Gazprom Neft Improves the Efficiency of Oil Production from Low-Permeability Reservoirs
Gazprom Neft has developed and successfully tested an innovative method of increasing oil recovery, which makes it possible to triple oil production from low-permeability reservoirs. The new jet tunneling technology * was tested in the Eastern section of the Orenburg field, developed by Gazpromneft-Orenburg. The economic effect from the introduction of technology on this asset will exceed 2.3 billion rubles.
The jet tunneling method is based on the formation of channels in the formations, which are created using a stream of reagents injected into the formation under high pressure. Through the channels, oil from previously inaccessible layers enters the well. During the tests, the new solution made it possible to increase oil inflows from horizontal wells in the Eastern section of the Orenburg field by an average of 300% **. The technology has proven to be more cost effective than traditional enhanced oil recovery methods. It is several times cheaper than a standard sidetracking operation *** and takes 20-30% less time. The method has the potential to further reduce cost with further replication.
Tunneling technology can be applied to both active and newly drilled wells. It does not require lifting downhole equipment and shutting in wells, which ensures the continuity of oil production. Several multidirectional tunnels can be created in the rock in one operation. This increases the likelihood that the largest number of oil-saturated sections of the formation will be involved in development.
The innovative solution was developed by Gazpromneft-Orenburg specialists with expert support from the Gazprom Neft Science and Technology Center. By the end of 2020, it is planned to carry out jet tunneling operations on 10 more wells of the Eastern section of the Orenburgskoye field. In 2021, the scale of application of the technology can be significantly increased. In the future, the new technology may become one of the most effective and cost-effective methods of enhanced oil recovery at Gazprom Neft assets in various regions of Russia.
“Today, Gazprom Neft is actively producing oil from both new and mature fields. High-tech methods of enhanced oil recovery allow us to develop hard-to-recover reserves of poorly studied areas and to involve in the development of existing fields deposits that were not available until recently. We continue to develop and test new technologies for Russia. I am sure that in the near future, many innovative solutions that we transfer from laboratories to practice and test today as prototypes will find the widest application at our assets and become standard oil production methods for the company ”.Alexey Vashkevich Director for Technological Development, Gazprom Neft
“It is not the first time that Gazpromneft-Orenburg has become a platform for creating innovative solutions for the company to intensify oil production. Our key asset – the Eastern section of the Orenburg field – is distinguished by complex geological conditions and a predominance of carbonate formations. The technology developed by our specialists can become one of the most effective tools for the development of low-permeability reservoirs. Its successful implementation and replication will not only give us the key to the “difficult” reserves of the Orenburg region, but will also become an important contribution to the development of the entire industry ”.Evgeny Zagrebelny General Director of Gazpromneft-Orenburg
