Type / Description
Extra-Heavy Crude Oil (API 6 – 8)
- Field divided into two blocks
- Leased to two operators with assigned production targets
- Operators had to prove the technical and economic feasibility of their field development and operational strategy
- The winner takes it all
Challenge
- Selected extraction technology Huff & Puff SAGD
- TPF built to process produced fluids
- Wide temperature fluctuations of the produced fluids at TPF inlet resulted in complex operational issues, rendering a sustained field operation unfeasible
- High gas temp. resulted in frequent compressor trips
- Lack of means to export the extracted gas resulted in a production shut-in
- During these events, the production cooled down in the trunk lines
- Difficulties experienced to resume production due to viscosity increment on
production lines
Project Development
- Onsite field diagnosis
- Process reconfiguration with minor modifications of existing equipment (1 week)
Outcome
- The operator was able to resume production and stabilize the process
- Production goals were surpassed (doubled)
- The operator was awarded the contract to take over the whole field
- TSP was awarded the full field development project
- Takeaway: development of process alternatives enables economic production in marginal fields
