American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - 21

Intriguing Innovations
Address Key Challenges
In Oil And Gas Industry
As we find ourselves firmly in the middle of the first quarter
of 2022, operators and service companies are racing to make
things happen, and who can blame them? After several years of
lackluster oil prices, it is refreshing to finally see an uptick that
points to renewed life and revived spirits in the good old oil
field that we know and love.
I continue to hear stories about purchases and planned acquisitions,
with everyone looking to capture that market share
and trying to get while the getting is good. To no one's surprise,
we see companies beginning to invest in nearly anything that
may provide an additional edge. In many cases, these investments
are based in technology.
In fact, Chevron has placed an order with American Robotics
for automated drones specifically designed to manage, monitor
and inspect its assets. Applying this type of tech is becoming
increasingly favorable, saving countless man-hours in the field
while improving overall safety records. In addition, fewer onsite
staff during inspection and repairs shrinks both costs and
opportunities for accidents. Operators already are seeing the
savings and safety improvements, and then add in modern environmental,
social and governance considerations.
The time is ripe for companies to take advantage of new
technology. A couple of technologies I have been working with
lately show promise in this environment.
In the unconventional space, trimming costs and improving
production determine each well's success. Therefore, optimization
is on the radar for many companies as they seek to improve the
performance of the wells they drill and complete. Neutrally
buoyant proppants constitute a particularly promising technology.
Typically, these materials are used in conjunction with sand
during a fracturing treatment to maximize fracture conductivity
and produce additional resources that otherwise are left behind.
The technology, developed by Sun Specialty Products, utilizes
the same material it has been manufacturing as a mechanical
lubricant, but enjoys upgraded strength thanks to nanoparticles
and nanotubes added to the thermoset copolymer base. This
combination creates spherical material strong enough to prop a
frac, but light enough to travel with the fluid instead of settling
like sand.
This ability to stay suspended in the fluid allows the neutrally
buoyant proppant to reach areas of the frac where the sand
simply cannot go. Tests adding this material to a frac treatment
show that 90%-95% of the frac is effectively propped. Companies
that incorporate this material into their frac designs can create
the same production from two wells in the same reservoir
compared with four wells that employ traditional methods.
Also in the polymer space, though with a dramatically
different application, is a technology that has been around for a
while but is finding new life. Randy Prater with Polymer
Services II-the sequel to his former company Polymer Service
that was purchased by Kemira in 2015-recently gave a talk at a
Petroleum Technology Transfer Council webinar in which he
outlined how his company was helping operators use polymer
JEREMY VISCOMI is a strategic
marketing expert for the oil and
gas industry. Among his many
roles, he serves as the MidContinent
regional lead for the
Petroleum Technology Transfer
Council, providing independent
operators with access to emerging
technology aimed at reducing
risk and growing profits.
FEBRUARY 2022 21
" This ability to stay suspended in the fluid
allows the neutrally buoyant proppant to
reach areas of the frac where the sand simply
cannot go. Tests adding this material to a
frac treatment show that 90%-95% of the
frac is effectively propped.
"
gels in waterflood conformance and profile modification.
A polymer job's primary goal is to create and implement a
design to address inefficient flood patterns to improve oil production
by redirecting injection fluid to tighter, unswept portions
of the reservoir. Conformance treatments address high-permeability
streaks known as thief zones by blocking these areas deep into
the reservoir, thus forcing the injection fluid around the gel
block and into tighter, oil-saturated rock. Blocking thief zones
mobilizes bypassed oil to the offset production wells, often significantly
increasing reserve recovery.
Profile modification treatments address injection profile inefficiencies
by directing injection fluids more proportionally
when multiple zones are open. In many cases, most fluid favors
one or two intervals. Injection fluid is forced into neglected intervals,
thus increasing oil production. Combining these with
chemistries that have improved greatly in the last 10-15 years, a
polymer treatment can be an excellent tool for waterflood optimization.
A typical injection side gel polymer can be expected
to increase original oil in place recovery 5%-15% while slashing
water handling costs. Water production from offset producers
often decreases 30%-50%, with significant increases in oilwater
ratios and increased daily oil rates over time.
2022 is shaping up to be an exciting year, and with companies
taking advantage of higher oil prices, it will be exciting to see
what technologies, both old and new, will emerge in the coming
months. The impact of ongoing oil field digitization and the use
of machine learning and artificial intelligence in the oil field
will begin to bear fruit this year, while tried and true technology
will be the darling for those to create improved and more
productive wells this year.
❒

American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022

Contents
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Intro
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Cover1
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Cover2
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Contents
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - 4
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - 5
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American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Cover3
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2022 - Cover4
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