Drill Cuttings Injection and Monitoring for a Remote Pad Drilling Operation on an Environmentally Sensitive Site in Peru

Abstract

Assurance of a successful and environmentally sound long-term cuttings injection program requires monitoring and periodic analysis of injection performance response. Such a program provides for operational oversight and the ability to identify changes in performance response or trends, thereby providing for modification of operating parameters to optimize performance and minimize the negative impact of unexpected responses.An implementation of this process has been instituted for a remote, pad-drilled site located in a nature preserve in the Amazonian rainforest of Peru. The development of natural gas reserves at Camisea has extreme environmental sensitivity and injection of the generated drill cuttings was recognized as a technically and environmentally acceptable alternative for drilling location waste management.