An Alternative for Injectivity Measurements in Secondary-Tertiary Recovery and CCUS Operations

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a novel field-proven technique for in-situ injectivity testing, advancing CCUS research and reservoir engineering methodologies.

🏢実務担当者:Operators can directly assess injectivity at multiple intervals with various fluids, minimizing pilot risks and accelerating CCUS project timelines.

🏛政策担当者:Supports evidence-based decision-making for CCUS project approvals and monitoring requirements by offering reliable injectivity data.

Reservoir injectivity data is critical for optimizing secondary and tertiary recovery operations in oil and gas, and is especially vital for carbon capture and storage (CCUS) projects. Companies spend significant resources implementing large-scale injection pilots to assess reservoir injectivity and minimize field-wide implementation risks. Traditionally, capital-intensive injection pilot designs rely first on the upscaling of core and log measurements to assess their feasibility and profitability. Given the complexity of these injectivity pilots, the feasibility evaluation process involves the collection of rock samples, extensive rock-fluid interaction testing, and evaluation of several upscaling options. This means that the period between data collection and injection pilot sanction could be months, if not years, and its success depends in no small measure on the correct upscaling assumptions used. This paper introduces a novel technology that integrates formation tester capabilities with customized surface equipment to conduct scale-representative injectivity tests directly in the reservoir. By evolving the widely accepted Deep Transient Testing (DTT) technique—which utilizes active mud and formation fluid circulation through the drill pipe to extend flow periods—this approach enables bidirectional flow, allowing both productivity and injectivity testing at the same station. In this next evolution of the Deep Transient Testing (DTT) technique, a surface-controlled circulating sub is introduced to complement the existing downhole pumping capabilities of formation testers. When set to the circulating position, the sub routes the flow to the annulus, enabling circulation for producibility measurements or for displacement of the drill pipe; when set in the injecting position, it routes the flow through the formation tester for injection into the reservoir. This downhole hardware is integrated with a flexible, highly mobile surface injection skid, which can be deployed using standard drilling or well testing equipment, such as cementing heads, surface testing trees mounted on blowout preventers, and drill pipe, to establish a direct conduit from the surface to the reservoir. This configuration enables selective productivity or injectivity testing of specific intervals using significantly larger fluid volumes, while reducing the equipment footprint and rig time typically required for post-drilling completion and testing of the target section. With the proposed setup, operators can perform multiple productivity/injectivity tests across various reservoir intervals in a single run. The system also offers flexibility to test multiple fluids —such as water, polymers, or surfactants— to study the formation response to different fluid injection strategies. Unlike core experiments, which are limited by sample size and representativeness, this technique enables in situ evaluation of larger reservoir sections. Additionally, integrated logging capabilities after each injection sequence allow assessment of changes in hydrocarbon residual saturation, providing a more comprehensive understanding of reservoir response to each injection sequence. This technique is particularly well-suited for CCUS applications, where understanding injectivity and formation response to CO₂ and other injected fluids is essential. The ability to perform in-situ injectivity tests with large fluid volumes in open hole enables early characterization of reservoir behavior under realistic injection conditions. There is currently no offering for such in-situ measurements in the industry.

• semanticscholar https://doi.org/10.4043/37198-msfirst seen 2026-05-05 23:41:03