Polymers perform in Patagonia

摘要

Careful analysis and innovative chemistry help improve volumetric sweep efficiency in Argentina's Cuyo Basin. Under production since 1966, the Vizcacheras field is located in Western Argentina. It is the southeastern-most field in the prolific Cuyo Basin and has produced under a mature waterflood scheme for many years. By the end of 2003, production was 8,635 bo/d from 162 wells with an average field water fraction approaching 96%. Extensive field studies and numerical simulations suggested that conformance could be improved by diverting flood water from high conductivity channels into unswept regions of the reservoir. A pilot project was commissioned to validate a proposal to inject a target formation with a specially designed polymer gel treatment with the objective of improving volumetric sweep efficiency in the block of wells under study. Based on project success, the technique could be expanded to cover the entire field.