Primary funding is provided by
The SPE Foundation through member donations and a contribution from Offshore Europe
The Society is grateful to those companies that allow their professionals to serve as lecturers
Additional support provided by AIME
Society of Petroleum Engineers Distinguished Lecturer Program www.spe.org/dl 1
 
2
Shutoff and Sand Control
Alain Zaitoun Poweltec, France
3. Water Shut-Off
4. Sand Control
5. Conclusions
• EOR enables increase in Recovery Factor
• Teams mobilized in Major Oil companies
to implement EOR
 
 
Water flooding   Polymer flooding
• High-permeability sand reservoir
• Heavy oil – 14°°°° API – 2000 cP
• Shallow, low temperature, fresh water
• Horizontal well primary production
• RF expected to jump to 25% with polymer flood
 
200 m
1400 m
11
Oil rate in Central Producer 00-15-PRO Max Injection & Production Rates 150 m3/d
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Date
   3    /   d    )
Water injection
1000 ppm (9m) 500 ppm (6m) water
1000 ppm (6m) 500 ppm (12m) water
1000 ppm (3m) 500 ppm (18m) water
1000 ppm (3m) water
 
• Polymer Flood has potential in heavy-oil reservoir
• In combination with Horizontal Wells
• Integrated Lab & Simulation studies help designing pilot
• Polymer injectivity is an essential issue
• First pilot results very positive, field extension
implemented by operator (270 injection wells in 2009)
 
• Sealing gels block a water producing interval
• Sealing gels compete with cements or packers
• Relative Permeability Modifiers are weak polymer/gels
• Usually “bullhead” injected into the whole open interval =
cost effective
permeability
W
( ( Sor Sor  )  ) 
( ( Swi Swi  )  ) 
 
   5
   M   o   n
   t   h    l  y    P   r  o    d   u   c
   t   i  o   n    (  m    3    )
Treatment
0
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Cumulated Water Production (m3)
Sand cleaning
Incremental oil
RPM treatment
 
Linear chain
Linear polymer
SMG are calibrated microgels larger and more stable than conventional polymers
dH ≈≈≈≈ 2.0  µµµµm
• “Brightwater” (Popping microgel)
• More used for Conformance Injection well treatments
 
25 2001_2002 2002_2003 2003_2004 2004_2005 2005_2006
Effect of Microgel WSO treatment on gas well Drop in water production
   W   a    t  e   r    G   a   s    R   a    t   i  o
   W   a    t  e   r    G   a   s    R   a    t   i  o
Microgel Treatment
 
microgel treatment
Effect of Microgel WSO treatment on gas well
 
polymer/microgel layer
• Oil-based product: resins and organo-silanes
• Resins form hard solid compounds
• Formulations have to re-establish oil/gas permeability
• Water-based polymers are environmentally friendly
• Lower consistency than resins, deeper penetration
• Low costs compared to sand control completions
 
• Treatment has little impact on oil or gas permeability
• Thus, can be injected into existing completion with no risk of well plugging
• Deeper penetration possible than with resins or cement, also much thicker intervals
• Environmentally friendly water based RPM products
 
 
Sand productionSand production beforebefore treatmenttreatment
Sand productionSand production afterafter treatmenttreatment
Qgas
 
Sand impacts at wellhead
• Easier and cheaper than other IOR methods
• Both EOR (reservoir) & WSO/Sand Control
(near-wellbore) applications
EOR in Heavy Oil fields
• New products in WSO and Conformance, more
stable than conventional polymers (microgels)
• Lab/Simulations integrated studies improve
process control & success rate