Three Successful Black Oil Foamer Applications in Deepwater GoM

Abstract

Deepwater Gulf of Mexico wells that exhibit liquid loading and subsea flowlines that suffer fluid slugging are both common issues that have historically been difficult to mitigate without expensive hardware changes or deferral of production. A novel black oil foamer (BOF) chemical technology has shown to be able to mitigate liquid loading, increase production, and reduce fluid slugging in both dry tree wells, subsea wells, and subsea flowlines. This presentation will detail three example cases where the black oil foamer technology was utilized successfully. For the first example case, liquid loading was the primary issue leading to shortened production time between shut-ins, causing slugging, and reduced overall production rates. For the second example, significant slugging was experienced in an 18-mile subsea tieback to the point that the field would be shut in for topside vessel level controller issues. The final case trialed different well lineups that would historically cause severe slugging in an 11 mile subsea tieback. In the first example, the benefits of using the black oil foamer included increased oil production and greatly improved well uptime, as well as significantly reducing slugging. The benefits demonstrated in the second and third examples were a significant reduction in slugging, allowing the field to operate with minimal shut-in risk and reducing equipment damage. Novel & Additive Information All three examples have proven the concept of using the black oil foamer chemistry to manage liquid loading and slugging risks in deepwater applications in an economically advantageous way.