Paper: PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION AND IMPROVED TREATMENT SOLUTION METHOD OF A HIGH-PERMEABILITY THIEF ZONE

During a pilot evaluation of a CO? water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection performed in the west Texas San Andres formation, operators discovered that CO? and water injections were being lost to a highpermeability layer in the upper portion of the formation. This problem was indicated by profile data and a lack of offset production-well responses. No offset producers indicated the presence of CO? however, CO? was discovered in an abandoned temporary injection well located 2 1/4 miles from the communicating injector. This discovery meant that, rather than reaching their target destination, injection fluids were traveling to the abandoned well through a high-permeability thief zone.