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Richard Johnson, A. Richard Sinclair, & Van Smith, Santrol

In this paper the chemistry of phenolic resins and the most recent test results are presented to find out the effect that resins may have on the various chemicals in commonly used frac fluids, metal ion crosslinkers, persulfate breakers and foam based fluids. Also, the effects of various coatings and chemical combinations on pH and compressive strengths are examined to arrive at ways to improve the resin coated proppant performance in all types of fluids.

Larry Carlisle* & Paul Crawford, TPRC

Approximately fifty billion barrels of stock tank oil were originally in place in the larye carbonate reservoirs of the Permian Basin. Two-thirds of this oil occurred in the San Andres and Grayburg strata. Much of the recent work utiliziny carbon dioxide as the miscible displacing fluid has been conducted in San Andres reservoirs, yet other strata may also offer substantial opportunities. Ten to fifteen percent of the original oil-in-place was reported to be in Clearfork or Yeso reservoirs. One of the Clear Clearfork producers in West Texas is the Anton- Irish oil field.

J.P. O"Leary, Timothy H. Murray, Terry Guillory, Craig Creive, Mitchell C. Reece, Mark Nugent & Tom Perkins; Researchers & Dr. Paul B. Crawford, Texas A&M University

Laboratory studies have been made to determine the oil recovery by displacing the Levelland and Wasson crudes by carbon dioxide at various pressures. For the case of the Wasson crude it has been found that a slug of carbon dioxide equal to ten percent of the hydrocarbon pore volume pushed by nitrogen resulted in an oil recovery of 96% of the original oil in place. The use of a slug of carbon dioxide of five percent hydrocarbon pore volume pushed by nitrogen resulted in an oil recovery of 90%.

Dave Phillips, Samson Pump LLC; James Martin, Consultant
Jeff DaCunha, BREX LLC
Matt Raglin, SPIRIT Energy Solutions

This paper describes a new pumping system for low-volume/marginal oil wells and deliquification of gas wells to extend well life by reducing the economic limit. The economic limit is reduced by decreasing capital, installation, and operating costs of low-volume artificial lift. Many low liquid volume gas wells cannot justify the current cost of artificial lift. Although beam pumping is typically the lowest cost lift method, its inefficiency at low rates requires a much higher lift capacity than the well actually produces and requires a minimum +/- 25 horsepower.

Dwyann Dalrymple, Mauricio Gutierrez and Julio Vasquez, Halliburton

This paper presents the results of a successful application of a new-generation polymeric selective water reduction (SWT) that reduces water production without requiring zonal isolation. The SWT can be bullheaded into open intervals without the need for isolating water zones from hydrocarbon zones. As a result of this treatment, the productive life of a well can be extended, with a gradual increase in water cut. This translates to a high potential profitability value for mature fields with a high water cut.

Leland Traylor, Pumping Solutions Inc.

Pumping Solutions Incorporated has developed and tested a new type of Electrical Submersible Pump that uses a positive displacement, hydraulically activated diaphragm pumping mechanism in place of the traditional centrifugal pump. This paper presents the field trial results and lessons learned from over 80 real world field installations in coal bed, conventional gas, and conventional oil wells, with data documenting solids handling, gas characteristics, electrical efficiency, and pump performance.

Prentice Creel, Dwyann Dalrymple; Halliburton Energy Services

This paper discusses field results of a fracture-stimulation treatment that includes a relative-permeability modification (RPM) chemical agent. The design objective was for the RPM to leak off into portions of the created fracture during the stimulation treatment and help prevent water production. Initial treatments were performed in April 1997 in the Brushy Canyon formation in southeastern New Mexico. The selected candidates treated were in the Delaware sand reservoir.

Roberto L. Soza, Exxon Company, USA

Electronic Downhole Load Cells (DKLC) have been used to quantify rod loadings calculated by predictive and diagnostic wave equation programs. Test results to date show that software calculations agree closely with DHLC measurements. However, there is a difference in how software programs account for buoyant forces which results in discrepancies in reported loads and placement of the zero load line. The overall impact of this difference in the tests run to date. has not been large and may only be critical in the most demanding rod pumping conditions.

Mike Cadet, Texaco E&P Inc.

Gunbarrel tanks, which are also known as wash tanks, are one of the primary pieces of equipment used to separate oil and water, in oil producing operations. To improve the hydraulics and residence time of fluid in gunbarrel tanks, they are usually outfitted with some type of internal fluid flow control system. There are numerous designs of internal fluid flow control systems. These designs include spreader pipes, spreader tables, inverted troughs, baffles, etc.

K.R. Deluish, Hydril Company

Design of casing and liner strings grows more critical as well depths and bottom-hole pressures increase. Service conditions, economics, material properties, and stress-inducing parameters must all be considered to arrive at an optimum casing or liner design. A practical approach to considering the three basic load conditions, i.e., internal pressure, collapse pressure, and tension, and how they affect casing string design decisions is presented here. Safety factors that have wide industry acceptance and use are discussed.

Vithal J. Pai & Sam J. Garbis, The Western Company of North America

The Morrow Formation is one of the main targets of the drilling activity in Southeast, New Mexico. The paper presents background information including formation lithology derived from X-ray diffraction data and scanning electron micrographs. Formation rock characteristics such as frac and temperature gradient, Young's modulus, permeability, porosity and formation water properties are also presented. Completion techniques such as cementing practices, casing programs and perforating programs are reviewed in detail.

A.W. Talash & Dr. Paul B. Crawford, TPRC, Texas A&M College

A review of assumptions, fundamental procedures and applications of several methods utilized in measuring pressure gradients in gas lift wells. The common parameters of each method are discussed with special emphasis on limitations and errors imposed by the techniques and available data.

Brett Davidson and John Warren, Wavefront Energy & Environmental Services Inc.

To bridge the gap between supply and demand companies must institute new technologies to aid in the exploitation of remaining reserves. The PowerwaveTM process is an injection technology that improves the flow of fluids in geological materials. When effectively implemented, it is the most efficient way to accelerate fluid flow and disperse a liquid through a porous medium. The technology works in a wide range of geological materials, including sedimentary soils and fractured rock. These materials are composed of a solid matrix and pore structure, which contain fluids such as gas and oil.

M.R. Mecusker, J.W. Erickson, & W.H. Grumet

The pitot pump first appeared in U.S. patent history at the turn of the century. The first forms were of the open ring rotor type which had many performance limitations. During the 1920"s, the basic closed rotor form was described in patents, such as shown in Fig. 1. This closed form was extensively studied in Germany in the years 1939 - 1945 (Ref. 1) for use in aircraft and rockets, and in Britain during the late 1940"s. Development on this pitot pump study was stopped when it was found the design did not lend itself to being extended to flows over 5 GPM.

Charles Bannister, Dowell Division of Dow Chemical

The determination of the rheological behavior of cement slurries is essential for the proper evaluation of displacement pressures and flow rates for optimum cement placement. Several cement slurries have been examined, using pipe flow and concentric cylinder viscometers, in an effort to determine which method is better suited for determining such flow characteristics. Comparative analysis of the data indicates that the concentric cylinder viscometer may be inadequate for measurement of the rheological properties of cement slurries.

H.N. Hensley, Conultant to AMOCO Production Co.; J. F. Lea, AMOCO Production Research; Jimmy Chrisitan & Dale Riley, AMOCO Production Co.; Douglas Hettinger & William Meisner, AMOCO Performance Products, Inc.

Ribbon rod is Continuous Carbon Fiber Sucker Rod which is in the configuration of a reelable "tape" or "ribbon" with current dimensions of 1.45 in. x .212 in. It can be wound on a 10 ft diameter reel, 6 in. wide. It is designed to be run with some steel rods on the bottom similar to fiberglass rods. Its performance can be designed and analyzed using wave equation type mathematical models. Ribbon rod has been successfully tested in the lab and field over the past ten years. It was conceived as a method requiring no couplings, using a corrosion resistant, light weight material.

MULTI-WELL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, PART TWO - METHODS FOR MAINTAINING PEAK PERFORMANCE IN OLD GAS FIELDS

Are your gas wells operating at peak performance? Are down-hole or reservoir problems unknowingly keeping your well from producing at its maximum capacity? This paper will address these problems by introducing quick methods of identifying underperforming gas wells and then diagnosing them to determine how to increase their productivity. The use of simple "production indicators" will be illustrated as a way of quickly sorting through large numbers of producing gas wells, and short listing those with potential problems and uplift opportunities.

FIELD APPLICATIONS OF A UNIQUE, BATCH-APPLIED, PROLONGED TREATMENT INTERVAL OILWELL CORROSION INHIBITOR

Historically, batch applications of corrosion inhibitors have been utilized to protect the downhole tubulars in oil and gas producing wells. Previously, a paper was presented which detailed the laboratory development and initial field evaluations of a new, unique corrosion inhibitor which enabled the Operator to extend the frequencies of his conventional batch treatments. This paper addresses the practical application of this chemistry, and the monitoring of its performance over the last year in several producing fields in the Permian Basin.

EFFECTIVE OILWELL CORROSION MONITORING USING DISSOLVED MANGANESE IN CONJUNCTION WITH MODERN INSTRUMENTATION AND TECHNIQUES

A considerable amount of money is spent annually on corrosion inhibition programs utilized in the production of crude and natural gas. Consequently, considerable time and effort is placed on monitoring these programs and on searching for the most cost effective, system representative monitoring tool. For many years, dissolved iron was used for corrosion monitoring, though we now realize the many errors of this process, particularly in "sour", or hydrogen sulfide bearing, production environments.

Tim Brown, John Hagar, Keith Sevin and Dean Soderstrom, Oxy Permian, Billy Ray Smith, Halliburton

Injection and production below the OWC and bottom thief intervals are common problems in many carbonate reservoirs. Conventional methods to remediate bottom water injection are expensive, largely due to well control costs. A method to repair bottom water injection with reduced or eliminated rig costs is presented, along with lessons learned from successes and failures utilizing this methodology.

Larry Hastings, HNG Oil Co.

In the Oil and Gas Industry, risk analysis is the attempt by industry to quantify the range of outcomes of real world events by means of mathematical models of the real world. In the real world of multiple economic decisions that industry must contend with every business day, there are multitudes of externalities, known and unknown, that act upon real world events. These externalities are in general called risk and uncertainty. The Oil and Gas Industry tries to measure, quantify, and account for risk and uncertainty using stochastic and statistical methods.

Raghavan Ramanan, PhD & Albert Robb III, Mobil Business Resources Corp.

Risk is the potential for an adverse impact on the achievement of objectives. Environmental, health and safety (EHS) risks often threaten far beyond the EHS objectives. Risk management is the process by which risk is prevented, controlled or mitigated in a value focused manner, considering both benefit and cost sides of the risk equation. It is prudent to recognize that i) everything cannot be done at once, ii) some things are more important than others, and iii) it is best do the most important things first. The objective is to "Work the right issues - fund the right opportunities".

ARTIFICIAL LIFT CONCERNS FOR GAS WELL DE-WATERING

As gas wells deplete, it is very common for additional water and sometimes condensates to begin to accumulate in the flow path (tubing) of the well. This liquid loading reduces the gas flow rate and can even stop the flow rate completely. There are many solutions to the gas well de-watering problem, but what is the best solution? Solutions include smaller tubing, plunger lift, addition of surfactants, wellhead compression, smaller tubing, pumping methods such as beam pumping, possibly injection of liquids below a packer to an underlying zone, gaslifting of gas wells, and other methods.

SUCCESFUL TECHNOLOGIES AND OPERATING PRACTICES FOR DEALING WITH PRODUCED WATER

The largest volume waste stream associated with oil and gas production is produced water. Independent operators have identified produced water as a major constraint in the production of hydrocarbons. The costs of lifting, separating, handling, treating and disposing of this water are substantial. In addition to the economic burden it imposes, water can also directly reduce hydrocarbon production. With these thoughts in mind and as partial fulfillment of a Dept.

FIELD PRODUCTION DATA CAPTURE - DIGITAL AND OTHER METHODS

This paper will report the results of a survey of the field methods that oil and gas operators are using to capture and transmit daily field production. The objective of the survey was to: (1) accumulate information on the techniques/methods operators in the Permian Basin were using to collect, record and transmit daily production (oil, gas, water) and other associated operational data; and (2) determine if the methods employed correlated with size of the operator and/or location (remote or centralized).

Annual Conference Info

NEXT SWPSC CONFERENCE: April 19-22, 2027