Molecule to Molecule M2M Water Injection Performance Review to Achieve Water Injection Excellence in PETRONAS – Part 1 Surface Operations

Abstract

Relevant to maximizing oil recovery, water injection is implemented for reservoir pressure maintenance and to maximize oil sweeping. The water injection involves both surface and subsurface matters. Since the objective is reservoir pressure maintenance and oil sweeping efficiency improvement, the subsurface domain includes reservoir engineering, geology and geophysics as well as the production technology. For surface operations, the water injection operation includes water injection source, water plant operations and water injection infrastructure. Water injection bottle neck and water quality issue may occur and damage the water injection efficiency. An idea of molecule to molecule (M2M) water injection performance review is raised to conduct a comprehensive and collaborative water injection review that involving many and outreach parties such as reservoir engineers, geologists, geophysicists, operation engineers, production chemists, production technologists, maintenance engineers, production planners and process engineers. The opportunity to include technical providers, partner representatives and host government representatives is taken in order to allow an effective discussion and quicken the maturing of relevant solution proposals. Comprehensive end to end review from the point of water source up to the point of producer is done to identify problem at each point, threats and improvement opportunities at every single node within the whole chain. With the M2M, water injection performance review has effectively provided an effective collaborative working environment as well as a learning avenue for young professionals that are involved in water injection matters. Many action items are resulted from the exercise and they are having high impact including safeguarding potential cost of USD 10 million per year for the water injection plant and infrastructure operations. In the short run, no disturbances for oil production and in the long run, the oil recovery can be maximized. Due to some limitation, this paper discusses only the surface water injection operations.