Unique Offshore Recovery System Dramatically Reduces Environmental Impact by Recycling Stimulation Proppant
| Autor: | Nicholas Hilbig, Daniel Perez, Martin Slater, Chris Teesdale |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | SPE Drilling & Completion. 18:5-12 |
| ISSN: | 1930-0204 1064-6671 |
| DOI: | 10.2118/81821-pa |
| Popis: | Summary During the past 4 years, the use of multiple-zone proppant fractures has significantly improved production and the ultimate productive life of horizontal wells in the Valhall chalk field. A typical well is designed with up to 10 proppant-fractured zones. The stimulation technique involves pumping as much as 300,000 lb of proppant into each zone, and during this process, up to 70,000 lb of excess proppant may remain in the wellbore, which is cleaned out with coiled tubing. Because the material contains a resin coating to facilitate adhesion in the reservoir, disposal is restricted. This waste previously had to be collected offshore, placed in large bags, containerized, and shipped onshore for incineration—a practice that was costly, wasteful, and environmentally suspect. In 1997, engineering studies revealed that the properties of the waste material made it suitable for recycling and use in future operations with minimal impact on fracture performance. While reusing proppant has become an accepted practice with no noticeable effect on well productivity, logistically it had some limitations. The material still had to be collected offshore and transported onshore, where it was stored for several months before being reloaded into the stimulation vessel for reuse in the next fracture treatment. This represents storage problems and environmental exposure of these materials. Furthermore, with no unforeseen delays, this was a 24-hour, two-way trip. This paper describes the development and successful application of a unique system that allows the excess proppant to be collected, treated, and recycled on location. The authors will discuss the evolution of the recycling technique and discuss the stepchange improvement that allows the material to be immediately reused offshore using specialized vacuum equipment. Approximately 150,000 lb of proppant was successfully recovered and recycled from the first well. The technique is still evolving and is likely to become a standard operation on Valhall wells. The offshore collection and recycling technique has eliminated the logistical problems associated with the previous method and will in time reduce the total proppant costs, along with minimizing the associated health, safety, and environment (HSE) impact. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|