Integrating Geology and Engineering for Viscous Oil Production Improvement—JX Oilfield, Bohai Bay, China

In this paper a case study is presented where refined 3D reservoir geology models, well pattern pilot test and Real-time GeoSteering tools have been integrated to optimize production performance of a viscous oil reserve. The viscous reserves were of high structural dip angle. In addition delta depositional system represented highly variable geomorphology, where stacked sandbodies and shale bedding are crossing each other frequently. In order to keep a higher production rate, using horizontal wells along with water injection was not enough;therefore, detailed reservoir characterization, well pattern pilot experiment and GeoSteering were used to optimize previous development strategy and keep horizontal trajectories safely landing into reservoir target zone. The stratigraphic sequence architecture that is derived from seismic interpretations captured the variation within these high dip structural backgrounds very effectively. The best combination of choices was “Injecting Water outside from OWC” and “Stair Shaped Horizontal Trajectories”. The borehole collision risks of these optimized strategies were then analyzed and controlled successfully by the GeoSteering tools during trajectory landing process. The reservoir development performance is improved tremendously as result of these renewed development strategies.

The Research and Applications of Remaining Oil Potential Tapping in High Watered Stage for Heavy Oil Reservoir in Bohai

S oil field is a typical of water injection development of heavy oil reservoir in Bohai, and the formation of crude oil viscosity is 42 - 284 mPa?s. Due to the formation of crude oil viscosity, the oil field development gradually faces a series of problems as rapid rise of water cut, rapid decline of output, high water cut of oil wells and others. In order to improve the effect of oilfield development, it is necessary to increase the output of the oilfield by adjusting wells for the potential in the oilfield. However, due to the high cost of drilling, operation and testing of offshore oilfields, offshore oilfields require more elaborate description of residual oil and adjustment wells. With the continuous downturn in international oil prices and the lack of new testing data in old oilfields, it is urgent to re-use the existing data in oilfields through innovative methods to achieve a detailed description of the remaining oil in the oilfields and improve the precision research of indexing wells and ensure the reliable implementation of adjustment wells. Based on the existing dynamic data of S oilfield, this paper proposes a new method to quantitatively evaluate water flooding coefficient by using tracer theory to establish tracer data, and quantitatively evaluates the vicinity of the fault by means of image reflection and potential superposition and find the residual oil in the imperfect area of the well network, combined with the numerical simulation method to realize the fine description of remaining oil and improve the research precision of the adjustment well. Through the research in this paper, S oilfield has proposed to location of six adjustment wells which has implemented two. The production confirmed that the method of this paper has some reliability, while the method of heavy oil in the high water cut stage of residual oil fine description. The research of enhanced oil recovery in the stage has certain guiding significance for heavy oil reservoirs.

Remaining Oil Distribution Law and Potential Tapping Strategy of Horizontal Well Pattern in Narrow Oil Rim Reservoir with Gas Cap and Edge Water

For thin oil rim reservoir with gas cap and edge water, it is helpful to improve the development effect to find out the distribution law of remaining oil in this kind of reservoirs. For this reason, taking the narrow oil rim reservoir with gas cap and edge water of Oilfield A in Bohai Sea as a case, the main controlling factors, including reservoir structure, fault, gas cap energy, edge water energy and well pattern, affecting the distribution of residual oil in this kind of reservoir were analyzed by using the data of core, logging, paleogeomorphology and production. Then, the distribution law of remaining oil was summarized. Generally, the remaining oil distribution is mainly potato-shaped or strip-shaped in plane. Vertically, it depends on the energy of gas cap and edge water. For the reservoir with big gas gap and weak edge water, the remaining oil mainly lies in the bottom of oil column. And for the reservoir with small gas gap and strong edge water, the remaining oil mainly locates at the top of oil column. Aiming at different distribution modes of remaining oil, the corresponding potential tapping strategies of horizontal wells are put forward: in the late stage of development, for the reservoir with big gas gap and weak edge water, the remaining oil concentrates at the bottom of the oil column, and the position of horizontal well should be placed at the lower 1/3 to the lower 1/5 of the oil column;for the reservoir with small gas cap and strong edge water, the remaining oil locates at the top of the oil column, and the position of horizontal well should be put at the upper 1/5 to the upper 1/3 of the oil column height, vertically. Based on the study on remaining oil of Oilfield A, a potential tapping strategy of well pattern thickening and vertical position optimization of horizontal well was proposed. This strategy guided the efficient implementation of the comprehensive adjustment plan of the oilfield. Moreover, 18 infill development wells were implemented in Oilfield A, and the average production of the infill wells is 2.1 times that of the surrounding old wells. It is estimated that the ultimate recovery factor of the oilfield will reach 33.9%, which is 2.3% higher than that before infilling wells. This study can be used for reference in the development of similar reservoirs.