In 2009, ADCO implemented the first ever CO 2 EOR pilot in the Middle. The pilot project is part of the Company overall strategy evaluate the feasibility of CO 2 injection as an EOR process and in order to address key technical and business uncertainties as well as the risks associated with CO 2 injection The pilot project includes three wells, a CO 2 injection well, an observation well and an oil producing well. The pilot has been operated for one year now to achieve a set of pre-defined objectives. During this period, a comprehensive data acquisition program was conducted and collected data from wells and reservoir performance was analyzed to address key uncertainties related to miscible CO 2 -EOR injection process.Upon the completion of the project objectives in June 2010, a decision was taken to expand the project scope and target with new objectives that will help understanding another challenging anomaly in the oil fields (CO 2 performance in the transition zones). This paper shares the challenges faced, lessons learnt and experience gained during the implementation, operation, and monitoring of the First Miscible CO 2 -EOR pilot project in a heterogeneous carbonate oil reservoir in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
A multiphase pump was recently commissioned in a satellite oil field onshore Abu Dhabi. The pump is used to boost the flow from a well, located in a remote desert location, to a crude oil gathering centre, which is located 27 km away. This paper describes the multiphase pump installations and the unique features of these facilities. Pump specifications and key design considerations are discussed. The paper also addresses the project implementation strategy as well as early operating experience. Introduction Huwaila field is an undeveloped oil reservoir in a remote desert location in the south of Abu Dhabi. The field was discovered in 1965. The closest production facilities to Huwaila are in a gathering centre in the near by Bu Hasa field. The gathering centre, which is called RDS-3, is located 27 km north of Huwaila field. The terrain is hilly with undulating sand dunes. Access is only by four-wheel drive vehicles. Production from the field began using one well Hu-44. The well was initially produced through natural flow to the surface [1] and through the 27 km, 8 inch flowline to RDS-3. Since 1996, an electric submersible pump was used to produce the well. Well production during the first years of ESP was characterized by rapidly increasing water cut. Following a single well reservoir simulation study, well Hu-44 was side-tracked as an 1800 ft horizontal well. Various options to flow the well to RDS-3 were evaluated. A project was approved to try multiphase pumping technology. The objectives of the project are :Produce well Hu-44 via the gathering centre at RDS-3.Evaluate the performance of multiphase pumps as a potential technology for full development of Huwaila field.Monitor and better understand water behavior in the reservoir. Both dynamic and positive displacement pumps were considered. A discussion on the merits of each type and the gas volume fraction GVF is given in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2. Based on the actual flow rates and GVF at Huwaila, it became clear that the process parameters are more suited to positive displacement pumps rather than to dynamic pumps. Vendor Scope of Supply The multiphase pump, together with the associated electrical and control systems were tendered as one package. This was done to ensure single point responsibility and to avoid interface problems between the different vendors. In developing the technical requirements of the tender documents, several vendors and end users were approached for their experience. There are no industry standards to cover the design and manufacture of multiphase pumps. For twin screw pumps, the design is usually in compliance with API 676, which deals with positive displacement liquid pumps [2] As the pump vendor was German, it was agreed in the pre-award meeting that DIN standards would be adopted for some components in-lieu of API standards. For example, the load calculation of the timing gears were in accordance with DIN 3990 and not AGMA standard 6010 as stipulated in API 676. Also, the performance test procedures were not in accordance with API 675 as will be discussed later.
The Government of the UAE aspires to reduce green gas emission by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial emitters and transporting the CO2 to oilfields for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). In order to demonstrate and test this concept, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) recently implemented a pilot-scale CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery in one of its onshore oil fields. This is the first ever CO2-EOR flood to be implemented in the Middle East. This paper gives the background to this unique project and describes the pilot facilities and project execution plan.
Summary Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) has recently developed one of its satellite oil fields. The field is located in a remote desert location onshore the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The development concept is based on multiphase pumping and the entire field was developed using multiphase pumps. Two helicoaxial pumps are used to pump 10,000 B/D of crude oil with associated gas and produced water to the host facilities in a nearby field some 30 km away. The pumps are installed in series. The pumps were commissioned successfully in 2006 and have been operating since then. Huwaila field is the first and only oil field in the world where two multiphase helicoaxial pumps are operated in series. This paper describes the design, testing, and operational aspects of this unique experience. Introduction ADCO is the major oil and gas producer in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company is responsible for the exploration, production, and field processing of oil and gas in the onshore areas and shallow waters of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. In comparison to other oil fields in Abu Dhabi, Huwaila field is a relatively small satellite field (Fig. 1). The field was discovered in 1965. In Huwaila, the only oil bearing reservoir is the Shuaiba formation. It is a lower cretaceous carbonate formation. The first well drilled was Hw-44. The nearest host facilities is a remote gathering centre RDS-3 in the near by Bu Hasa Field. Phase I for the development of Huwaila called for the well to be produced to RDS-3 using a twin screw multiphase pump. This experience was discussed in a previous SPE paper (Saadawi and Al Olama 2003). The twin screw pump operated for almost 4 years, achieving a very high degree of reliability. The full field development plan for Huwaila included the drilling of an additional three wells to increase the field production. The following are the key design parameters for the full-field development plan:Plateau oil production rate: 10,000 B/D.Peak oil production rate: 12,000 B/D.GOR = 567 scf/bblWater cut: up to 52%. A schematic of the field surface facilities of the field is given in Fig. 2. There are several technologies involved in multiphase pumping (Scott 2003). The two predominant technologies are twin screw and helicoaxial types. The flow requirements for the development of Huwaila field could be met by either type of multiphase pumps. Both twin screw pump vendors and helicoaxial pump vendors were invited to tender for Huwaila projects. Both twin screw pump and helicoaxial pumps were considered for the Huwaila project. A helicoaxial pump was selected because of its unique characteristics. These characteristics will be discussed in the next section. Performance of a Helicoaxial Pump The multiphase helicoaxial pump is a rotodynamic pump based on the so called "Poseidon Technology" (Lafaille 1990). The aim of the Poseidon research project was to develop a subsea multiphase production system. A multiphase pump was obviously a main component of a subsea multiphase production system. The work to develop a rotodynamic-type multiphase pump was carried out by IFP. The helicoaxial multiphase pump is a multistage machine. In case of Huwaila, the selected pump had 11 stages. Each stage or cell is comprised of a rotating element and a stationary part. The rotating element is the impeller where the kinetic energy is added from the impeller to the fluids to accelerate the flow in an axial direction. The multiphase flow then enters the stationary part, which is the diffuser. As the multiphase flow is decelerated in the stationary diffuser, the kinetic energy is transformed into a static head.
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