Well Completion and Simulation

In the Bakken, holes in tubing caused by rod-on-tubing wear are one of the most prevalent mechanisms of downhole failures in rod pumped applications, especially in deep, highly deviated wells. A common mitigation method involves using borided tubing in sections where tubing splits occur, typically near the pump where compressive and buckling forces are highest.

Scanning tubing at the wellhead using EMI technology has been a common practice in the Permian Basin and beyond. This application has been historically relied on to grade pipe and identify joints of the tubing string that require replacement due to wear, corrosion, pitting, or any irregularity that would compromise the integrity of the string and cause issues in general operations of the well. The tubing scanned on location has been thought to be accurately categorized and has been trusted to immediately reuse downhole within the same scope of work, given an acceptable reading.

This paper presents a novel technology designed to address the challenges posed by 100-mesh frac sand (149 microns) in rod pumps, particularly in the Permian Basin. This sand often causes premature pump failures by clogging and damaging key components like the plunger and barrel. The solution extends pump run life and prevents pump sticking.

Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) provides unparalleled insights into the operation and performance of Electric Submersible Pumps (ESPs) and gas lift systems in oil and gas wells. Our proprietary platform, the “Precise Signal Streaming Platform-Artificial Intelligence” (PSSP-AITM, where "TM" denotes trademark in superscript in this abstract), leverages real-time DAS phase data analysis to enable continuous tracking of downhole facilities.

Using simple salt water, (NaCl or K2CO3), and electrolysis, produces a more cost effective, environmentally benign biocide, HOCl (hypochlorous acid), and/or an environmentally benign alkaline ( KOH) , production enhancing, super water wetting, well treatment solution. The production enhancement from using small 1000–3000-gallon alkaline (KOH) Catholyte treatments on two new wells in the S.E.

OBJECTIVES/SCOPE: 
Cleaning out a lateral is a powerful tool for restoring production in mature wells, but sometimes the hydraulics will not allow circulation with fresh water. An interesting technique for cleaning out such laterals has been field tested in the Delaware Basin, and it has potential application in many basins. As laterals age, a proper cleanout using this new method can restore production after a frac hit, prepare it for a refrac or for spotting acid across the lateral, run casing patches, clean out the top of a fish, and numerous other applications.

The Permian Basin began production in the 1920’s.  With that production of hydrocarbons has come the production of a lot of water.  In 2002 it was estimated that the production of water was 400 million gallons per day and that volume has increased steadily.  In addition, to water production, many reservoirs have reached an age where the paraffin and asphaltene content of the produced crude has increased.  Also, corrosive fluids production has increased, yielding deposits in tubulars.

One of the most expensive issues while workover operations are fishing and sometimes it ended up being a non-successful operation when the fish is left in the hole. The time expended trying to pull a fish in horizontal wells is particularly long and the costs are high. Proper planning and good practices should reduce the risk associated with this problem but as a contingency, a new tool has been incorporated in more than 150 installations in the Midland and Delaware basin during 2022.

A new gas separation technology was released last year with the goal of creating a substantially increased volume capacity and therefore significantly improved separation quality through application of a process known as limited-entry. This process is more commonly applied to well fracturing and other stimulation procedures wherein the principle is applied to create an equal distribution of fluids to be pumped into an expansive length of producing formation or a variety of formation qualities at once.

Historically, managing and inhibiting corrosion, scaling and paraffin deposition downhole required surface chemical remediation. Numerous application scenarios involve truck treating, bulk tank placement and chemical injection.  A commonly used modification of this principle involves dropping solid chemical compounds down the backside of the wellbore and ultimately landing into the rathole (long cylindrical cavity inside the well casing, but below the tubing string) where the accumulated mass can rapidly dissolve.