PriMera Scientific Engineering (ISSN: 2834-2550)

Review Article

Volume 4 Issue 4

A Doomed Reservoir Surprisingly Became a Mature Reservoir with Potential: Water Dump Flooding Case Study in Boca Field

Elias Raul Acosta*, Carlos J Ortega, Gina Vega Riveros, Luis R Molina and Ernesto E Rosales Z

March 20, 2024

DOI : 10.56831/PSEN-04-119

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Abstract

Water Dump Flooding is less well known for revitalizing mature fields. However, in the Boca Field, specifically Reservoir 95 Y-102, this is exactly what occurred. A periodic review of this mature field suggested abandoning the only producing well in this reservoir, well X-3, because an adjacent well, X-6, located above the dip was known to produce a 99% water cut.

Although other wells were produced in the reservoir, only a 12% recovery was achieved. Therefore, an integrated study to re-evaluate the parameters and properties of Reservoir 95 Y-102 began in 2005. During the well analysis, it was found that the water production of well X-6 was the result of the communication behind the casing of the well with the underlying aquifer 101 and not because of the advancement of the oil-water contact, as initially suggested. Recompletion of well X-3 was recommended because an injection process known as dump flooding was underway. In addition, aquifer support for production over the previous seven years strongly indicated that dump flooding would produce the desired production increases.

Under sub-optimal conditions, accidental Water Dump Flooding rejuvenated the producing well, increasing production to more than 300 BOPD with an acceptable water cut of 61%. The steps followed for the analysis and understanding of the process that occurred and how we took advantage of this accidental Dump Flooding raised the production from nearly zero to over 100,000 barrels produced in a single year. This lays the foundation for using Dump Flooding as a production and development strategy for other projects in the area.

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