Water Management Experience in

Mature Basin in South Argentina

Case Study of San Jorge Gulf Basin
Authors:
Clemente Marcelo Hirschfeldt
Fernando Diego Bertomeu

Oil Production Consulting

Overview
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Argentina Introduction to the regional Context

San Jorge Gul Basin (SJGB)
Water Management in SJGB
Water treatment and distribution
Water flooding projects
Water Management Cost
Well integrity management
Conclusions

Argentina
Introduction to the regional Context

Argentina and regional context

Venezuela
Guyanas
Colombia

3,00
Ecuador

2,50

2,46

2,44

Peru
Bolivia

Paraguay

Argentina

Millons of BOPD

Brazil

Peru

Chile

2,64

2,00
1,50

1,00
1,00

0,54

Uruguay

0,50
0,00

World Oil November 2014

0,53

0,42

6,00

1.000.000

5,00

900.000

4,00

Water: 6.243.537 bpd

3,00
2,00
1,00
0,00

800.000
700.000
600.000

Oil: 538.586 bpd

Water

Oil

500.000
400.000

Oil - bpd

Water - Millons of bpd

Argentina Production evolution

Golfo San Jorge Basin (GSJB)

107 years of history

Introduction to Golfo San Jorge Basin

28 MM acre

Peru

Located in Patagonia Argentina

First oil well was drilled in Comodoro
Rivadavia city in 1907

Introduction to Golfo San Jorge Basin

Oil
Gas

28,000 M acre

Water
Water %
Active Wells:

256.180 bpd (*)

0,51 Bcfpd

3,05 Millons of bpd

92,3 %
13.637 (**)

Water Injector wells: 2.983

Oil production per well: 18,8 bpd

(*): 43 % of Argentina Oil Production
(**) Wells with Artificial Lift Systems

GSJB Main Characteristics

o Faults and sand stone lenses
o HWOR (high water-oil ratio)
o Increasing fluid flow rate per
well
o Reservoirs from 2,000 to 9000
feet

o up to 35 different reservoirs
opened
o Vertical wells (5 casing)
o Semi-desert environment

High subsurface complexity + low oil productivity per well

GSJB - Enviroment and Landscape

Water Management in GSJB

Objetives and Challenges

Objetives of Water Management in SJGB

Water
handling cost

Increase oil
production

Environment
Impact

Increase
Recovery
Factor

Increasing Asset Value Improving the Water

Management Process

Water System Scheme

13.637 wells with
ALS)
GAS

OIL

Treatment and
injection plants

Water pipelines

2.983
injectors wells

aquifer
disposal

up to 35 different
reservoirs opened

Selective injection
(waterflooding
projects)

From 3000 to 9000 ft

Activities related to water management

GAS

OIL

Water Treatment

Power supplay

aquifer

Surface
Distribution

Well Integrity
Management
disposal

Production
Optimization
Downhole
Distribution

Reservoir Management

The Water System and activities related

Water treatment and distribution

Water Treatment

not complex process in GSJB

85 process and pumping plants

Tipical Treatment

Suspended Solids and Oil Removal

Dissolved Oxygen removal
Scale prevention
Bacteria Control
Corrosion Control

Surface distribution

3,05 Millons of bpd of water injected

2.983 injectors wells
Around 250 injection manifold
Individual Electromagnetic Flowmeters
Scada sistems for surveillance

Downhole distribution

Selective Injection
Up to 15 mandrels
Wireline operation is requiered for moving
valves and measuring the individual water
flow rate
Surveillance on injection patterns with tracers

Waterflooding projects in GSJB

the key for water management

Water Injection vs Oil production

3.500.000

400.000
3.195.346
350.000

Water injection

WATER INJECTION- BPD

2.500.000

300.000
256.180

2.000.000

250.000

1.500.000

200.000

Total Oil production

1.000.000

122.308

500.000
0
oct-95

150.000
100.000

Oil production by Secundary Recovery (SR)

jul-98

abr-01

ene-04

46,5 % of Oil production from SR

oct-06

jul-09

abr-12

dic-14

100 % of Water is injected

Around 350 SR Project

50.000
sep-17

OIL PRODUCTION - BPD

3.000.000

0%
mar-14

ago-13

ene-13

jun-12

nov-11

SECUNDARY

abr-11

90%

sep-10

feb-10

jul-09

dic-08

may-08

oct-07

mar-07

ago-06

ene-06

jun-05

30%

nov-04

80%

abr-04

sep-03

feb-03

jul-02

dic-01

may-01

oct-00

mar-00

ago-99

ene-99

EOR Just the begining

100%

0,7 % EOR

70%

60%

50%

40%

PRIMARY

20%

10%

% of water produced evolution

Water balance
Bottlenecks Analysis

Water balance & Bottlenecks Analysis

When the limit of water handling is reached, we can

consider at least two options
Oil production & Water sources

Water injection

Primary
Production
Secundary rec.
Production
water supply
wells

Reduce water production

Disposal
Treatment and
transportation

Water
flooding

Increase the water injection

capacity

technical and economic analysis is requiered in both cases

Water balance & Bottlenecks Analysis

Restrictions that could affect the Water Injection

Oil production & Water sources

Water injection

Primary
Production
Secundary rec.
Production
water supply
wells

Disposal
Treatment and
transportation

Water
flooding

Low injectivity at the reservoir

Treatment and distribution capacity limited
Enviromental problems
Economic limit

Water balance & Bottlenecks Analysis

Possible Actions
Oil production & Water sources

Water injection

Production
primary

Disposal

Production
Secundary Rec

Treatment and
transportation

water supply
wells
Water shut-off (a few porjects in GSJB)
Insolate water zone (some time oil
production is insolated too)
Downhole Oil And Water Separator (
not used in GSJB)
Shut-in producers wells (the last
decision)

Water
flooding

Injector Wells stimulation (increase

injectivity)
Well convertion ( producer to injector)
Improve the treatment and transportation
Modification patterns of injection and/ or
EOR projects implementation (improve the
recovery factor and economic benefits)

Review the devolopment plan

Field examples
Limit for handling fluid

EXAMPLE #1
95 % de agua

500 pozos

61 % de oil p/RecSec

Lmite ?
2.800

24.000

2.400

20.000

2.000

16.000

1.600

12.000

1.200

8.000

800

4.000

400
GROSS

Petrleo - m3/d

Bruta - m3/d

28.000

OIL

WATER INJECTION

0
dic-15

dic-14

dic-13

dic-12

dic-11

dic-10

dic-09

dic-08

dic-07

dic-06

dic-05

dic-04

dic-03

dic-02

dic-01

dic-00

dic-99

dic-98

dic-97

29

EXAMPLE #2
98% de agua

240 pozos

69 % de oil p/RecSec

40.000

2.000

Lmite

1.800

32.000

1.600

28.000

1.400

24.000

1.200

20.000

1.000

16.000

800

12.000

600

8.000

400

4.000

GROSS

200

OIL

WATER INJECTION

Petrleo - m3/d

Bruta - m3/d

36.000

dic-15

dic-14

dic-13

dic-12

dic-11

dic-10

dic-09

dic-08

dic-07

dic-06

dic-05

dic-04

dic-03

dic-02

dic-01

dic-00

dic-99

dic-98

dic-97

EXAMPLE #3

60.000

Bruta - m3/d

488 pozos

76 % de oil p/RecSec

3.000

Lmite

50.000

2.500

40.000

2.000

30.000

1.500

Optimizacin de inyeccin
(EOR, Inyeccin Selectiva)
Perforacin In Fill
ETC

20.000
10.000
GROSS

1.000

Petrleo - m3/d

96% de agua

500

OIL

WATER INJECTION

0
dic-15

dic-14

dic-13

dic-12

dic-11

dic-10

dic-09

dic-08

dic-07

dic-06

dic-05

dic-04

dic-03

dic-02

dic-01

dic-00

dic-99

dic-98

dic-97

Ejemplo real de la Cuenca del Golfo San Jorge

31

Water-Oil Relationship (WOR)

25

RAP - m3/m3

20

Tordillo
Diadema
Trebol - Escalante
Pampa del Castillo
Campamento Central Caadon Perdido
Kaike-Piedra Clavada

25
20

15

15

10

10
Promedio CGSJ

5
0
oct-95

jul-98

abr-01

ene-04

oct-06

jul-09

abr-12

0
dic-14
32

RAP - m3/m3

WAR vs % of oil production from secundary recovery

120,00

SOLANO

100,00

PIEDRA CLAVADA
PAMPA DEL CASTILLO LA GUITARRA

80,00

ESCALANTE - EL TREBOL

60,00

LOS PERALES - LAS

MESETAS

40,00

EL TORDILLO

20,00
0,00

DIADEMA

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

% of oil production bt Waterflooding

120%

MANANTIALES BEHR

Water management cost

How affect the total cost

SJGB - Lifting cost evolution and distribution

Oil Treatment
3%
Others
5%

PERSONEL

12 %

MANTEINANCE
Surface

17 %

Water Treatment
3%

ENERGY Fluid
Transportation

25 %

MANTEINANCE
Sub-Surface

35 %

Well Integrity Management

Problem description in GSJB

Due to the Environmental Security Regulation,

it is necessary to guarantee a perfect
mechanical integrity in injector wells.
This means to obtain hermeticity in the CasingPacker-Tubing system, between the top Packer
and well-head, during the operative life of the
well.
The injector wells in the Golfo San Jorge Basin
are subjected to extreme variations of
operative conditions (pressure and
temperature), which cause premature failure in
assembly

Enviromental Requirements

Protect the fresh water zones

Control the survellance of the repaired injector
wells
Ensure the control of annulus pressure (second
barrier)

Circumferential Acoustic Scanning Tool-Visualization (CAST-V)

Conclusions

In mature fields, some times the water control is not an

optinons, and it`s necesary to produce water for

producing oil. Investment in treatment facilities,
distribution and injection will be required
A continue water balance a and surveillance is important
for improving the oil production
EOR projects implementation could be an option for
improving the recovery factor, but it will depend on the
return on investment (EOR projects can have long-term
results)

Conclusions

Continue lifting cost analysis is requiered in mature fields

Team work between Production, Reservoir and Facilities

Engineering and Production Operations is necesary for

developing and monitoring water flooding projects, and
managing the water distribution.
Improving the Water Management Process we can
Increasing the Asset Value"

Muchas Gracias
Clemente Marcelo Hirschfeldt
marcelo@oilproduction.net
www.opogc.com