Technical Breakthrough in Production Engineering Ensures Economic Development of ASP Flooding in Daqing Oilfield

Abstract Pilot tests commenced from 1980s in Daqing Oilfield have proved that ASP flooding could improve the recovery rate by 20% based on water flooding, while scaling issue in producers was the only factor which made it hard to reach that objective. Investigation in site indicated that more than 70 percent producers had scaling issues, and scaling types and degree in ASP producers varied dramatically in different wells and different period. In the peak of scaling period, the averaged running life was only a couple of months. A project focused on the harness of scaling issue in ASP producers was implemented from 2002. In the first stage, the study aimed at getting the scaling principle in ASP producers. A series of monitoring and analysis on producing fluid's ion concentration were implemented in different ASP producers. The scale deposited on tubing in different depths were picked out and analyzed. The scaling mechanism of ASP producing liquids in artificial lift systems were created which presented the varying principle of scaling ions as well as the characteristics of scale in ASP producers. A set of scaling principle prediction plates was also created with a success ratio being above 90%. In the second stage, a series of anti-scaling artificial lift techniques were developed including new anti-scaling pump, chemical scale removers and scale inhibitors, and other matching techniques. The new anti-scaling techniques were put into application from several wells up to near 1,000 wells. The operating rate has been improved by 4.13 percent as well as the operating cost decreased by 72.77%. The technical breakthrough in anti-scaling artificial lift systems improved the operating life of ASP producers considerably. It applied solid foundation for ASP flooding to become a beneficial method for mature oilfield development in commercial scale.