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Jim Campbell, Unichem, & Pat Carter & Tina Flowers, Texaco

The Midway FMT is a Spraberry waterflood located in Dawson County about 10 miles southeast of Lamesa, Texas that has a history of paraffin problems. The severity of problems range from having to abandon flowlines that plugged with paraffin, to back pressure on flowlines, to reduced production rates, to having to hot oil or hot water flowlines, to injecting paraffin solvents and paraffin inhibitors and / or combinations of the above. Paraffin build-ups in tubing can result in decreased flow rates, expense and delayed production due to field or contract wireline cutting and steaming the tubing.

George Anderson III, Texas Tech University

Formation evaluation is the process of the application of technology to gain or improve understanding the physical characteristics of subsurface rock formations and the nature and distribution of their contained fluids for the purpose of identifying and developing commercial hydrocarbons. Cores and rotary sidewall cores are prized as actual samples of subsurface rock formations and their contained fluids and the opportunity they represent for direct measurements and observations of rock and fluid properties.

Chuck Wilson, Automation Electronics

To obtain meaningful results from Wave Equation analysis of surface dynamometer data, the acquired field data should meet certain minimum requirements. This paper will show the effects of the various parameters on the Down Hole Cards. Various parameters will be examined and their effects shown. Some of the topics covered will be: The Effects of Sampling frequency, Aliasing, Lowpass Filtering, Data Slew Rate, and Skew between Load and Position on Sampled Data. A technique, improving signal to noise ratio and performance by Over Sampling and Decimation will also be covered.

PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MARK II IMPROVED GEOMETRY PUMPING UNIT

The paper will discuss the fundamentals of the Mark II pumping unit and the torque analysis. Comparisons will be made to other types of pumping units to show where this unit will have a reduced torque and additional operational benefits to the operator.

ECONOMIC IMPACT RESULTING FROM USE OF CASING PLUNGERS

Most work on the casing plunger has highlighted its concept and technology. This paper will show the true economics of applying this technology. This provides the producer a true, accurate measure to determine his decision on this concept

ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOCIDES - ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO HAZARDOUS AND LESS EFFECTIVE PRODUCTS

Unlike traditional oilfield biocides, those created using Electro-Chemical Activation (ECA) technology, do not interference with gel breakers, do not increase TDS levels, leave no residual toxic chemicals, are cost competitive and are extremely effective killing bacteria without the microorganisms becoming resistant to the natural biocide solutions. This paper discusses

ELECTROLYTIC BIOCIDES: GREEN ALTERNATIVES FOR STIMULATION FLUID PROTECTION AND FORMATION BIOMASS REMEDIATION

Using a novel, small sized, flow-through electrolytic module, (FEM), and a cost-effective saline solution, nascent oxidant biocides can be produced for preventing and/or controlling micro-organisms that may plague aqueous polymer solutions in surface or downhole oil or gas well operations. The technology involves the use of electric current applied to the FEM while saline water is flowed through the FEM's two titanium/precious metal alloy tubes divided by a ceramic tube.

DRILLING WITH COILED TUBING IN NORTH AMERICA - A CASE STUDY

Drilling with coiled tubing had its beginnings in the late 1970s, but did not become economical until the mid 1990s. Three distinct areas of operations, each with different technologies evolved in North America. In Alaska, operators have drilled over 600 multi-lateral, highly deviated holes in the existing vertical wells, through the 4 _ inch tubing. Each year the schedule has accelerated and results are significant in volume and economics. In Alberta Province the use of coiled tubing to drill shallow gas has evolved from a curiosity to a 25% market share.

Steve Gault, Union Oil Company Of California

Operating expenses in the Moss Unit were reduced by checking equipment designs and reducing equipment loading where possible. The South Cowden, Moss Unit is located in the South Cowden Field, five miles southwest of Odessa, Texas and is operated by Union Oil Company of California. The water injection began in the Grayburg-San Andres zones in 1961. For the six years from 1980 through 1985 the unit averaged 69 rod pumping wells and 41 injectors. corrosion is considered severe.

Jerry B. Davis, Harold Brown Co.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the principle of oil production from deep reservoirs by the gas lift chamber method. This paper will be divided into five principle parts: 1) a section explaining the purpose of the chamber, 2) a discussion of chamber operation and arrangement, 3) a section concerning chamber design, 4) a discussion of results obtained by utilizing chambers for deep lift operations and 5) a summary.

Joe Herndon, Halliburton Services

Disposal of concentrated highly toxic or otherwise obnoxious wastes by deep well injection is not a trivial matter, but one which can be undertaken only after careful planning and intensive study. Prerequisites for this type disposal should include consideration of geological conditions, legal requirements, effluent analysis and compatibility studies, as well as engineering and economic evaluations. The major effort in this paper is to present a close look at the priorities and planning required through an examination of case histories.

Alan Peters, Penetrators Inc. & Grant McQueen, Penetrators Canada Ltd.

Two methods that employ a pumping system operating at 10,000 psi (69 MPa) and 20 to 30 gpm (.08 to .12 m3/min) to penetrate through well casing and radially into the formation up to 10 ft will be described. This is a downhole application of liquid jet cutting technology that is also used in mining, manufacturing, and industrial cleaning. The processes utilize a clean completion fluid, compatible with the formation of interest, to mechanically cut through the well casing and then jet cut or erode a tunnel out into the formation.

E.R. West, The Pure Oil Company

Casing design, basic cementing practices, and problems that can occur for deep Delaware Basin wells are presented. Pipe inspection is discussed and recommendations are made as to type and amount of inspection required. Because of extreme depths, many deep wells are terminated or completed shallower than anticipated when unforeseen problems dictate that additional casing strings be set. To overcome this problem, integral joint casing is often installed in a relatively tight hole. This operation presents other problems which are explained.

James F. Massey, Jake L. Hamon Co.

General discussion of the problems encountered during the drilling and completion of the world's deepest commercial producer, Wasples-Platter No. 1, located in the Hamon (Ellenberger) Field, Reeves County, Texas. This discussion is followed by a brief resume of changes in operational procedures that have been utilized during the current drilling of the two offset wells in an attempt to reduce the magnitude of the problems of the discovery well.

G. L. Porter, Humble Oil & Refining Co.

The problems of deep well pumping are many and varied. The troubles encountered not only vary from area to area, but from field to field in a given area, and even from well to well in a given field. The first problem of pumping a deep well is to design an installation that will reduce either the desired amount of fluid, or the maximum amount of fluid, as the case might be. For a given size pump, the rod stress or hydraulic pressure increases with pump depth and the cost of lifting a barrel of fluid increases accordingly.

Ralph N. Nelson, Hy-Bon Engineering Company, Inc.

Vertical Turbine Pumps are engineered in three basic elements. Each element must be selected to perform a particular function and operate efficiently with each of the other two elements.

Herman E. Schaller, Triangle Service, Inc.

As secondary recovery methods become increasingly important in the economic development of oil reservoirs, knowledge of the reservoir fluids behavior becomes essential to attaining optimum performance. Instruments and techniques have been developed that enable identification of the intervals that are contributing oil and/or water under normal producing conditions. Further, the oil and water may be separately and independently identified, both with respect to limits of producing intervals and respective rates of entry.

James F. Lea and Lawrence N. Mower
Amoco Production Research

A Laboratory investigation was conducted to provide data necessary to better predict the behavior of gas Lift plungers. The Laboratory phase of the study was necessary since no data was available on full size commercially available plungers. A test well was instrumented to provide pressure, velocity, and volumetric information during the fall and rise cycle of a variety of commercially available plungers. A data bank representing 132 individual runs has been compiled and behavior of 13 different plunger configurations has been characterized by gas slippage, Liquid fallback, and fall velocity.

Robert F. Ray, Jr., Parkersburg Rig and Reel Co.

Vapor-phase water in low-enough concentrations is relatively harmless in a natural-gas gathering and transporting system. It is the liquid-phase water which causes all of the difficulties experienced. The usual trouble caused by liquid water is the formation of gas hydrates; everyone is familiar with the so-called freezing of gas lines and equipment in cold weather. Another trouble which is somewhat more obscure than hydrate formation is internal corrosion of the pipe. Elimination of liquid water from a gas-handling system effectively prevents the formation of hydrates and corrosion.

Roy Williams, Texaco, Inc.

Costs to drill and equip deep Delaware Basin gas wells have been significantly reduced in recent years despite inflationary trends. Well planning must be meticulously performed and improvements in drilling or completion techniques implemented with minimum time lag. Each casing setting depth must be considered as to how it relates to total cost and safety. The latest improvements in bits and drilling fluid must be incorporated in well planning. Cementing design must consider limited annuli clearance, high differential pressure, high temperature and pumping time requirements.

BASIC PLUNGER LIFT "WILL PLUNGER LIFT WORK ON MY WELL?"

Plunger Lifts are one of the most cost effective and efficient ways to artificially lift fluid production from gas wells and high gas/liquid ratio oil wells. In operation the plunger travels to the bottom of the well where fluid is picked up by the plunger. The plunger acts like a swab, and is then brought to the surface removing most liquids from the tubing. It will also keep the tubing free from paraffin, salt and or scale build up. Fluid removal prevents loading and keeps the well from dying.

H. Allen Stormer, Oilwell Division

Increasing the service life of the sucker rod joint is a continuing goal of both manufacturers and users. Whether or not the goal is reached depends on how well the manufacturer designs and builds the component parts of the joint system and how carefully the user applies it in service. The man who makes the product gets one crack at producing the best engineered joint he can; the man running the sucker rods has recurring opportunities to increase or decrease the joint life by field practice.

Annual Conference Info

NEXT SWPSC CONFERENCE: April 19-22, 2027