Fluorescent Microspheres Method Efficiency in Horizontal Wells with Gas Condensate Liquid

Abstract

The proportion of hard-to-recover reserves is currently increasing and reached more than 65% of total conventional hydrocarbon reserves. This results in an increasing number of horizontal wells put into operation. When evaluating the resource recovery efficiency in horizontal wells, and, consequently, the effectiveness of the development of gas condensate field, the key task is to evaluate the well productivity. To accomplish this task, it is necessary to obtain the reservoir fluid production profile for each interval. Conventional well logging methods with proven efficiency in vertical wells, in case of horizontal wells, will require costly asset-heavy applications such as coiled tubing, downhole tractors conveying well logging tools, and Y-tool bypass systems if pump is used. In addition, the logging data interpretation in the case of horizontal wells is less reliable due to the multiphase flow and variations of the fluid flow rate. The fluorescent-based nanomaterial production profiling surveillance technology can be used as a viable solution to this problem, which enables cheaper and more effective means of the development of hard-to-recover reserves. This technology assumes that tracers are placed downhole in various forms, such as marker tapes for lower completions, markers in the polymer coating of the proppant used for multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, and markers placed as fluid in fracturing fluid during hydraulic fracturing or acid stimulation during bottom-hole treatment. The fundamental difference between nanomaterial tracers production profiling and traditional logging methods is that the former offers the possibility to monitor the production at frac ports in the well for a long period of time with far less equipment and manpower, reduced costs, and improved HSE.