OGRPProposal

DevelopmentofTes4ngMethodsandDesignofInorganicScale

TreatmentsinWillistonBasin,NorthDakota

HadiJabbari,PhDAssistantProfessor

UniversityofNorthDakota

DepartmentofPetroleumEngineering

August10,2017

2

HIGHNUMBEROFWELLS=HIGHMAINTENANCE($)

Source:ModifiedfromU.S.EnergyInforma4onAdministra4on

CurrentTechnology

WillistonBasinoilindustryac4vi4es[courtesyofNASA,2016] 0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

9,600

9,800

10,000

10,200

10,400

10,600

10,800

11,000

11,200

11,400

May-15 Aug-15 Nov-15 Feb-16 Jun-16 Sep-16 Dec-16

Dai

ly O

il Pr

oduc

tion

(bbl

s)

Num

ber o

f Wel

ls

NumberofWells DailyOil(bbls)

January2017Bakken-ThreeForkswellcountisover10,000anddailyoilproducSonisover1millionSTBD[NDIC,2017]

PROBLEMSTATEMENT:Produc4onDecline/AbandonmentDueToScaleDeposits

Ø FormaSondamageandflowhindranceinthewellbore:•  organicdeposits•  inorganicscales•  waterproblems•  mechanicalproblems

3

TotalesSmateofworldwidescalecostsat$1.4billion[CourtesyofFrenierandZiauddin,2008]

Tubingfouledwithcalcium-carbonatescale[CourtesyofSchlumberger,2017]

"Scalewasthebiggestpainpointintheproduc>onworld".

[HuntOilproduc>onengineerCarlosCardenas]

NorthMcKenzieWellhead

CourtesyofCassieVanDell,2017

q  UnderSUPER-SATURATIONcondiSons,solidsdeposit

thatcan

Ø  blockPerforaSons

Ø  coatpipewalls

Ø  impairproducSvity

4

CHALLENGESØ  Scaledeposi4on–mineraldepositsformingonthesurfacesofproducSonsystem–isreportedtobeoneof

themajorissuesinproducSonfromwellsdrilledinBakkenFormaSon.

Ø  Understandingthemechanismofscaledeposi4onovertheWillistonBasinundervariouscondiSonsofrock,

fluid,pressure,andtemperature.

Ø  MajorChallenge:underaknownparScularcondiSon,whatChemicalsandinwhatConcentra4on(MEC)

shouldbeusedforscaleinhibiSonortreatment?

Ø  Eachfield/wellmayrequiredifferentdesign/treatmentsduetoheterogeneityovertheWillistonBasin.

Ø  FrackingtreatmentdesignforcreaSngcomplexfracturenetworks.

NosuchcomprehensivestudyhasbeenconductedforWillistonBasin,ND.

5

PROPOSEDTECHNOLOGYØ  StudyingtheChemicalscurrentlyusedintheindustryand

testtheireffecSvenessthrough:

•  LabExperiments

•  SimulaSon&Modeling(molecular&field-scale)

•  Data-mining&-processing

Ø  DesigningandtesSngnewChemicals:poten4alfor

improvements

Ø  PreparingstandardScreeningCriteriaforselecSngproper

scaletreatmentmaterials

Ø  AssesstheBusinessPoten4alfornewmaterialstobe

appliedtotheunconvenSonalreservoirsinND

Ø  Regularly present the developing product to our IndustryPartners and various businesses working in the Williston

Basin

²  New,more-effecSvechemicals

² MinimumEffecSveConcentraSon(MEC)

² MinimalWorkover/treatmentjobs

² MinimalcostandenvironmentalImpact

6

Analysis Design Implement Tes4ng BusinessDevelopmentPlanning

Analysis

ComponentDesign

ImplementComponentTes4ng

EvaluateIndustryFeedback

SMARTSCALE-DEPOSITINHIBITION/TREATMENT

1)  Wateranalysis(mineralcomposiSon)

2)  ScalecharacterizaSon3)  RockcharacterizaSon4)  Scalingtendencymaps

&visualizaSon5)  MolecularsimulaSon

(scalingmechanisms)6)  Labexperiments

(comparingapplicaSontechniquesandchemicals).

7)  ReservoirsimulaSon.8)  Dataminingtofind

relaSonshipsamongsignificantparametersandthecontrollingfactors.

EARL@UNDEnvironmentalAnaly4calResearchLaboratory

CollegeofEngineeringandMines

𝐶𝑎↑2+ + 𝐻𝐶𝑂↓3↑− ↔𝐻↑+ + 𝐶𝑎𝐶𝑂↓3 

INDUSTRYSubcontractor

RESEARCHTEAM

7

INDUSTRYSUPPORTREQUESTEDSTATESUPPORT

$435,432.20(includingindirectcost)

34.6%PostdoctoralFellow15.2%Faculty(2)14.9%StudentSupport(2)2.3%Equipment2.4%Travel27.4%UNDindirectcost3.9%BARR(Subcontractor)

PostDoc Dr.Rabiei(Co-PI)DataMining

Dr.Jabbari(PI)Reservoir/ProducSonEngineering

GradStudent1 GradStudent2

Mr.KevinBlackMr.DavidMcAtee

$336,000.0

-$17,0003.9%

Dr.ScofKorom

UNDin-kind

$288,772.37

ResourceAssociate/Manager

8

PROJECTTIMELINE

9

DELIVERABLESØ  SummaryReportofpast&currentscaleinhibiSon/treatmentoperaSonsintheWillistonBasin

Ø  ConducSngathoroughData-Miningstudyusingallofthedatatopinpointtheproblem&findsoluSons:

•  Labtests(coreflood,staScscalingtestsetup)

•  Wateranalyses

•  Scale&reservoirrockcharacterizaSon

•  Scale-tendencyanalysis

Ø  FeasibilityofNewChemicalstoimproveinhibiSon&treatmentofscaledeposiSonintheWillistonBasin.

Ø  EsSmaSngcosts/revenuestorunthebusinessonalong-termbasis.

Ø  PublicaSons&presentaSonsatdifferentevents.

Ø  Acomprehensivefinalreportandinterimreports.

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TECHNOLOGIC,ECONOMIC,ENVIRONMENTALIMPACTSØ  EconomicBenefits:

Ø  AdverseeconomicimpactofscaleproblemonreservoirsinNorthandSouthAmericaisashighas$600millioneachyear[Frenier

andZiauddin,2008].SuccessfulcompleSonofthisworkcansaveindustryintheWillistonBasin,NorthDakotamillionsofdollars

eachyear.

Ø  MinimalneedforworkoverjobsandwellintervenSons

Ø  OilproducSoncostreducSonandLowerDeclineRates

Ø  Revenueincrease

Ø  CommercialPoten4al:•  Commercializa4onofNewScaleInhibitors&TreatmentMaterialsintheWillistonBasin(owingtothelowoilpricesindustryhas

focusedontheMaintenanceofCurrentlyProducingWellsratherthandrillingandcompleSon).

•  Afour-stepwillbesoughtformarke4ngthenewproductsfromthisresearch:

a)understandthecompeSSvemarket b)idenSfytargetmarketandcustomercompanies

c)createmixofmarkeSngstrategies d)createBUZZ!

Thisresearchwillhelpchemicalservicecompanies,suchasCreedenceEnergyServices,gainfurtherinsightintothescaleforma4onprocessspecifictoBakken/ThreeForkswells,includingthetypeofscalelikelytoformbasedonbrinecomposi4onandwellboredynamics.UlSmately,theresearchwillhelpreducetheextraordinarycostsofscaleremedia4ontooperatorsbyprovidingamorerobustandscienSficapproachtoboth1)diagnosingawell’ssuscep4bilitytoscaledeposi4onand2)designingthemosteffec4vescaleinhibitorchemistryandapplica4ontechnique.

Ø EconomicImpactonND:•  Growthinoilcompanies’revenue=higherNDrevenuefromTAX•  OperatorsandservicecompaniesintheWillistonBasin•  InvestmentopportuniSes•  EmploymentintheDevelopedBusiness:JobscreaSonandretenSon

Ø EnvironmentalImpact:•  LowerproducSondeclineratesintheWillistonBasinwhichmeanslessneedforworkoverjobs

•  Lessfreshwaterusagealongwithlessamountofliquidwasteproduced

•  ThesearekeyoutcomeswithsubstanSalposiSveenvironmentalimpactsonoilindustryacSviSesinthestateofNorthDakota

11

Thank you!

12

Extraslides

13

Scale Inhibitor

• DefinedasanychemicalagentthatreducestherateofformaSonofafoulingscaleontoasurfaceofinterest.

•  Inhibitorsdonotactontheionsthemselves,insteadtheyabsorbonthesurfaceofinterest(suchasapipe).TheythenblocktheformaSonoflargecrystalsbeforefoulingcanoccur.

• ArebrokendownintoCa,Ba,andSrscaleinhibitors.•  InhibitorsbasicallystopthebuildofscalebycoaSngthesurfaceofinterest.

Dissolvement by Chemical Treatment (Chela8ng agents)

•  EssenSallytheySeuptheionsinvolvedinformingscale.• MuchmorepreciseanddifficultthanScaleInhibitorTreatment.• ChelaSngagentsdissolvetheionsthatcreatescale.• Mustknowexactwaterchemistryandotherparameterssuchas:

•  ScaleDensity•  DissoluSonCapacity•  Mustcalculatevolumeofchemicalsneeded

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THEBAKKEN

Ø  Spans37,000squaremilesinNorthDakotaandMontana.

Ø  Morethan7billionbarrelsofrecoverableoilintheBakkenandThreeForksformaSonsintheWillistonBasin.

Ø  BakkenoilproducSonisprojectedtoreach1.3millionbarrelsperdayby2019and2.3Mb/dby2040.

•  OurGoals:selecSonofmaterials&fieldapplicaSonforproperscaleprevenSon/removal,productselecSoncriteria

• MainscalesinBakken:Calciumcarbonate&ironcarbonate•  PrevenSvestrategies:

Ø CompaSbiliSestesSngØ FormaSondamagestudiesØ DynamictubeblockingØ StaScadsorpSontesSng

•  IonicspeciesinthefieldbrinewhichexistinequilibriumwithformaSonminerals,whensubjectedtochangingcondiSonsduringproducSon,reachastateofSUPERSATURATIONandsubsequentlydepositsolidsthatcanblockPERFS,coatpipewalls,andimpairproducSvity.

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Inhibitor technology in the Bakken • Combinedtreatments• Scaleinhibitorplacedduringacidfracturing

• Scaleinhibitormixedwithfrackingfluids

• Scaleinhibitorembedintheproppant

Challenges

•  TreatmentsFailedinmanywellsintheBakken

Inhibitor technology in the Bakken

Knowledgegap• WhereisthewaterzonelocatedinSghtshale

•  HowtoeffecSvelyplacethepills•  InhibiSonmechanisminultraSghtformaSon

• WheredoestheinhibitorinjectedtravelinmulS-stagewells

•  AdsorpSonandprecipitaSoninultraSghtrock

•  Causesoftreatmentfailure

Incompa8bility of sources of frack water

•  Systemisatequilibrium

•  DifferentcomposiSonoffluids

•  CompaSbilityevaluaSonofsourcesoffrackingwaterwithbrine

•  InhibitorincompaSbilitywithbrine

•  WatercaneitherenhancedorinhibitscaleformaSon

•  Thestudywilldeterminewhetherornotsourcesofwaterusedinfrackingisaissue

Procedure

q  Water-brinecompaSbilitytest

q  Inhibitors-brinecompaSbilitytest

Methodology challenges

EffecSvetreatment•  Appropriatechemical•  Placementinthewaterproducingzone

•  EasytoachieveinconvenSonalChallenges•  LocaSonoftheproducSonwaterzoneona2milehorizontalleg

•  InjecSonofpillsinultralowpermeablematrix

studies on other plays EffecSvetreatment•  ScaleInhibitorschemicalsfordifferentscale

•  NucleaSonprocess•  Laboratorycolumntransportexperiments

•  AdsorpSonanddesorpSoninsandstones•  StaScadsorpSontest

§  CompaSbilitytestbetweeninhibitorsand

brine§  FormaSonDamagestudy§  Dynamictubeblockingtest§  Methodologywillbedifferentfor

unconvenSonal

Pilot study in the Bakken

•  ChemicalselecSonshouldconsiderthemineralogyoftherockanditsinteracSonwithinhibitors

•  EffectofNano-poreonadsorpSon.

•  BakkenheterogeneityrequiresdifferentchemicalforeffecSvetreatment

•  Importanceofthemethodology•  ButplacementtechniquecouldbeappliedeverywhereintheBAKKEN

Pilot study in the Bakken

§  ButplacementtechniquecouldbeappliedeverywhereintheBAKKEN

§  EvaluatemodifiedinhibitornanomaterialinSghtshaleplay

§  StudyAdsorpSonisothermofInhibitorsfortheBakken

§  Elaboratenewmethodologyforinhibitorplacement

§ WaterproducSvezonedetecSon

§  CreaSonofbetermodelforscalesqueezeopSmizaSoninunconvenSonal

§  StudyImpactofpressure,pHandfluidflowonscaleformaSonandinhibitorperformance