Previous product
Electrical Submersible Pumping ESP- Design and Evaluation (English)
Back to products
Next product
Continuous Gas Lift (English) $399.00

Cyclic Steam injection in artificial lifted wells (English)

Cyclic Steam Injection (CSI) is a process applied in heavy oil reservoirs that consists in injecting steam into a reservoir through a well for a period of a few days and then returning the well back to production for some months, the process or cycle is repeated. Despite being commonly used there are some conceptual and operational aspects that are not clearly understood and require a detailed review to ensure proper application of this method.

The Cyclic Steam Injection is a thermal process that by increasing the temperature in the near wellbore the viscosity of the heavy crudes is reduced notoriously, which improves the reservoir inflow performance allowing to increase the production rates of heavy crudes. This method is very attractive for its results in a short term and for its high percentage of success in achieving production increases, although its recoveries are far below other thermal methods.

In order to have an adequate CSI operation it is necessary to understand and improve each stage of the cycle: The injection and the production with the declination for the subsequent reinjection. The amount of steam and energy required, the reduction of heat losses during injection, the appropriate production forecast, the selection and effect of the lifting system, the planning of the cycles are examples of key aspects that must be understood for a better management of the operation and an adequate use of the available steam.

Categories: , Tag:
Description

Main Objective

Understand the phenomena and principles that govern the behavior of wells with cyclic steam injection in order to improve the performance of operations in this type of well.

Specific Objetives

  • Understand the processes that govern the affluence of the deposit and the production of the wells with Cyclic Steam Injection.
  • Distinguish differences between thermal methods.
  • Learn the thermal properties of the fluids, rocks and pipes involved in CSI and their magnitudes.
  • Understand the interrelation between the parameters associated with CSI.
  • Visualize the interrelation and effects between the Artificial Lift System and the CSI.
  • Determine the energy and infrastructure requirements of the CSI
  • Deduct the recommended practices in CSI based on the understanding of the processes.

Who shoul attend

  • Petroleum Engineers
  • Production Engineers
  • Optimization Engineers
  • Oilfield Operation Engineers or Technicians
  • All personnel involved with the cyclic steam injection and the artificial lift systems

CONTENT

DAY 1

  • Evaluation at the beginning of the course.
  • Description of existing thermal methods principles, scope and limitation:
    • Continuous Steam Injection (Steam Flooding).
    • Alternate Steam Injection (Huff and Puff).
    • Resistive Heating in the Background.
    • Inductive heating.
    • Microwave heating.
    • In Situ combustion.
  • Properties of heavy oil fields.
    • Permeabilities, thicknesses, mobilities.
    • Viscosity vs. Temperature.
  • Thermal properties of the different components.
    • Water-Steam.
    • Oil-Gas.
    • Steel
  • Magnitudes and general energetic calculations associated with thermal methods.

DAY 2

  • CSI principles and fundamental equations.
  • Heat Loss in the well during the injection.
  • CSI in vertical wells:
    • CSI stimulation or recovery?
    • CSI estimate of the impact on the recovery.
    • Pressure drop profile in porous medium.
    • CSI estimate impact on productivity index.
    • CSI in wells with damage.

DAY 3

  • Outflow curve
  • Calculation of the radius heated according to the injection time.
  • Soaking time.
  • Production time (cooling) vs. production:
    • CSI vs other methods of stimulation.
    • CSI in horizontal wells.
  • Differences to be considered in CSI with vertical wells.
  • CSI estimation of the impact on the productivity index.

DAY 4

  • CSI with artificial lift:
  • Considerations with Gas Lift, ESP, PCP, SRP.
  • Effects of the artificial lift in the cooling time.
  • CSI surface requirements:
    • Energy required for steam generation.
    • Expected production.
    • Inter-cycle declines of the CSI

DAY 5

  • CSI existing analysis tools, scope and limitations:
    • Simplified mathematical models.
    • Nodal analysis models.
    • Reservoir simulators for thermal methods.
  • Best practices based on the thermal principles of the CSI.
  • Analysis of cases.
  • Evaluation at the end of the course.

Added Value of the knowledge acquired and in the course

  • Understand how to use the Nodal Analysis for well study and optimization
  • Understand that CSI has more effects on the productivity index than on the increase in rehabilitation.
  • Understand the benefits and possible intrinsic difficulties in the thermal phenomena of CSI.
  • Understand and calculate estimates of the energy and vapor magnitudes involved in the CSI.
  • Understand and calculate the expected increases in production.
  • Understand the phenomena that govern the cooling of a steam cycle and the inter-cycle decline.
  • Establish a technical criterion to understand and apply the best practices.
  • Understand the capabilities and limitations of the analysis tools for CSI.

Instructor:

Sergio Caicedo, Mr. Caicedo holds a BSc Physics & BSc Computer Engineer from Simón Bolívar University Venezuela, as well as a MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. With 26 years of experience as a specialist in artificial lift and well productivity and software development applied to oil production. He has worked as an instructor teaching courses in the area of ​​oil production where he has trained 700+ engineers in the companies where he has worked. Mr. Caicedo has developed innovative projects working in multidisciplinary teams. He has developed calculation tools to assist field engineers in the Productivity of Wells with Cyclic Steam Injection including calculations of injection heat losses, heating radii, Hot Productivity Index and Artificial Lift cooling model. He has also worked on the calculations of the Effects of Resistive Heating in Well Bottom with BCP / BM. Mr. Caicedo has developed uncertainty methods for the production area, such as the calculation of volumes of Gels for Water Control. He has also studied the Feasibility of Ultrasound for Stimulation of Wells, and has published multiple articles on Production Optimization. Mr. Caicedo has worked as a specialist in artificial lifting in Venezuela, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Mr. Caicedo was awarded with the SPE Middle East Production and Operations Award 2015 for his technical contributions in artificial lifting for the production of hydrocarbons.

Request this training now

Request now