is retrieved and transported to the workshop preserving as much as possible the conditions found when it came out of the well, allowing the inspection of solid deposits, elastomers and debris. At the workshop, the valve is opened and thoroughly examined, debris and solids are collected and, if relevant, chemically analyzed to lay down the root causes of the failure.
The results point to different causes for the failures: inorganic incrustations deposited in various parts of the equipment; abrasion caused by erosion and even pieces of foreign bodies, such as fabrics and wood, stuck in the valve. By associating the well operational history with the failure conditions, the causes and the chronology of events can be determined.
These investigations allow a more precise diagnosis of the gas lift valve failures, that tend to reduce the risk of recurrence of the problems and guide the correction of fragilities in current designs. They also can contribute to better planning and definitions on future well completions, resulting in increased reliability for this method of artificial lift.
Integrity Management of Offshore Process Piping and Equipment with Sand Production – Part I: The Pinhole Incident
Authors: Shirazi S. A. , Darihaki F. , Yamazaki Y. , Nakano Y. , Ushiguchi K. , Quang V. Lam , Le Ngoc L. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Sand production is becoming a growing issue for oil and gas operators around the globe. Operators are faced to increase production of oil and gas, which may cause or worthen sand production, while insuring integrity management of process piping and equipment. As a result of higher than expected sand production in a specific field, a pinhole failure was observed on a 12″ Schedule 160 elbow downstream of a Multiphase flow meter (MPFM) that contained a venturi section that caused a localized increase in flow velocities. State-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based erosion prediction procedure was utilized to determine the root cause of failure and help operators with integrity management of the associated piping systems and equipment. Data used for verification of erosion model included wall thickness losses and sand production data in a separator downstream. Additionally, CFD simulations of erosion rates in 12″ elbows were used for evaluating simplified erosion models that are being used to determine Integrity Operating Window (IOW) of piping that are currently installed downstream of the MPFM. The results in the paper include a comparison of wall thickness measurements and erosion rates of the piping downstream of the MPFM with predicted erosion rates. The CFD predicted erosion pattern and wall thickness losses downstream of the MPFM were comparable with the observed erosion rates. The geometry of MPFM and downstream section was too complicated to model with simplified mechanistic models, but the results of CFD and the mechanistic models were more conservative for isolated elbows downstream where wall thickness data were available with ultrasonic thickness (UT) measurements. The results indicate that simplified mechanistic model of Shirazi, et al. (1995, 2016) was sufficient to support developing sand erosion IOW prediction tool and determining condition monitoring locations, provided that a practical process for wall thickness measurements at critical locations is in place for verifying the outcomes and fine tuning the models on regular and as needed basis.
First Industrial High-Power Laser Perforation Deployment
Authors: Batarseh Sameeh I. , Alerigi Damian P. San Roman , Marshall Scott , Graves Ramona 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
This paper presents the industry's first high-power laser field perforation and deployment—a successful high-power laser technology application. The innovative technology could perforate a well without affecting the substrate integrity and damage. The technology is safe, efficient, and cost-effective, providing a long-term alternative to shaped charge guns.
High-power laser technology has been tested and proven to effectively perforate in all rocks, regardless of strength and composition, including carbonate, shale, sandstones, and others. The success of the past two decades of intensive research has led to the development of the first high-power laser field system. The system's design is enclosed, providing safe and environmentally friendly operation; it consists of a laser energy generator, nitrogen tank, coiled tubing, and tool. The device's function is to control the size and shape of the beam that focuses on the targeted formation. The perforation process is done by utilizing the power of a laser to melt, spall, or vaporize the formation. The laser perforation tool can perforate through the casing, cementing into the formation.
The technology was deployed in a cased well. The well is logged pre- and post-laser perforation, and the coiled tubing is used to connect the fiber optics cable with the optical bottom hole assembly (oBHA). The tool can perform multiple perforations in a single trip, with the azimuthal orientation controlled by rotating the head of the device. Laser perforation creates a nondamaging controlled perforation tunnel penetrating casing, cement, and formation, and it is stress independent.
Seismic Reflectivity Inversion Using a Semi-Supervised Learning Approach
Authors: Rahman A. S. Abd , Elsheikh A. H. , Jaya M. S. 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Seismic reflectivity inversion is a critical component in subsurface characterization, playing an indispensable role in resource exploration and reservoir studies (Tarantola, 1984). Conventional inversion methods have traditionally relied on optimization-based techniques, which often necessitate prior low-frequency models, and are not only susceptible to noise but also prone to introducing biases due to their dependence on initial assumptions.
In recent years, deep learning, using deep neural networks (DNNs), has emerged as a competitive approach for seismic inversion, capable of capturing complex relationships within data (Valentine & Trampert, 2012). However, supervised deep learning models are heavily dependent on the availability of labeled data, which is not always abundant or easily attainable (Alaudah & AlRegib, 2019). Furthermore, many existing models focus on predicting single points in reflectivity series, not adequately accounting for broader contexts within the seismic data (Wu et al., 2019).
In this study, we present a novel semi-supervised deep learning approach for seismic reflectivity inversion that leverages both labeled and unlabeled data to produce high quality reflectivity estimates. Our model employs a sequence-to-sequence (Sutskever et al., 2014) architecture, operating directly on raw seismic data, and is capable of capturing broader contexts, thus ensuring the continuity and complexity of the reflectivity series. Additionally, it minimizes the reliance on prior low-frequency models, enhancing the model's generalization capabilities. We present a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed method through a series of experiments on synthetic datasets, contrasting its performance against conventional seismic inversion and supervised DNN methods. Moreover, we discuss the key advantages, potential limitations, and avenues for future research in the application of semi-supervised deep learning in seismic inversion.
Modernizing Data Management by Developing a Data Mesh Knowledge Layer with OSDU
Authors: van der Haven Michaël , Thakur Vijender 
Published: October 2023

Abstract
Data Mesh is a concept that is utilized as a way forward to start connecting various data sources and making their content available as data products to end-users. In organizations embarking on a digitalization journey, it is an attractive approach to prevent having to migrate all, or part of the landscape into a new solution or platform. Especially in organizations that already have a well-established and historically grown but complex data landscape.
As with any other industry, digitization is a must for organizations to unlock existing data and create new innovative solutions, for example with the help of AI. Examples are the creation of new data products, becoming more efficient and safer in their operations and above all contribute to energy security in our world.
With respect to new data solutions, the OSDU standard has become one of the defacto standards to make data available for users active in the subsurface and wells space. While it is often presented as either a platform to migrate data to or incorporate it as a digitized data lake for the organization, we would like to present OSDU as part of a Data Mesh.
In practice, data lake solutions, especially relatively complex to operate solutions like OSDU, are seen as too complex for the smaller to mid-size operators that have the same data challenges and need for digitization as the larger operators. A migration or data lake integration project is often too disruptive for such organizations. But also, for larger operators that have a need for a day-to-day continuation of their operation with solution support, can benefit from using a Data Mesh approach.
In our solution we present OSDU as the ‘knowledge layer’ in a Data Mesh. This means that the strengths of OSDU on the management of meta-data and its open architecture are utilized to create a System of Engagement for any user in an organization, without being disruptive to the day-to-day operations and use of existing solutions.
To create a Data Mesh with OSDU, the solution needs to be enhanced on the levels of Search, Governance and Data Product generation. These enhancements are beneficial to OSDU in general, with or without being in in a Data Mesh, but become even more powerful when applied in an enterprise-wide solution.