A Strategy to Optimize Well Clean Up Operation by Utilizing Existing Oily Water Treatment Facilities in Handil Mature Oil Field

Abstract

Handil is a mature oil and gas field which has been producing for more than 40 years. Despite natural decline and aging production facilities, the potential of Handil Field maintained through strategy, innovations and operational excellence to tackle field depletion.
Intensive well intervention operation by implementing new technology is one the keys to maximizing recovery of the remaining potential of the field. However, considering the location of the Handil field in swamp environment, heavy well intervention programs such as acid stimulation is challenging and may lead to high cost and complex operations.
Utilization of the existing production network and oily water treatment unit (OWTU) as clean up facilities has open the opportunity to optimize the well interventions operations in Handil field. In the other side, aging facilities and risk of facilities upset may lead hydrocarbon spill and important production losses.
Following successful tests, the well cleanup operation to production facilities post perforation and acid stimulation jobs has demonstrated opportunity to improve well operational efficiency and HSE wise. The main benefits of utilizing production facilities for clean up operations as follows:
- Minimize dependent on utilizing testing/clean up barge to handle well effluent
- No flaring since the hydrocarbon produced directly to the production network.
- Reduce risk of hydrocarbon spill from the temporary connection from well to intervention barges
This paper discussed a new approach to utilize existing facilities in the mature oil field to recover and to manage to clean up effluent post-treatments, challenges, and strategy to minimize the risk of facilities upset and production losses.