How Saudi Aramco Harnesses Technology at Manifa Field Megaproject Henni2015
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MANIFA FIELD 54 JPT • AUGUST 2014 Saudi Aramco says its Manifa field is an example of how it is combining its technol- ogy and innovation capabilities to develop one of the most challenging megaprojects in the history of the company. Measuring approximately 45 km in length and 18 km in width, the Manifa field in Saudi Arabia is considered the fifth largest oil field in the world. It was discovered in 1957 with first sustained production in 1964. By 1977, 17 wells had been drilled, mostly offshore. Because of poor demand, the field was moth- balled in 1984. But in 2006, a grassroots field redevelopment plan kicked off with major capital spending, and drilling and development started in 2010. The field was successfully put back into produc- tion in April 2013, three months ahead of schedule, and the field achieved 500,000 BOPD by July 2013. By the time the field reaches its full potential at the end of the year, the Man- ifa field will have the capacity to produce 900,000 BOPD of Arabian heavy crude, 90 MMscf/D of gas, and 65,000 B/D of condensate. The project consists of 42 km of causeways, 3 km of bridges, 27 drilling islands, 13 offshore platforms, 15 onshore drilling islands, water supply wells, injec- tion facilities, multiple pipelines, and a 420-MW heat and electricity plant. Shifting Strategy As Saudi Aramco aims to push forward from its traditional role as a buyer and consumer of technology to an enabler and creator of new technologies—its new global technology and R&D strategy—the company has introduced several technol- ogies during the development of Manifa. The Manifa crude oil increment has been a monumental achievement in the company’s history in terms of produc- tion, technology, and manpower, said Shadi Hanbzazah, supervisor at the Man- ifa production engineering unit. Saudi Aramco combined onshore and offshore development and a causeway in a single project. Water depths are between 4m and 6m. To adequately cover operations in the field, 27 man-made islands were developed and connected by a cause- way. “The field development strategy was aimed to transform the field from being 70% offshore field development to 70% onshore field development through the creation of 27 man-made islands, each the size of 10 soccer fields, connected with 41 km of causeway while 13 offshore platforms were installed for the field’s deeper water locations,” said Hanbzazah. The field’s geography in the shal- low waters of the Arabian Gulf’s fragile ecology required unique, environmen- tally friendly access solutions involving a novel causeway design linking drill- ing islands. “We collaborated with both local and international academic institu- tions to optimize the design of the Man- ifa causeway,” said Khaled A. Al-Buraik, vice president of engineering and devel- opment at Saudi Aramco. “The Arabi- an Gulf was studied taking into account numerous environmental considerations to minimize traffic in shallow waters and allow natural marine growth. The design mapped and considered coral reef for- mations and the habitats of marine life.” Although a major driver for the causeway concept for the Manifa devel- opment was to improve project eco- nomics, carefully placing the artificial islands on the Gulf also helped ensure a minimum environmental footprint. As a result, the Manifa field became the larg- est extended-reach hydrocarbon produc- er project in the world. “Thus, Manifa contains the largest number of extend- ed-reach wells (ERWs) as two-thirds of the wells in the field are ERWs by indus- try standards, some with a total depth of 37,000 ft, departing beyond 26,000 ft from surface locations,” said Hanbzazah. The Manifa reservoir has five main reservoir layers. Two of these reservoirs targeted for development contain both heavy oil and relatively lighter crude. “Generally, Manifa crude is quite heavy and sour with API gravity of 29°, 14% H 2 S in gas, and 3% in oil,” said Hanbzazah. Production opportunities exist in the presence of formation heterogeneity and a heavy oil layer between the aqui- fer and the zones above it. “The reservoir has relatively low permeability, random- ly distributed baffle zones of mud-lean packstones, and variable shallow marine How Saudi Aramco Harnesses Technology at Manifa Field Megaproject Abdelghani Henni, JPT Middle East Editor Shadi Hanbzazah, supervisor at Saudi Aramco’s Manifa production engineering unit, explains how technology was a key enabler during the development of the Manifa field, the fifth largest oil field in the world.
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Transcript of How Saudi Aramco Harnesses Technology at Manifa Field Megaproject Henni2015
MANIFA FIELD54 JPT AUGUST 2014SaudiAramcosaysitsManifafieldisan example of how it is combining its technol-ogy and innovation capabilities to develop one of the most challenging megaprojects in the history of the company. Measuringapproximately45kmin lengthand18kminwidth,theManifa fieldinSaudiArabiaisconsideredthe fifthlargestoilfieldintheworld.Itwas discoveredin1957withfirstsustained production in 1964. By 1977, 17 wells had beendrilled,mostlyoffshore.Because ofpoordemand,thefieldwasmoth-balled in 1984. But in 2006, a grassroots field redevelopment plan kicked off with majorcapitalspending,anddrillingand developmentstartedin2010.Thefield wassuccessfullyputbackintoproduc-tion in April 2013, three months ahead of schedule, and the field achieved 500,000 BOPD by July 2013. Bythetimethefieldreachesitsfull potential at the end of the year, the Man-ifa field will have the capacity to produce 900,000BOPDofArabianheavycrude, 90MMscf/Dofgas,and65,000 B/Dof condensate. The project consists of 42km of causeways, 3 km of bridges, 27 drilling islands, 13 offshore platforms, 15 onshore drilling islands, water supply wells, injec-tionfacilities,multiplepipelines,anda 420-MW heat and electricity plant.Shifting Strategy AsSaudiAramcoaimstopushforward fromitstraditionalroleasabuyerand consumeroftechnologytoanenabler and creator of new technologiesits new global technology and R&D strategythe company has introduced several technol-ogies during the development of Manifa. TheManifacrudeoilincrementhas beenamonumentalachievementinthe companyshistoryintermsofproduc-tion,technology,andmanpower,said Shadi Hanbzazah, supervisor at the Man-ifaproductionengineeringunit.Saudi Aramcocombinedonshoreandoffshore developmentandacausewayinasingle project.Waterdepthsarebetween4m and6m.Toadequatelycoveroperations inthefield,27man-madeislandswere developedandconnectedbyacause-way. The field development strategy was aimedtotransformthefieldfrombeing 70%offshorefielddevelopmentto70% onshorefielddevelopmentthroughthe creationof27man-madeislands,each thesizeof10soccerfields,connected with 41 km of causeway while 13 offshore platformswereinstalledforthefields deeper water locations, said Hanbzazah.Thefieldsgeographyintheshal-lowwatersoftheArabianGulf sfragile ecologyrequiredunique,environmen-tallyfriendlyaccesssolutionsinvolving anovelcausewaydesignlinkingdrill-ingislands.Wecollaboratedwithboth local and international academic institu-tionstooptimizethedesignoftheMan-ifacauseway,saidKhaledA.Al-Buraik, vicepresidentofengineeringanddevel-opmentatSaudiAramco.TheArabi-anGulfwasstudiedtakingintoaccount numerous environmental considerations to minimize traffic in shallow waters and allow natural marine growth. The design mappedandconsideredcoralreeffor-mations and the habitats of marine life.Althoughamajordriverforthe causewayconceptfortheManifadevel-opmentwastoimproveprojecteco-nomics,carefullyplacingtheartificial islandsontheGulfalsohelpedensurea minimumenvironmentalfootprint.Asa result,theManifafieldbecamethelarg-est extended-reach hydrocarbon produc-erprojectintheworld.Thus,Manifa containsthelargestnumberofextend-ed-reachwells(ERWs)astwo-thirdsof thewellsinthefieldareERWsbyindus-try standards, some with a total depth of 37,000ft,departingbeyond26,000ft from surface locations, said Hanbzazah.TheManifareservoirhasfivemain reservoirlayers.Twoofthesereservoirs targetedfordevelopmentcontainboth heavyoilandrelativelylightercrude. Generally,Manifacrudeisquiteheavy and sour with API gravity of 29, 14% H2S in gas, and 3% in oil, said Hanbzazah.Productionopportunitiesexistin thepresenceofformationheterogeneity andaheavyoillayerbetweentheaqui-fer and the zones above it. The reservoir hasrelativelylowpermeability,random-lydistributedbafflezonesofmud-lean packstones, and variable shallow marine How Saudi Aramco Harnesses Technologyat Manifa Field Megaproject Abdelghani Henni, JPT Middle East Editor Shadi Hanbzazah, supervisor at Saudi Aramcos Manifa production engineering unit, explains how technology was a key enabler during the development of the Manifa field, the fifth largest oil field in the world.ManifaAug14.indd 54 7/16/14 12:04 PM 55 JPT AUGUST 2014carbonatefaciesconsistingofcarbonate grainstones,somewithcalcitecementa-tion and minor dolomitization, he said.Duringthedevelopmentphaseof the project, Saudi Aramco developed tai-lor-madetechnologiesforthefield.Five patentswerefiled,someofwhichcould have international application, according to Saudi Aramco. Apartfromwellplacementofthe longhorizontalsingleandduallater-alwells,anotherchallengewaseffective stimulation.InManifasbarefootinjec-tor and producer completions, even rela-tively shallow drilling-induced near-well-boredamagecansubstantiallyimpede thefloworinjectivity.Acidstimulation wasrequiredtoremovedrilling-induced reservoir damage from the overbalanced water-basedmud,whichusescalcium carbonate as weighting material.Meeting the ChallengesAnotherissuethedevelopmentteam faced was the viscosity of the heavy crude layer, which affects the ability of the natu-ralwaterdrivetoenergizetheflowofoil frombelow.Therefore,peripheralpower water injection above the viscous layer was plannedforthefieldtoprovidepressure maintenance and efficient sweep of hydro-carbons to the producers, saidHanbzazah.With heavy oil in place, the challenge wastoplacethehorizontalinjectorwell pathsinmobilefluidlayersascloseas possibleabovethenonproducibleheavy oilinterfacetoensuremeetinginjection ratetargets,therebyprovidinganopti-mal sweep of the lighter crude and mini-mizing bypassed oil, he said.A Game ChangerOnekeytechnologydeployedwascoiled tubing(CT).Tworecordswereachieved duringthedevelopmentofManifa.The records set while achieving a wells inter-ventionobjectivesincludeattainingthe deepestCTreachforriglesswellinter-ventionat29,897ft(9.11km)measured depthinanextended-reachopenhole horizontal power injector well using a CT tractor,saidHanbzazah.Also,thefirst applicationofreal-timeloggingenabled through a wired motor head assembly via the tractor.Theinterventionobjectiveswereto acidstimulateanopenholecompleted relatively deep in the reservoir with a total depth of 29,897 ft and an openhole length of6,697ftusing2-in.CTwithanopen-holetractortoperforminjectivity/falloff testandtoconductreal-timeloggingfor evaluatingthereservoirsinjectivitypro-file.Itwasverychallengingespecially with the depth of the wells, he said. Severaltechniqueswereappliedto extendthelateralextensionofCTinto theopenholeforeffectivestimulation treatmentortoevaluatetheeffective-nessofthetreatment.Thesetechniques includetheuseoffrictionreducersor organicsolventstoreduceencountered frictionandtheapplicationofexternal forces,suchastractorsandvibrators.A key challenge was the lack of depth when runningholes.Wealsofacedchalleng-es reaching the required depth as the CT sometimeslockedupatshallowerdepth comparedtotherequired,whichwasa real challenge, Hanbzazah said.Fiber-opticcoiledtubingprovided the best CT intervention option available. The fiber optic acts as a source of teleme-try from downhole tools to the surface in real time, and as a source of temperature measurement known as distributed tem-perature sensing.Toolsatthedownholeendofthe CTconsistofabottomholetemperature gaugeandabottomholepressuregauge formeasuringtheinsideandoutside pressureoftheCT.Acasingcollarloca-torwasusedfordepthcorrelationand gammarayforbothdepthcorrelation andlateralidentification.Often,aten-sion and compression sub is included for measuringbottomholeCTtensionand compression forces, Hanbzazah said.Technologyhelpedusincostsav-ingduringthedevelopment.Theplan wastodrill100to200wellsinManifa. Usingthesetechnologiesenhancedthe fieldsproductionandreducedthenum-berofwellsfordevelopingthefield, hesaid.JPTThe Manifa field development strategy was aimed at transforming the field from being 70% offshore field development to 70% onshore development field through the creation of 27 man-made islands.ManifaAug14.indd 55 7/16/14 12:04 PM
