SPE-181168-MS

Comparison Between Cyclic Gas Injection and Cyclic Solvent + Gas

Injection

J. E. Rivera, C. A. Duarte, C. H. Chaparro, F. R. Fernández, L. M. Quintero, R. M. Villareal, J. C. Pinto, J. R.

Sárquez, J. A. Sáchica, R. F. Amaya, U. F. Ferreira, and V. J. Arrieta, ECOPETROL S.A.

Copyright 2016, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Latin America and Caribbean Heavy and Extra Heavy Oil Conference held in Lima, Peru, 19-20 October 2016.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
This paper shows the comparison obtained in the oil and gas production increase by cyclic gas injection
produced at Provincia field and the cyclic solvent + gas injection (same field). According the composition
of the production gas of Provincia Field (Table 1) used during the cyclic injection, is denominated as "rich
gas", the molar fraction between C2 to C7+ is 31%.
The Provincia Field is a mature field that has since the late 80's the Gas Lift as artificial lift system and for
our particular case, that resource compressed gas was taken at 1000 psig to cyclically inject gas production.
Besides, the cyclic gas injection & cyclic solvent + gas injection technology was proved.
The cyclic rich gas injection of was put in practice in 9 wells of the field and the cyclic injection + gas
was applied in the well Santos 94. For our specific case, the application of both technologies in the increase
of productivity obtained in Santos 94 (API Gravity 20°) is going to compare. During the total cycle of
injection & production of cyclic gas in Santos 94 an increase of oil production was obtained, 2134 Bls and
32,4 MMCF of gas. The oil and gas incremental production during the injection cycle of solvent + rich gas
was 3232 Bls and 171 MMCF (32715 Equivalent Barrels).

Introduction
One of the most important parameters to be considered in secondary and tertiary oil recovery projects is
the availability of fluids to inject. The feasibility of the use of technics of enhanced recovery depends on
the resources availability (water, gas, chemicals, steam, etc) and the properties of each reservoir. The use
of fluids (such as production gas, Nitrogen, flue gas, hydrocarbon solvents or mix) becomes important
when used as raw material in oil recovery, focusing directly on increasing production and final recovery
of hydrocarbons.
The cyclic fluids injection (Solvents, Production gas, Nitrogen or Flue Gas) is an oil recovery process
that consist in the injection to determinate volume of fluid in a producing well, then the well is closed
for a period of time (soak phase) to allow the phases equilibrium in the formation and after that time the
well is open again to initiate the production time. The most common or known process is the cyclic CO2
injection, also known as "CO2 Huff & Puff", but the availability of itself is the difficult of the application
2 SPE-181168-MS

and the expensive cost of injection, which makes it an unprofitable alternative for application in field. An
Alternative is to apply the fluids cyclic injection principle that can be available in the Colombian fields or
refineries, to evaluate the conditions to be applied and the use restrictions.
This project looking for application of fluids cyclic injection technology as a Solvent #4 of the
Barrancabermeja refinery, follow or displacement by the production gas in the well Santos 94, which led to
perform the conceptual design and implementation of the pilot.
Thus, the decline in oil and gas production in the field Provincia forces the search and implementation
of technologies that enable increased production of hydrocarbons.

Fluids Cyclic Injection Stages

Both the production gas and Solvent + production cyclic gas injection method use some process which mains
functions in the oil recovery are the extraction, dissolution, vaporization, solubilization, condensation, or
some changes in the phases behavior when interact with oil at reservoir conditions. Additionally it's shown
other recovery mechanism such as viscosity reduction and the oil swelling, solution gas drive, but the most
influential primary mechanisms in response to contact between the solvent and oil, to realize a properties
optimization are molecular diffusion and the extraction of the light and intermediate oil components at
bottom conditions for development the miscibility between fluids.
The miscibility can be made with many fluids such as: Organics alcohols, ketone, refining hydrocarbons,
LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas), natural gas and NGL (Natural Gas Liquids), CO2, Nitrogen and flue gas, inter
alia, depending on reservoir injection pressure. It is estimated that the process is applied for cyclic injection
immiscible gas production, while that is miscible o partially for the solvent + production gas injection in
early weeks of the process, having account that the injection pressure is 1000 psig.
The production gas composition of Provincia field is shown in Table1.

Table 1—Gas Composition

Components Molar %

CO2 0,43

H2S 0

N2 0

C1 68,6

C2 8,01

C3 5,02

i-C4 0,75

n-C4 1,8

i-C5 0,51

n-C5 0,87

C6 1,01

C7+ 13

Total 100

According to the production gas composition of Provincia Field, the gas used during the cyclic injection
is a "Rich Gas", the molar fraction between C2 to C7+ is 31%. Due to the high concentrations of C2 to
C7+ in the gas streams to inject is present a highly increase in oil production. The production mechanisms
that prevail are: highly oil viscosity reduction, solution gas drive, highly oil swelling and interfacial tension
decrease. Considering good thermodynamics affinity between rich gas and oil, the pressures to obtain the
SPE-181168-MS 3

miscibility are below to 3000 psi, so the process can be miscible or not. For this particulate case is miscible
due to the injection pressure is 1000 psig.
The solvent # 4 properties of Barrancabermeja's Refinery is shown in Table 2.
4
Table 2—Solvent # 4 Properties

PROPERTIES / METHODS ESPECIFICATION

UNITS
CHARACTERISTIC ASTM Min. Max.

Saybolt Color N/A D 156 21

Copper Strip Corrosion Classification D130 1

Destilation °C ASTM D 1078

Initial Boiling Point 143,3

50% recovery vol. Report

Dry Point 215,6

Flash Point °C D56 32,2

Refractive Index @ 20°C N/A D1218 Report

Bromine Index D2710 Report

Kauri-Butanol Value N/A D1133 29 45

API Gravity °API D4052 Report

The solvent + rich gas cyclic injection must be obtain the best response in oil production due to a better
thermodynamics behavior with oil, where th production mechanisms that prevail are: dilution, diffusion,
oil viscosity reduction, solution gas drive, oil swelling and interfacial tension decrease. The used method
in Santos 94 to allow the solvent to dilute the most proportion in oil at reservoir conditions is displacement
the injected volume of solvent with rich gas.

Stages of the process

There are three phases in the Huff & Puff Method, which make that the injected gas interaction with reservoir
can be efficient to maximizate the oil production. Figure 7, show the process.
Injection phase (Huff Phase). In this stage the production gas is injected for the case of gas injected or
solvent follow by the production gas in the producing well directly to interest formation during a specific
period time. The solvent volume and production gas must be enough in order to the most oil volume can be
dissolved and the production gas can be used as a transport medium of solvent porous medium.
Soak phase ("Shut-I"n Phase). The injected fluids are leave in soak for to dissipate into reservoir and can
create process of vaporization-condesation, reduction of viscosity and swelling of oil; Note that, the shut-
in time will be among 30% to 50% of injection time.
Production phase (Puff Phase). In this final stage, first the well is open again to stimulate the production
usually in natural conditions (natural flux) and in some cases the first days it produces gas only and then
starts to liquids production, after that the well stops to produce by natural flux and then the artificial lift is
started; the cycle ends when oil production decrease near to basic production before the injection process.
4 SPE-181168-MS

5
Figure 1—Fluids cyclic injection process scheme

Criteria for selection of pilots wells for cyclic fluids injection

To realize a fluids cyclic injection project it's must be taken into account some criteria such as the fluids
characteristics to inject and reservoir fluids, reservoir properties; pressure, temperature, saturations, rock
properties, Injection pressure and fluids saturations.

Reservoir with low productivity or inactives (<100 Bls). The objective of the implementation of this
process is to increase the oil production by repressurization and mechanisms mentioned above. For that
reason it's must be to select that has low production in depleted reservoir. On the other hand, this criterion
is applied with the objective to minimize the deferred production during the injection time and shut-in. For
the case the well Santos 94 the production before the cyclics injections was 0 Bls (because it was inactive).
In-Situ Oil Crude. It considers approximate 1200 Bls/ac-ft or more to have an estimated of the expected
recovery, also it must to know the oil saturation (So) and the oil residual saturation (Sor).
Permeability. It should be sufficient to allow a good injection gas and/or the solven to the well and to
permit the invasion in the most area of reservoir by the injected fluid.
Type of Oil Crude. This criterion is include due to the technology has an wide applicability in black
oils, which include light, medium and heavy oils. However for to evaluate the technology, were include oil
with °API gravity between 20° to 45°, because in condensate reservoir, the dry gas injection makes with
the objective to control the problems of retrograde condensation, and in extra-heavy oils the canalization
problems and digitation of the injected gas are difficult to control.
SPE-181168-MS 5

Highly remanent oil saturation reservoir. The oil remanent saturation is the most important parameter
in the application of the cyclic fluid injection. If the reservoir has been water invaded, the oil saturation
should be optimal in order to implemented the process and assure the stability of the project economy. The
minimum value of the oil saturation must be between 25% and 30%.
Reservoir / thin sands. In thick sands (>100 ft) the injected gas tends to float toward the top thereof the
fluid avoid the contact with sand that containing oil. For that reason, it consider sands with thick near to 40
ft. Greater thicknesses needs more gas volume to inject during more time, affecting the process economic.
Low Gas-Oil Ratio (GOR) reservoir. When it has reservoir with high oil-gas ratio (GOR> 10MSCF/Bls)
problems can be show such as gas coning, for that reason that is incorrect in reservoir with high GOR choice
to gas inject. This problem can be solve with another kind of technologies.
Reservoir pressure lower than available injection pressure. The reservoir pressure is another important
parameter to consider because a lower value to 500 psig has to be found than the available injection pressure,
in order to defeat the back pressure from the reservoir so the process carries out. The injection pressure
depends on the supply of available gas in surface facilities.
Reservoir with injection facilities and gas availability. This two criterion allow decrease the project costs.
The injection fluid should be available in the required quantities and at a reasonable cost that includes
the supply and transportation to the project location. In an oilfield with high-pressure gas lines or next
to a gas pipe the costs are minimize because the gas facilities and handling are available that suggest the
implementation of this method in wells under to artificial lift by gas, due to can be use the same artificial
gas supply as a gas injection.

Cyclic Solvent + Rich gas Pilot Project

The pilot test was developed on first days of Septiembre 2014 in the well Santos 94 applying the technology
of Cyclic rich gas injection, which was injected 32,45 MMCF of rich gas during 33 days. The soak time
was 17 days and the accumulate production during 79 days was 2134 Bls y 32,4 MMCF of gas. The total oil
equivalent was 7719 Bls equivalent, for an average production of 98 Bls Equivalent per day. It's important
to mention that the Santos 94 production before the injection was zero barrels. In the table 3 shows the
summary of the pilot injection and production operations.
1
Table 3—Summary of the pilots injection and production operations, well Santos 94.

OIL PRODUCTION BEFORE INJECTION Bls 0

RICH GAS INJECTED VOLUME MMCF 32,45

RICH GAS INJECTION TIME Days 33

SOAK TIME Days 17

OIL PRODUCTION Bls 2134

GAS PRODUCTION MMCF 32,4

PRODUCTION TIME Days 79

AVERAGE INCREMENTAL OIL (EQUIVALENT) BEPD 98

TOTAL EQUIVALENT OIL Bls Equivalent 7719

6 SPE-181168-MS

Cyclic Solvent + Rich gas Injection pilot

With the objective to compare Cyclic rich gas injection the technology realized in the well Santos 94 with the
Cyclic solvent + Rich gas, it decided to realize the pilot test applying this technology with Solvent # 4 of the
Barrancabermeja Refinery and production gas of the gas lift system of Provincia field in the well Santos 94.
The cyclic injection operation started at the first days of March of 2015 consists in the injection of 985
Barrels of solvent # 4, follow by 21 MMCF of production gas of the Provincia field at injection pressure of
1000 psig. In the table 4, shows the summary of the pilots of injection operations and production.
The figure 2, shows the operations scheme of the cyclic injection solvent + rich gas of the Santos 94.

1
Figure 2—Operations of the cyclic injection solvent + rich gas of the Santos 94 scheme
SPE-181168-MS 7

1
Table 4—Summary of pilot injection and production of cyclic solvent + rich gas injection, well Santos 94.

OIL PRODUCTION BEFORE INJECTION Bls 0

INJECTED VOLUME OF SOLVENT Bls 985

SOLVENT INJECTION TIME Days 2

RICH GAS INJECTED VOLUME / FIRST CYCLE MMCF 21

RICH GAS INJECTION TIME / FIRST CYCLE Days 21

SOAKING TIME Days 15

OIL PRODUCTION FIRST CYCLE Bls 401

GAS PRODUCTION FIRST CYCLE MMCF 44,4

PRODUCTION TIME / FIRST CYCLE Days 49

RICH GAS INJECTED VOLUME / SECOND CYCLE MMCF 39

RICH GAS INJECTION TIME / SECOND CYCLE Days 39

OIL PRODUCTION SECOND CYCLE Bls 4537

GAS PRODUCTION SECOND CYCLE MMCF 177,2

CUMULATIVE OIL Bls 4938

GAS ACCUMULATED MMCF 221,6

TOTAL TIME OF PRODUCTION / TWO CYCLES Days 366

AVERAGE INCREMENTAL OIL (EQUIVALENT) BEPD 118

TOTAL EQUIVALENT OIL Bls Equivalent 42744

During two first weeks of the test it observed a normal production of 59 BOPD and after that the
production decrease suddenly at 7 BOPD, that's why decided make a Pressure and Temperature gradient
to verify the funcionament of the system valves of gas lift and the level of fluids in the well. The gradient
show that the two last system valves of gas lift weren't injecting reason why it decided change. According
to above allow to finish the production cycle (First cycle of inyection & production): Production oil total is
401 Bls and 44,4 MMCF of gas. Were injected initially 21 MMCF of gas.
In June of 2015 it decided to inject a second gas volume (39 MMCF) with the objective to continuate
with the asset of the cyclic solvent + rich gas injection. The production continue normally and stops in June
9 of 2016, an accumulate of production oil of 4537 Barrels and 177,2 MMCF gas production, for an oil
total equivalent of 30550 Barrels equivalents in liquid. The second cycle of production accumulate since
the first time of the test 317 days.

Conclusions
It was possible to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of rich gas cyclic injection technology and the
solvent + rich gas cyclic injection from the Provincia Field. The test in field made under the best conditions
of process security, achieving to the end of itself null impact to people, environment and equipment.
According to production gas composition of Provincia Field (Table 1) the used gas during the cyclic
injection is a "Rich gas", the molar fraction between C2 to C7+ is 31%. Due to this the injection process
shows good increase of oil production.
Therefore, During the total cycle of injection & production of cyclic gas in Santos 94 an increase of oil
production was obtained, 2134 Bls and 32,4 MMCF of gas. The oil and gas incremental production during
the injection cycle of solvent + rich gas was 3232 Bls and 171 MMCF (32715 Equivalent Barrels).
According to above exposed the use of Provincia gas production in cyclic reinjection generates more
value those other alternatives such as sales or the energy generation with the same gas.
8 SPE-181168-MS

Considering the results obtained in Tables 3 and 4 By comparison against the cyclic solvent injection, the
process of cyclic rich gas injection is better the first one because it presents a miscibilty at first contact where
the rich gas performance as a transport medium, achieving an effective dissolution of the solvent in the oil.
The cyclic solvent injection + rich gas is highly efficient because it allows a productivity time longer, 317
days since Junio 9 2016, considering, that well Santos 94 was closed (0 Bls producing before the injection).

Acknowledgement
The autor would like to thank Ecopetrol (Empresa Colombiana de Petróleos) for permission to publish this
paper. In addition, the author expresses his gratitude to many supporting the colleagues whose input and
assistance: Policarpo Romero Jaramillo and Milton Alfredo Guzmán Petro.

References
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PRODUCCIÓN (ICSG) EN EL CAMPO PROVINCIA DE LA V.R.C. 2015.
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RECOBRO, 2015.
3. L. Castañeda / Universidad de Oriente – Venezuela, J. L. Mogollón / PDVSA, E y P – Venezuela,
G. Rojas / Universidad de Oriente – Venezuela y E. Rodriguez / PDVSA, E y P – Venezuela.
DISEÑO CONCEPTUAL DE UNA PRUEBA PILOTO DE INYECCIÓN CÍCLICA DE GAS
NATURAL. INGEPET, 1999.
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