SPE Moscow section SPE Moscow section

Cost-engineering waterflooding management methods and tools for West Siberian oil fields

OPEX optimization of the oil field development system in Western Siberia is the important task for oil companies. This is due to both a decline in oil prices and the watercut growth in the production. Companies are forced to have large costs associated with organizing the injection of the working agent of the water flooding system, lifting the liquid to the surface, and working on fluid dehydration. Often, the total value of operating costs forces companies to abandon some production wells, which negatively affects both the Company's income and the level of recovery factor.

The development of simulation modeling tools opens up opportunities for companies to optimize key technological and economic indicators of field development. This is especially useful for old fields at the final stage of development, the achievement of profitability of which is impossible without continuous optimization measures.

However, the geological uncertainties and the complexity of the evaluation of the hydrodynamic connection between the injection and production wells do not allow oil companies to obtain a correct answer to the question of the efficiency of the current water flooding system and individual injection wells. Unfortunately, the complexity of creating a permanent hydrodynamic model, connected both with the unreliability of input data, and with high labor and computational costs does not allow to fully meet the requirements for optimizing the waterflooding system. At the same time, analytical methods, despite their simplicity and flexibility, are not popular due to low predictive ability

In this connection, the greatest attention is paid to the hybrid hydrodynamic model based on the capacitive-resistive analogy (CR). The use of this model is based on training on historical data, testing the quality of training on test historical data and subsequently forecasting development indicators. Based on physical processes, a simplified model of material balance with a minimum number of unknowns makes it possible to identify efficiently and with sufficient quality injection wells with a low production effect and predict the effect of injection rate change. In integration with the economic model, this CR-method allows to forecast and maximize NPV depending on the Company’s variable costs.

Particular attention is paid to the aspects of block analysis (BFA): predicting watercut based on displacement characteristics, factor analysis of changes in oil production and cash flow.

The use of the method at a number of fields in Western Siberia has demonstrated good convergence with the results of calculations on more complex numerical models.

About author:

Mikhail Naugolnov – reservoir engineering manager in LLC Gazpromneft STC. In 2011 he graduated with honors St. Petersburg Mining Institute, specializing in the petroleum engineering, in 2012 - with honors in economics and management. In 2011-2012 he worked for Total E&P Russie in the project of commissioning the Kharyaga oil field. Since 2013, he has been working at LLC Gazpromneft STC, in direction related to reservoir engineering, design, monitoring, development management, simulation modeling, and automation of calculation methods. Author more than 20 scientific works.

From 12 till 15 November, 2018, at the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University) the X International Youth Scientific and Practical Congress "Oil and Gas Horizons” will be organized by the Gubkin University SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Student Chapter.

The scale of the Congress is growing every year, and the geography of the participants is expanding. This year will be the tenth anniversary for the "Oil and Gas Horizons". In 2017, the Congress participants became 107 students, undergraduates and postgraduates from 38 universities in 23 countries.

The program of the Congress includes paper contest, intellectual game PetroOlympic Games, motivational training, Technical Case, as well as excursions around the city. The event provides a unique opportunity for students of the world's leading universities studying in various areas of the oil and gas industry to share their knowledge and experience with each other.

The work of the Congress will be attended by experts from the faculties of the University, as well as from leading oil and gas companies.

Within the framework of the Student Paper Contest, the following sections are provided:

• Geological Sciences;

• Drilling and Completion of Wells;

• Oil and Gas Fields Development;

• Oil and Gas Chemistry;

• Health, Safety and Environment;

• Petroleum Economics and Management;

• “Smart”Technologies for Oil and Gas Industry.

There are also 3 additional sections:

• Competition of postgraduate work (PhD);

• Competition of works of young specialists;

• Section of poster presentations.

The Congress "Oil and Gas Horizons", in addition to a lot of experience and bright emotions, give participants a lot of new acquaintances, both with experts of the oil and gas industry and with the same students from all over the world. Winners of the competition of scientific works and intellectual game will be awarded with valuable prizes from sponsors and partners of the Congress.

The official language of the Congress is English.

Do not miss your chance to present scientific work at the largest international youth event of Gubkin University, submitting a thesis before August 20, 2018 on the Congress website: oilandgashorizons.ru

If you have any questions, please contact:

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Eleonora Belova

President of Gubkin University SPE Student Chapter

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Tel. 7-916-130-18-87

Polina Letkova

The main organizer of the Congress "Oil and Gas Horizons"

Vice-President of Gubkin University SPE Student Chapter

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Tel. 7-915-360-35-48