improving the up-time of oil lifting & production

RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIE

Improving the Up-time of Oil Lifting & Production Facilities in Brown Fields – a RAG Field Case

SPE Hungarian Section - Workshop | DI A. Reingruber | Budapest, Nov.18th 2010 1

11

Society of Petroleum EngineersSociety of Petroleum Engineers

SPE Workshop - How to maximize the value of mature HC fields?

Budapest, 18. November 2010.

Facilities in Brown Fields – a RAG Field Case

RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIE

DI Alan ReinguberT +43 (0) 50 724 5413RAG, Schwarzenbergplatz 16, A-1015 Wien www.rag-austria.at

Improving the Up-time of Oil Lifting & Production Facilities in Brown Fields – a RAG Field Case

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Agenda

• Introduction

• Initial Situation

• Measures taken

• Results


• Results

• Summary

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Tail-End Production Challenges

Field lifeextended

Assumption:50 wells operated

1 EUR = 1.38 USD

Trea

tmen

t cos

ts /

Turn

over

[US

D/d

ay]

Revenue from Oil Sale

UOC 2006: 100%

Improved Operations: UOC 2009: 76%


extended

Water-oil ratio / Lifetime

Trea

tmen

t cos

ts /

Turn

over

[US

D/d

ay]

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How to maximize the value of mature HC fields?


• Extending field life by• Cost Reduction

• Production Increase (IOR/EOR)

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Introduction


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Facts & Figures about the relevant oil field

• Gaiselberg, Zistersdorf / Lower Austria• First Oil in 1937

• Gaiselberg-Field (2,5 km²)• RAG-Field (2,5 km²)

• Complex Geology bounded by major ‚Steinberg‘ Fault


• Complex Geology bounded by major ‚Steinberg‘ Fault• 40 stratigraphic units oil bearing (Sarmatian & Badenian age)• 15 fault blocks -> ~ 600 compartments

• HC height > 1000m in neogen basin fill• 62 wells (33 producer, 18 injector, 11 shut in)• field water cut: ~ 92%• unconsolidated sandstone formations

RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIEOverview – Geologic 3D Model


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Failure Statistics 1996 - 2005

40

50

60

# F

AIL

UR

ES

???


0

10

20

30

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

# F

AIL

UR

ES

Rod Failure Tubing leak Pump failure TOTAL

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Results after analysing the Initial Situation

• Main failure categories• Tubing leak

• Rod failure

• Pump failure


• Deferred Production

• Significant Workover Costs

• No spare capacity for • Well Stimulation

• Re-development of abandoned horizons

RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIERod Failure – severe wear & corrosion


RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIEParaffinic Tubing


RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIETubing Leak


RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIETremendous Corrosion


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Identified Areas for Improvement

• Improved tubing & rod design + operation parameters

• Improved Materials• Rod Pumps

• Rods with spray-metal couplings and protectors

• Tubing Specs


• Tubing Specs

• Line Pipe Specs

• Implementation of Production Chemicals• Corrosion inhibitor

• Paraffin inhibitor

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Improved Rod Sting Design and Operation Parameters

• Design & analysis with software tools like

• Theta‘s Rodstar, CBalance, XDiag

• Electronic dynamometer


• Electronic dynamometer

• Target/Actual comparison

• Optimization parameters• reduced wear (min. load, min.

side wall forces)

• maximized stroke length

• minimized rod dynamics

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Improved Materials I

• Use superior grade material• Rod String Grade D acc. to API

• Pump parts in special alloy acc. to RAG specification

• Spray-metal applications for couplings, spiral centralizers and sinker bars


• Rod protectors with modified Polyamid

spray metal applications

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Improved Materials II

• Tubing Grade J 55• with plastic liner (PE or PP)

- above pump seat to avoid rod buckling

- high deviated wells


- avoid paraffin & wax deposition due to insulation effects

• Line Pipes• C-steel with epoxy resin (or PE)

coating on the inside

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Increased Application of Production Chemistry

• Corrosion inhibitor selection• laboratory screening

• 20 products tested

• Pilot test in the field• 4 + 5 wells


• Simple wireline connected beam driven dosing pump

• Gradual field implementation• Developed module type dosing units

- Optimizing dosing and metering of inhibitors

- High inhibitor volume available for high volume producers

- Possibility to extend the module with second inhibitor barrel (paraffin/scaling…)

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Monitoring – Key Factor in Production Chemistry

Most critical factor for success!

• Use of test coupons (material C 1020)

• Mounted in pipe lines close to the well head


• Mounted in pipe lines close to the well head

• Period of application about 6 – 12 weeks

• Dismount and directly analyse in lab

• Optimize dosing rate according to lab results

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3

4

5C

OR

RO

SIO

N [m

m/y

r]Corrosion Inhibitor – Single Well GA-083


0

1

2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

# CORROSION COUPON INSTALLATIONS

CO

RR

OS

ION

[mm

/yr]

Jan-

2007

Jan-

2008

Jan-

2009

Jan-

2010

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Corrosion Inhibitor – Corr. Rate Survey Results

3

4

5C

OR

RO

SIO

N [m

m/y

r]


0

1

2

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

# CORROSION COUPON INSTALLATIONS

CO

RR

OS

ION

[mm

/yr]

Corrosion Rate < 0.05 mm/yr

RAG.AUSTRIA.ENERGIE

40

50

60#

FA

ILU

RE

S

Failure Statistics I


0

10

20

30

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

# F

AIL

UR

ES

Rod Failure Tubing leak Pump failure TOTAL

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1,20

1,40

1,60

1,80

2,00

# W

OR

KO

VE

R /

WE

LL /

YR

Factor 10

Failure Statistics II


0,00

0,20

0,40

0,60

0,80

1,00

1,20

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

# W

OR

KO

VE

R /

WE

LL /

YR

Up-time: 1 Yr

Up-time: 2 Yr

Up-time: 5 Yr

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Ölproduktion (Tonnen)

41.512

33.265

38.101

28.89931.376

30.000

40.000

50.000

Ton

nen

tons

/ yr

Oil Production Statistics


21.955 22.296 22.30224.373

22.850

24.906

10.000

20.000

30.000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Ton

nen

tons

/ yr

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Summary

• Up-Time of Lifting and Production equipment significantly improved (factor 10 !)

• Production Decline could be stopped

• Unit Cost savings about 25%

• No experiments in the field – structured approach from lab scale to


• No experiments in the field – structured approach from lab scale to field scale.

• Know How and technology can be applied in other oil fields too.

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Thank you for your attention!


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