Sour Crude Production Practices in Inhabited Onshore Saudi Arabian Field

摘要

Oil field operations involve a certain amount of risk. The risk factor increases significantly when dealing with sour hydrocarbons due to the highly toxic nature of hydrogen sulfide. This aspect takes a great deal of importance when large areas of such field are inhabited in addition to high population density towns in very close proximity to the field. This paper will address the challenges and safety concerns when developing sour crude oil fields in inhabited areas from production engineering perspective. Application of proven technologies such as smokeless flare system, permanent downhole monitoring system, and remotely controlled wellhead equipment and data acquisition will be discussed. These systems can minimize the impact of oil well clean-up operations on environment, frequent well interventions and well-site visits for safe operations in a field producing from reservoirs with relatively high hydrogen sulfide content in the hydrocarbons. Utilization of these systems will enhance the safety of oil field operations as well as the inhabitants in the nearby areas.