A New Integrated Smarter Technology Application to Enhance the Performance of Water Injectors

摘要

In South Ghawar field, Saudi Arabia, horizontal water injectors have recently dominated conventional vertical wells to increase injection rates and recovery. Most injectors use treated seawater to provide an injection support for Arab D carbonate reservoir with drastic permeability variations, which prevent achieving uniform injection profile and good sweep efficiency. This paper will discuss a new smart open hole water injection completion system that marks a new era in implementing technology application for the first time in water injection wells to optimize injection and recovery. An integrated technological system that was installed consists of a distributed temperature sensing (DTS) from total depth (TD) to surface, a Permanent Downhole Monitoring System (PDHMS) and 20 inflow control devices (ICDs) with six open hole feed through swell packers. A fiber optic DTS was used to simulate injection profiling based on mass and heat transfer that was monitored during DTS injection and warm-back data. Moreover, DTS was utilized to optimize and pumping the acid stimulation evenly during the job. The PDHMS offers unique options for injection regimes, completion integrity, formation properties, and injection assurance effectiveness. The passive ICD system was installed with the purpose to achieve a uniform injection profile for better reservoir management. In conclusion, applying this new integrated technology application in the world for the first time in a horizontal power water injector (PWI) provides a real-time controlled uniform injection profile, optimizes treatment fluids placement, monitors casing leaks, fluid movement behind casing and the mechanical integrity of the swell packers without a costly well intervention. This in return improved the well's deliverability and efficiency. Actual field data will be presented to validate findings and support conclusions.