Development and prospect of downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection

This article outlines the development of downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection in China.According to the development stages,the principles,operation processes,adaptability and application status of traditional downhole data acquisition method,cable communications and testing technology,cable-controlled downhole parameter real-time monitoring communication method and downhole wireless communication technology are introduced in detail.Problems and challenges of existing technologies in downhole monitoring and data transmission technology are pointed out.According to the production requirement,the future development direction of the downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection is proposed.For the large number of wells adopting cable measuring and adjustment technology,the key is to realize the digitalization of downhole plug.For the key monitoring wells,cable-controlled communication technology needs to be improved,and downhole monitoring and data transmission technology based on composite coiled tubing needs to be developed to make the operation more convenient and reliable.For large-scale application in oil fields,downhole wireless communication technology should be developed to realize automation of measurement and adjustment.In line with ground mobile communication network,a digital communication network covering the control center,water distribution station and oil reservoir should be built quickly to provide technical support for the digitization of reservoir development.

Horizontal Well Interference Performance and Water Injection Huff and Puff Effect on Well Groups with Complex Fracture Networks:A Numerical Study

Well interference has become a common phenomenon with the increasing scale of horizontal well fracturing.Recent studies on well interference in horizontal wells do not properly reflect the physical model of the postfracturing well groups and the realistic fracturing process of infill wells.Establishing the correspondence between well interference causative factors and manifestations is of great significance for infill well deployment and secondary oil recovery.In this work,we develop a numerical model that considers low velocity non-Darcy seepage inshale reservoirs to study the inter-well interferencephenomenon that occurs in theSantanghufield,andconstruct an explicit hydraulic fracture and complex natural fracture network model with an embedded discrete fracture model,focusing on the effect of fracture network morphology on well interactions.The model also considers a multi-segment wellbore model to accommodate the effect of inter-well crossflow on wellbore tubular flow.The changes in formation pressure and water saturation during fracturing are performed by controlling the injection pressure and water injection rate.The result shows that the shape of the fracture network generated by the infill well with the old well determines the subsequent fluid and oil-increasing performance of the disturbed well.The synergistic production or competitive relationship formed by fractures with different connectivity between the two wells determines the positive and negative effects of the interference.The paper also investigates the adaptation study of water injection huff and puff schemes for well groups with different connectivity,and demonstrated a potential yield increase of up to 10.85%under adaptation injection.This method of identifying well interference based on the production dynamics of affected wells and the subsequent corresponding water injection method provides valuable references for the selection of secondary oil recovery measures.

Optimization of the Algorithm for Increasing Injection Rate in Water Injection Wells for Pressure Optimization in P Oilfield

In today’s society, with the continuous growth of energy demand, Bohai Oilfield, as an important offshore oil resource base in China, is facing increasingly severe challenges while contributing to national energy security. In order to improve the quality of water injection in the oilfield and gradually achieve efficient and stable production, Bohai Oilfield has launched a water injection well pressure optimization project, focusing on improving the efficiency and quality of water injection in the water injection wells, in order to achieve the optimal water injection plan. In practical work, P Oilfield continues to promote the development of water injection well pressure optimization projects, emphasizing practical exploration and continuous optimization of work plans. However, during the project implementation process, there were some problems, one of which was that the statistics of cumulative injection volume were not scientific enough, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate presentation of the actual results of pressure optimization work. In the context of continuous improvement work, after careful analysis and research, P Oilfield has decided to optimize the cumulative injection rate algorithm to guide the oilfield’s water injection work in a more refined way, ensuring sufficient and good water injection, and enhancing the oilfield’s production efficiency and comprehensive competitiveness.

Optimization of Injection Parameters for Profile Control and Flooding in an Oilfield during High Water Cut Period

In order to improve the effect of water control and oil stabilization during high water cut period, a mathematical model of five point method well group was established with the high water cut well group of an Oilfield as the target area, the variation law of water cut and recovery factor of different injection parameters was analyzed, and the optimization research of injection parameters of polymer enhanced foam flooding was carried out. The results show that the higher the injection rate, the lower the water content curve, and the higher the oil recovery rate. As the foam defoamed when encountering oil, when the injection time was earlier than 80% of water cut, the later the injection time was, the better the oil displacement effect would be. When the injection time was later than 80% of water cut, the later the injection time was, the worse the oil displacement effect would be. The larger the injection volume, the lower the water content curve and the higher the recovery rate. After the injection volume exceeded 0.2 PV, the amplitude of changes in water content and recovery rate slowed down. The optimal injection parameters of profile control agent for high water content well group in Oilfield A were: injection rate of 15 m3/d, injection timing of 80% water content, and injection volume of 0.2 PV.

Solvent de binding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding

The solvent debinding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding (MIM) was investigated systematically, including the effects of solvent types, temperature and the thickness of green parts on the solvent debinding rate. After studying the debinding of a green part with a thickness of 4.26 mm, it was found that, the debinding rate of polyethylene glycol(PEG) in water and alcohol was high initially, and then decreased; however, it would increase with temperature increasing. At room temperature, the dissolution rate of PEG in water was higher than that in alcohol, but the latter would be much faster with temperature increasing because the debinding activation energy in alcohol was 51.44 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 , much higher than 24.23 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 in water. With a green part thickness larger than 4.26 mm, the debinding was controlled by diffusion; but with that smaller than 2.36 mm, the debinding was controlled by both dissolution and diffusion.

Water-Assisted Injection Molding System Based on Water Hydraulic Proportional Control Technique

Water-assisted injection molding（WAIM）, an innovative process to mold plastic parts with hollow sections, is characterized with intermittent, periodic process and large pressure and flow rate variation. Energy savings and injection pressure control can not be .attained based on conventional valve control system. Moreover, the injection water can not be supplied directly by water hydraulic proportional control system. Poor efficiency and control performance are presented by current trial systems, which pressurize injection water by compressed air. In this paper, a novel water hydraulic system is developed applying an accumulator for energy saving. And a new differential pressure control method is proposed by using pressure cylinder and water hydraulic proportional pressure relief valve for back pressure control. Aiming at design of linear controller for injection water pressure regulation, a linear load model is approximately built through computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulation on two-phase flow cavity filling process with variable temperature and viscosity, and a linear model of pressure control system is built with the load model and linearization of water hydraulic components. According to the simulation, model based feedback is brought forward to compensate the pressure decrease during accumulator discharge and eliminate the derivative element of the system. Meanwhile, the steady-state error can be reduced and the capacity of resisting disturbance can be enhanced, by closed-loop control of load pressure with integral compensation. Through the developed experimental system in the State Key Lab of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Zhejiang University, China, the static characteristic of the water hydraulic proportional relief valve was tested and output pressure control of the system in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene（ABS） parts molding experiments was also studied. The experiment results show that the dead band and hysteresis of the water hydraulic proportional pressure relief valve are large, but the control precision and linearity can be improved with feed-forward compensation. With the experimental results of injection water pressure control, the applicability of this WAIM system and the effect of its linear controller are verified. The novel proposed process of WAIM pressure control and study on characteristics of control system contribute to the application of water hydraulic proportional control and WAIM technology.

Three-dimensional physical simulation and optimization of water injection of a multi-well fractured-vuggy unit

With complex fractured-vuggy heterogeneous structures, water has to be injected to facilitate oil pro- duction. However, the effect of different water injection modes on oil recovery varies. The limitation of existing numerical simulation methods in representing fractured- vuggy carbonate reservoirs makes numerical simulation difficult to characterize the fluid flow in these reservoirs. In this paper, based on a geological example unit in the Tahe Oilfield, a three-dimensional physical model was designed and constructed to simulate fluid flow in a fractured-vuggy reservoir according to similarity criteria. The model was validated by simulating a bottom water drive reservoir, and then subsequent water injection modes were optimized. These were continuous （constant rate）, intermittent, and pulsed injection of water. Experimental results reveal that due to the unbalanced formation pressure caused by pulsed water injection, the swept volume was expanded and consequently the highest oil recovery increment was achieved. Similar to continuous water injection, intermit- tent injection was influenced by factors including the connectivity of the fractured-vuggy reservoir, well depth, and the injection-production relationship, which led to a relative low oil recovery. This study may provide a constructive guide to field production and for the devel- opment of the commercial numerical models specialized for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.

Adaptability research of hydrofoil surface water injection on cavitation suppression

To study the effectiveness of hydrofoil surface water injection on cavitation suppression,the unsteady cavitation flow field around the NACA0066 hydrofoil at attack angle of 6°was simulated by the modified RNG k-εturbulence model combined with the full-cavitation model.The structure of cavitation flow field and the hydrodynamic performance of hydrofoil were analyzed at the cavitation number of 0.85,0.70,0.55,respectively.The results show that barriered by the jet,the momentum of the reentrant jet was reduced;The development of cavitation and the strength of cavity shedding were weakened to some extent.Cavitation suppression effect was very obvious in the cavitation conditions with the cavitation number of 0.7 and above when the injection position was at 37% chord length from the hydrofoil leading edge and the jet-flow ratio kept 0.3.Time-averaged lift and drag coefficient were reduced,and the lift-drag ratio increased in water injection conditions.

Study on Advanced Water Injection Time in Low Permeability Reservoir

A certain formation pressure level must be kept due to the threshold pressure of the low-permeability reser-voir during the seepage. Advanced water injection can keep the formation pressure at a higher level and keep a higher pressure gradient, which is an effective way to develop low-permeability reservoir. Based on the mechanism of advanced water injection and characteristic of porous flow in low permeability reservoir, a seepage model considering threshold pressure gradient is established to determine the formation pressure distribution at anytime as the water is injected at a constant speed. The optimum water injection time for the advanced water injection technology can be determined by using this model. The calculated result coincides basically with the numerical simulation result, which indicates that the model put forward in this paper is feasible.

Dynamic modelling and engineering simulation of fluid mechanics in water injectors

To study the fluid dynamic response mechanism under the working condition of water injection well borehole,based on the microelement analysis of fluid mechanics and the classical theory of hydrodynamics,a fluid microelement pressure-flow rate relationship model is built to derive and solve the dynamic distribution of fluid pressure and flow rate in the space of well borehole.Combined with the production data of a typical deviated well in China,numerical simulations and analyses are carried out to analyze the dynamic distribution of wellbore pressure at different injection pressures and injection volumes,the delayed and attenuated characteristics of fluid transmission in tube,and the dynamic distribution of wellbore pressure amplitude under the fluctuation of wellhead pressure.The pressure loss along the wellbore has nothing to do with the absolute pressure,and the design of the coding and decoding scheme for wave code communication doesn’t need to consider the absolute pressure during injecting.When the injection pressure is constant,the higher the injection flow rate at the wellhead,the larger the pressure loss along the wellbore.The fluid wave signal delay amplitude mainly depends on the length of the wellbore.The smaller the tubing diameter,the larger the fluid wave signal attenuation amplitude.The higher the target wave code amplitude(differential pressure identification root mean square)generated at the same well depth,the greater the wellhead pressure wave amplitude required to overcome the wellbore pressure loss.

Research on Casing Damage Based on Effect of Water Injection Pressure

Based on statistical analysis on the situation of casing damage and water injection pressure in Pubei Oilfield, it shows that the main forms of casing damage in Pubei Oilfield are deformation and dislocation. Dip angle and faults have a significant impact on casing damage and casing damage is closely related to water injection pressure. Through laboratory simulating experiment and theoretical calculation, the formula of critical injection pressure giving rise to casing damage is obtained and the preventive measures are drafted.

TWO－PHASE FLOW FOR A HORIZONTAL WELL PENETRATING A NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIR WITH EDGE WATER INJECTION

This paper examines the two-phase flow for a horizontal well penetrating a naturally fractured reservoir with edge water injection by means of a fixed streamlinemodel,The mathematical model of the verical two-dimensional flow or oil-water for a horizontal well in a medium with double-porosity is established ,and whose accuratesolutions are obtained by using the characteristic method .The saturation distributionsin the fractured system and the matrix system as well as the formula of the time of water free production are presented .All these results provide a theoretical basis and a computing method for oil displacement by edge water from naturally fracturedreservirs.

Thermo-Economic Performance of Geothermal Driven High-Temperature Flash Tank Vapor Injection Heat Pump System:A Comparison Study

Process heating constitutes a significant share of final energy consumption in the industrial sector around the world.In this paper,a high-temperature heat pump(HTHP)using flash tank vapor injection technology(FTVI)is proposed to develop low-temperature geothermal source for industrial process heating with temperature above 100°C.With heat sink output temperatures between 120°C and 150°C,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system using R1234ze(Z)as refrigerant is analyzed and also compared to the single-stage vapor compression(SSVC)system by employing the developed mathematical model.The coefficient of performance(COP),exergy efficiency(ηexe),net present value(NPV)and payback period(PBP)are used as performance indicators.The results show that under the typical working conditions,the COP andηexe of FTVI HTHP system are 3.00 and 59.66%,respectively,and the corresponding NPV and PBP reach 8.13×106 CNY and 4.13 years,respectively.Under the high-temperature heating conditions,the thermo-economic performance of the FTVI HTHP system is significantly better than that of the SSVC system,and the larger the temperature lift,the greater the thermo-economic advantage of the FTVI HTHP system.Additionally,the FTVI HTHP system is more capable than the SSVC system in absorbing the financial risks associated with changes of electricity price and natural gas price.

Laboratory-Scale Evaluation of Single Analyte Bacterial Monitoring Strategies in Water Injection Systems

Microbial activity is the cause of a variety of problems in water injection systems, e.g., microbial corrosion, plugging, and biofouling. Efficient monitoring of Saudi Aramco’s vast water injection system requires the development of online and automated technologies for monitoring microbial activities in the system. A previous system review and technology screening has identified five single-analyte strategies [1], which were evaluated in this study with a laboratory-scale setup to determine their applicability for automated determination of microbial activity in the injection water system. Four of the five single-analyte measuring principles tested in the laboratory setup were deemed less suitable for automation and/or reliable for use in the detection of microbial activity in the company injection water system. These four principles were: luminescence assay for adenosine-5’-triphosphate (ATP), detection and electrochemical measurements of H2S, determination of pH by electrochemical sensor, and measurement of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). The strategy of staining cells with fluorescent DNA dyes, followed by quantification of fluorescence signals, was identified to hold, with proper optimization of DNA staining and fluorescence detection, a very promising potential for integration in automated, online sensors for microbial activity in the injection water system.

Speciation of Dissolved Trace Nickel in Environmental Waters by On-Line Sonodigestion-Flow Injection Solid Phase Extraction Coupled to Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

A simple on-line sonodigestion system was successfully used for breakdown organic nickel complexes in environmental waters acidified with diluted nitric acid prior to flow injection total dissolved nickel preconcentration in a microcolumn containing a chelating resin (Chelite Che with iminodiacetic acid groups) and determination by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. For the determination of the dissolved labile nickel fraction, microcolumns packed with the chelating resin were loaded in-situ with the sample without sample pH modification, and once in the laboratory were inserted in the flow injection device where nickel elution-detection was carried out. The performance of the chelating resin was investigated in order to elucidate its behavior in the presence of dissolved nickel species. The results obtained reveal that the resin, at the experimental employed conditions, retained only dissolved free nickel ions and nickel bound to weak complexes (labile fraction). The figures of merit for determinations in both nickel fractions are given and the obtained values are discussed. The speciation scheme is applied to the analysis of nickel in river and seawater samples collected in Galicia (Northwest, Spain). The results of fractionation showed that Ni are mainly in the dissolved labile fraction in river water, while in seawater samples analyzed was mainly present in the organic fraction.

Optimization of DNA Staining Technology for Development of Autonomous Microbe Sensor for Injection Seawater Systems

Microbial activity in the water injection system in oil and gas industry leads to an array of challenges, including biofouling, injectivity loss, reservoir plugging, and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). An effective mitigation strategy requires online and real-time monitoring of microbial activity and growth in the system so that the operators can apply and adjust counter-measures quickly and properly. The previous study [1] identified DNA staining technology-with PicoGreen and SYBR Green dyes—as a very promising method for automated, online determination of microbial cell abundance in the vast Saudi Aramco injection seawater systems. This study evaluated DNA staining technology on detection limit, automation potential, and temperature stability for the construction of automated sensor prototype. DNA staining with SYBR Green dye was determined to be better suited for online and real-time monitoring of microbial activity in the Saudi Aramco seawater systems. SYBR Green staining does not require sample pre-treatment, and the fluorescence signal intensity is more stable at elevated temperatures up to 30℃. The lower detection limit of 2 × 103/ml was achieved under the optimized conditions, which is sufficient to detect microbial numbers in Saudi Aramco injection seawater. Finally, the requirements for design and construction of SYBR-based automated sensor prototype were determined.

Geoelectric response of porous media in water and grout injection processes

Significant changes in spontaneous potential and exciting currents are observed during water and grout injection in a simulated porous media. Obvious correlations between the seepage flow field and the electric field in the porous media are identified.In this work, a detailed experimental study of geoelectric field variation occurring in water migration was reported by analyzing water and grout injection processes in a simulated porous media. The spontaneous potential varies linearly with the thickness of unsaturated porous media. Very interestingly, the spontaneous potential generated in the second grout injection exhibits some"memory" of previous grouting paths. The decreases in spontaneous potential observed during grout injection is very probably due to that the spontaneous potential variations are primarily caused by electro-filtration potential, as indicated by the far larger viscosity of grout compared to that of water. The geoelectric response can be utilized to effectively identify the grouting paths in water-bearing rocks.

Geochemical evaluation of low salinity hot water injection to enhance heavy oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs

Although low salinity water injection(LSWI) has recovered residual oil after the conventional waterflood, highly viscous oil has remained in heavy oil reservoirs. Hot water injection is an economic and practical method to improve oil mobility for viscous oil reservoirs. It potentially controls temperature-dependent geochemical reactions underlying the LSWI mechanism and oil viscosity. Therefore, this study has modeled and evaluated a hybrid process of low salinity hot water injection(hot LSWI) to quantify synergistic effects in heavy oil reservoirs. In comparison to seawater injection(SWI) and LSWI, hot LSWI results in more cation ion-exchange(Ca^(2+) and Mg^(2+)) and more wettability modification. Hot LSWI also reduces oil viscosity. In core-scaled systems, it increases oil recovery by 21% and 6% over SWI and LSWI. In a pilotscaled reservoir, it produces additional oil by 6% and 3% over SWI and LSWI. Probabilistic forecasting with uncertainty assessment further evaluates the feasibility of hot LSWI to consider uncertainty in the pilot-scaled reservoir and observes enhanced heavy oil production. This study confirms the viability of hot LSWI due to synergistic effects including enhanced wettability modification and oil viscosity reduction effects.

Study on Dust-Control WaterInjection in Fully-Mchanized Top-Coal Caving Longwall Faces

Based on the analysis of the top-coal movement, the appropriate position of holes through which dustcoutrol water is injected is confirmed. And a practical test has been carried out, which has achieved good reuslts both in dust control and in the flow rate of water injected into coal.

The Effect of the Sinking of Isotope Grains in Water Injection Profile Logging

In the process of oil field exploitation, radioactive isotope tracer water injection profile logging is a main method to determine the water-intake capacity of the target intervals. For those general water injection wells, whose perforated intervals are beyond the tubing shoe, the sinking speed of isotope grains is related to the density and salinity of the injection water and the tubing dimension. We studied the motion of the isotope grains in the water injection wells by both theoretical calculation and field experiment. The result shows that if the water injection quantity is over 20 m＆3/d, and the density of the isotope grains, whose diameter is 100-600 μm, is 1.06 g/cm^3, then the logging technique for this kind of water injection wells will be appropriate. Whether water injection profile logging is successful in the well, whose perforated intervals are beyond the tubing shoe, depends on the sinking speed of the tracer grains.