The paper presents the results of a study to investigate the variation of gas composition and key PVT properties with depth in the Khuff carbonate reservoirs of the Ghawar field in Saudi Arabia. The study was performed as part of a larger effort to characterize the reservoir fluids for compositional simulation and development planning. Laboratory PVT reports on over twenty appraisal wells were used as a basis for the study. It was found that both condensate content and hydrocarbon compositions decreased with depth and/or temperature while acid gas composition increase with depth. The composition of hydrogen sulfide varied from zero, at a threshold depth and temperature, to over five mole percent at greater depths. The observed variations of composition with depth were contrary to what would be expected from gravity-chemical equilibrium considerations. We propose that the dominant process for compositional grading in the Khuff is the generation of hydrogen sulfide by thermo-chemical reduction of sulfate. This process is believed to occur at temperatures above a threshold value (about 270 0F for the Ghawar Khuff), and utilizes hydrocarbons as one group of reactants. Thus, as is shown in the paper, hydrogen sulfide composition increases with depth at the expense of hydrocarbons in a way that upsets the effect of gravity- chemical equilibrium. P. 685
This paper describes the mega application of I-Field concept in Khurais Increment, the world's largest oil increment development in history. The field was developed to be fully intelligent from day one, thus, I-field infrastructure was part of the initial development plan and investment. Leveraging experience and lessons learned from previous I-Fields, and utilizing advances in technology, this application has better surveillance, higher reliability, and more utilities for end-users to manage and translate data into actionable information.
TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435. AbstractThis article discusses the upstream development of Khurais field, referred to here interchangeably as the Khurais complex, consisting of several fields and reservoirs with a capacity of 1.2 million barrels per day (MMBPD) of Arabian Light crude. It describes the planning, execution and leveraging of technologies coupled with best industry practices to deliver the target rate while reducing the unit development cost, increasing the well productivities and expanding the reserves base. At the beginning of the project, a high resolution 3D seismic program was successfully performed to characterize the reservoir structure and geological features. Coupled with vertical-horizontal delineation wells, additional reserves were delineated and added to the development. To reduce the unit development cost, this article will show that the project utilizes a complex well architecture with a combination of maximum reservoir contact (MRC), multilateral, and horizontal wells, as well as smart completion (SC), smart electrical submersible pump (ESP), and passive inflow control devices to achieve and sustain the target rates. The development also sets the stage for technology leveraging in the future by drilling wells with large wellbores, allowing flexibility for the next-generation of complex well architecture while pursuing fit-for-purpose technologies through joint ventures and Saudi Aramco's Exploration and Petroleum Engineering Center -Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC).
Guest editorial In recent years, many companies in the oil and gas industry have been making steady progress employing digital oilfield (DOF) solutions to improve operations through better data capture, visualization, analysis, and automation. As more implementations provide value to particular fields or assets, a question remains of how they can be leveraged as a whole to provide aggregate value at the business portfolio or corporate strategy levels. The large volume and detail of information that DOFs generate, not only in terms of data, but also decision outcomes, interpretations, and knowledge, both tacit and implicit, contribute significantly to a company’s intellectual capital. Looking at the business case, asset-level business drivers are normally defined by considering short-term benefits in light of immediate challenges. Because of the varied production environments and diverse approaches associated with DOF implementations, determining return on investment and value for an organization’s overall production business is difficult at best; it is analogous to an “apples vs. oranges” comparison of assets. For companies actively pursuing multiple DOF programs, managing commercial uncertainties is, therefore, a key challenge for allocating resources, defining a coherent vision, and ultimately determining the appropriate level of commitment, financial or otherwise. Applying this perspective, there is a clear opportunity, and corresponding challenge, to scale the DOF value proposition by smoothly integrating independent digital assets into a cohesive system by delivering a smarter, more comprehensive view of a company’s business portfolio. Toward this end, several key concepts and issues should be considered carefully in order to understand the implications of each implementation as the first step toward corporate value realization. Strategic Business Intelligence DOF solutions leverage real-time asset awareness, in combination with intelligent analytical tools and collaborative business processes, to continuously optimize production. Data is gathered and manipulated to create information, which in turn develops into knowledge for decision support. Knowledge is the critical piece and having the ability to exploit it to the benefit of the organization should be fundamental. This is the essence of business intelligence and is at the core of the DOF value proposition.
The paper discusses the upstream development of Khurais field, referred to here interchangeably as Khurais Oil Complex, consisting of several fields and reservoirs to a capacity of 1.2 MMBPD of Arabian Light crude. It describes the planning, execution and leveraging of technologies coupled with best industry practices to deliver the target rate while reducing the unit development cost, increasing the well productivities and expanding the reserves base. At the beginning of the project, a high resolution 3D seismic program was successfully performed to characterize the reservoir structure and geological features. Coupled with vertical-horizontal delineation wells, additional reserves were delineated and added to the development. To reduce the unit development cost, the paper shows that the project utilizes a complex well architecture with combination of maximum reservoir contact (MRC), multi-lateral, and horizontal wells as well as Smart completion, Smart ESP, and passive inflow control device to achieve and sustain the target rates. The development also sets the stage for technology leveraging in the future by drilling wells with large wellbores, allowing flexibility for the next generation complex well architecture while pursuing fit-for-purpose technologies through joint ventures and Saudi Aramco Advance Research Center. The paper illustrates that the Khurais development is unique not only in terms of its size but also in terms of special technology applications and its complexity with respect to development of multiple fields and reservoirs with proper utilization of many complementing technologies. Through Saudi Aramco best practices, all of these are part of the development plan which utilizes applications of Advanced Mathematical Models in the form of Multi-Objective Function and probabilistic modeling techniques such as Experimental Design and Monte Carlo simulations. The development plan mitigates the development risk and optimizes oil off-take from different reservoirs and areas with respect to well placement, ESP design, depletion rates, injection production ratio, number of injectors and producers, pressure support, sweep efficiency, flood front conformance and oil recovery. The best practices also include real-time geosteering to ensure the horizontal laterals are directed through the best pay possible. The efforts have paid off as field tests of the producers, at the time the paper was written, show three to five times productivity improvement compared to existing vertical wells in the fields. The development also goes beyond the initial stage of the production as Khurais is the company flagship for I-field technologies in real-time data gathering, transmission and operation remote controlling to enable continuous monitoring and optimization of the field development and reservoir performance.
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