American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2014 - 107

SpecialReport: Artificial Lift Technology
displayed in Figure 8, and exhibited this
slow and consistent pressure build. This
well is a planned producer and took only
two days to clean up, once returned to
production, proving the gel had set up
and was withstanding the pressure drop
across it. The treatment appears successful,
with test data showing low GOR production.
Preliminary results from the step rate
tests of recently activated injectors show
the polymer- or polymer/cement-treated
wells have injectivity indexes less than
15. The Platform projects have been
treated with more than 1 million barrels
of polymer over 77 treatments.

by shut-in time from polymer gel breakthrough.
Project areas treated for conformance
issues after CO2 activation, such as P1,
benefit from polymer gel treatments with
incremental oil costing $1.27 a barrel on
a pattern basis, while total project polymer
cost is $0.39 per barrel of incremental
oil to date.
Project areas treated for conformance
issues before CO2 activation, such as P2,
peak faster and decline slower at producible GOR levels. The total project
polymer cost is $1.50 per barrel of oil to
date, and is projected to decrease to less
than $0.38 as the project matures. These
economics do not include the time value
of money. They also neglect the benefit
of not having deferred production in P1
and the quicker peak of P2 production.
In turn, if the time value of money is
considered, P2 would have much more
favorable economics.
We recommend pumping sufficient
volumes of polymer gel, or polymer gel
and cement, to see positive wellhead
pressure when treating the type of nonmatrix flow features seen in the Platform
area of the SACROC Unit. Additionally,
these treatments are most effective when
performed prior to CO2 activation in
order to prevent shutting in production
for the weeks required to pump, set up
and clean up.
❒

Conclusions
Polymer gel conformance treatments
have proved successful when used in
large volume to treat nonmatrix flow features in the limestone reef formation of
the SACROC Unit. High volumes of gel
are most successful when tailed in with
high-concentration polymer (30,000 ppm)
when the polymer gel gradually and
steadily builds pressure, or when tailed
in with cement when positive tubing pressure is not achieved or is caused only by
friction.
In a CO2 flood with proven conformance problems, polymer gel treatments
are recommended prior to activation to
reduce early term CO2 cycling and to
prevent deferred or lost production caused
FIGURE 8

30,000

1,800

27,000

1,600

24,000

1,400

21,000

1,200

18,000

1,000

15,000

800

12,000

600

9,000
6,000
Polymer Concentration (ppm)

200

3,000
Tubing Pressure (psi)

00
11 0
,0
00
12
,0
00
13
,0
0
14 0
,0
00
15
,0
00
16
,0
00
17
,0
0
18 0
,0
00
19
,0
00

00
9,

10
,

8,
0

00
7,

6,
0

5,
0

4,
0

3,
0

2,
0

1,
0

0
00

Cumulative Injection (barrels)

Polymer Concentration (ppm)

Pressure (psig) & Injection Rate (bbl/d)

Injection Rate (bbl/d)

400

James W. Pipes is a senior completion engineer for Kinder Morgan
CO2 Company, working on developing
the SACROC Unit of the Kelly-Snyder
Field in West Texas. Previously, he
worked as a production engineer focused on SACROC Unit surveillance.
Prior to joining Kinder Morgan, Pipes
was a field engineer for Schlumberger
Cased Hole Wireline. He has seven
years of industry experience and is a
member of the Society of Petroleum
Engineers. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Louisiana
Tech University.

LANNY
SCHOELING

Platform 3 South Well
2,000

JAMES W.
PIPES

Lanny Schoeling is vice president
of engineering and technical development for Kinder Morgan CO2 Company, and has more than 30 years of
experience in technical and managerial
positions. Prior to working at Kinder
Morgan, he was the chief reservoir
engineer for unconventionals at Shell
E&P, responsible for developing and
managing the commercial reservoir
development team. Schoeling holds a
Ph.D. in petroleum engineering, M.S.
in chemical engineering, and a B.S.
in chemistry. A member of the Society
of Petroleum Engineers, Schoeling
was an SPE distinguished lecturer in
1996, served as chairman of the SPE
Education and Accreditation Committee, and as technical chairman for
the 2012 SPE Improved Oil Recovery
Symposium in Tulsa.
JUNE 2014 107

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2014

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