The Success Story Of First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska's North Slope

• Published in: Day 3 Wed, May 24, 2023
• Main Authors: Dandekar, Abhijit, Bai, Baojun, Barnes, John, Cercone, Dave, Edwards, Reid, Ning, Samson, Seright, Randy, Sheets, Brent, Wang, Dongmei, Zhang, Yin
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Scholars' Mine 2023
• Subjects: Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Chemical Engineering; Geological Engineering; Petroleum Engineering; Milne Point; Alaska North Slope; north slope; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/geosci_geo_peteng_facwork/2177; https://doi.org/10.2118/212973-MS; https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/context/geosci_geo_peteng_facwork/article/3251/viewcontent/The_Success_Story_of_First_Ever_Polymer_Flood_Field_Pilot_to_Enhance_the_Recovery_of_Heavy_Oils_on_Alaska_s_North_Slope.pdf

The primary goal of the first ever polymer flood field pilot at Milne Point is to validate the use of polymers for heavy oil Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) on Alaska North Slope (ANS). The specific objectives are systematic evaluation of advanced technology that integrates polymer flooding, low salinity water flooding, horizontal wells, and numerical simulation based on polymer flood performance data. Accordingly, under the co-sponsorship of the US Department of Energy and Hilcorp Alaska LLC the first ever polymer field pilot commenced on August 28, 2018 in the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir at the Milne Point Unit (MPU) on ANS. The pilot started injecting hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), at a concentration of 1,750 ppm to achieve a target viscosity of 45 cP, into the two horizontal injectors in the J-pad flood pattern. Since July 2020, HPAM concentration was reduced to 1,200 ppm to control injectivity and optimize polymer utilization. Filter ratio tests conducted on site ensure uniform polymer solution properties. Injectivity is assessed by Hall plots, whereas production is monitored via oil and water rates from the two producers. Water samples are analyzed to determine the produced polymer concentration. Supporting laboratory core floods on polymer retention, injection water salinity, polymer loading, and their combinations on oil recovery, match rock, fluid and test conditions. A calibrated and validated numerical multiphase reservoir model was developed for long-term reservoir performance prediction and for evaluating the project's economic performance in conjunction with an economic model. Concerns related to handling of produced fluids containing polymer are addressed by specialized experiments. As would be expected in a field experiment of this scale, barring some operational and hydration issues, continuous polymer injection has been achieved. As of September 30, 2022, a total of 1.41 million lbs. of polymer or 2.99 million bbls of polymer solution (~18.8% of total pore volume), placed in the pattern ...