| |
 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
To appreciate how the GeoMarket network achieves results, consider the success of the new Schlumberger VDA* Viscoelastic Diverting Acid. This polymer-free, self-diverting acid system increases oil production in carbonate rock formations. Technologies such as the VDA system are of growing importance in managing declining production in aging fields, where increasing recovery can prolong cost-effective field life. VDA development, which required the creation of an entirely new molecule, was the result of a collaborative effort spanning three years in the Houston Product Center supported by work on the fundamental chemistry at Schlumberger Cambridge Research.
Unlike all previous acidizing systems, the VDA system possesses properties that enable it to virtually seek out zones of a well that need treatment the most, while limiting unnecessary injection into clean, permeable zones that are wasteful sinkholes for ordinary stimulation acids. This simple but significant difference makes VDA technology an innovative discovery for stimulation markets worldwide.
To introduce the technology, we opted for a new staged deployment strategy that relied heavily on the characteristics of the GeoMarket network. A single GeoMarket region, covering Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Pakistan, was selected because it united the geological and client needs deemed most likely to favor acceptance of the new technology. The new system was first used in Kuwait by an operator that had shown interest in testing new technologies in the past. After positive results in early 2002, reservoir experts from the client and Schlumberger identified other potential wells for VDA application in the same area.
Over the following months, the new system rendered outstanding performance in more than 30 wells of all types—newly drilled wells, under-performing older wells, horizontal wells, and high-temperature, high-pressure wells. In all the treated wells, production increased by a minimum of 30%, and most wells recorded increases of more than 300%.
Following this experience, it made sense to introduce the new system to other clients with similar reservoir characteristics in the same GeoMarket region. The system was tested in Saudi Arabia and results were immediate, with all VDA-treated wells increasing production far beyond expectations. Since the initial successes recorded in mid-2002, many operations in Saudi Arabia have shifted from polymer-base stimulation fluids to the non-damaging VDA system.
VDA technology was then introduced to the neighboring GeoMarket region covering the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Qatar, and Oman. Further successes in these countries led to VDA introduction in the East Africa & East Mediterranean GeoMarket unit, where VDA introduction in one area highlighted the need for global development and local deployment. A special formulation of the VDA fluid was developed by the regionally based Client Support Laboratory to address the challenges presented by the rock matrix. Once tested and approved by the Houston Product Center, the formulation was deployed in 3 wells in a field to raise the sustainable production of the field by more than 8,000 barrels of oil per day.
By this time a clear pattern had developed in which similarities between GeoMarket regions enabled the spread and use of VDA products much faster than if they had been implemented globally with no track record. Furthermore, experience gained in the application of VDA technology between countries and formations enabled expansion of both technical range and market scope. For example, experience in Saudi Arabia had shown that VDA technology could be extended to use as a non-damaging leak-off control acid in fracturing operations and for control of fluid loss in well completion work at up to 350oF [177oC].
Through the GeoMarket network, many Schlumberger clients have shared in the growing benefits of VDA technology, supporting its introduction through endorsement in industry forums. By early 2003, the GeoMarket regions using the VDA system had grown to include operations in the United States and Canada, Indonesia, West Africa, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Venezuela. In addition, the range of treatable formations had grown and deployment through coiled tubing had become routine. The spread into new markets was followed by a corresponding rise in VDA-generated revenues, and by the end of 2003, VDA technology had been successfully used in every major carbonate basin in the world.
Continue reading about The GeoMarket Advantage: The Customer Interface
| |
|
