Well Completion and Simulation

With an estimated 46,000 producing horizontal wells in the Permian Basin currently yielding less than 200 BOPD, operators are facing a growing inventory of declining wells. This base production decline must be continually offset by new well additions—an increasingly costly and resource-intensive strategy. As a result, the industry is experiencing a resurgence of acidizing treatments in horizontal...

While the west Texas natural gas industry has been on life support since 2008 with low prices and inadequate takeaway capacity it is on the verge of a major revival in order to meet upcoming major LNG and data center demand increases.   These plants and data centers will require 18-24 BCFD of incremental supply over current levels in the US by 2030.  Based on EIA projections it is expected that...

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. Installing borided tubing along the...

In the realm of artificial lift systems, the monitoring and optimization of Electrical Submersible Pumps (ESPs) are paramount due to the high costs associated with unintended shutdowns and failures. Traditional methods, ranging from simple logic-based local alarms to sophisticated 24/7 surveillance centers, have shown tangible improvements in ESP operation. However, scaling such surveillance...

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.

The multilayer filtering system leverages the concept...

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...

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...

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...

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...