Development of oil and gas fields requires a wide range of technological operations. Each of them is associated with certain technical activities, including drilling, development, development, production, etc. All stages of oil field development are performed sequentially, although some processes may be supported throughout the entire project.
The concept of the life cycle of an oil field
The development of an oil and gas field is only one stage in its overall life cycle. Other working actions may not be related to technical operations at all. As a rule, the following stages of this process are distinguished:
- Search. An extensive range of geophysical activities, which are complemented by licensing, computer modeling, and testingwork in the form of test drilling.
- Intelligence. Exploration procedures are carried out on the discovered deposit. Its contours, general parameters are being determined, recommendations for water are being developed, etc. A plan is being drawn up for the modes of further exploitation of the deposit.
- Arrangement. The configuration of the well location is determined based on the data obtained at the previous stages.
- Development and production. At this stage, the main stages of the development of oil fields are carried out in accordance with the prepared project. An infrastructure is being organized to ensure the movement of resources to the surface.
- Liquidation and conservation of the well. After the cessation of production, the developed area is either liquidated, and the territory is cleaned and restored, or is conserved for a certain time.
Oil field development design methods
The main goal of design work is to formulate technical solutions that describe the initial data and attach a specific development plan. The set of documents should include prepared solutions in the following areas:
- Preliminary development justification indicating economic opportunities.
- Operational decisions. Direct technological documentation, reflecting a detailed description of the tactics of drilling and production.
- Investment attractiveness. Opportunities for staff training, expansiontransportation infrastructure, organization of social infrastructure, construction, etc.
The modeling and forecasting of production returns at each stage of oil field development is of fundamental importance. The dynamics of indicators is compiled on the basis of a grid of reservoirs and includes an assessment of pressure, composition of deposits, chlorine content, etc. As a rule, at the initial stage, increasing indicators of resource extraction are noted, at the second stage they stabilize, and starting from the third, they fall to the development level late deposits.
Types of oil field development stages
In the framework of the project for the extraction of resources from oil fields, three main groups of technological stages are distinguished:
- Zero. Hydrocarbon reserves are being assessed. Development activities in this case may be associated with the extraction of samples at different levels of the reservoirs.
- Main stages of development. Direct development of the production site is being carried out with the organization of the well, bottomhole, casing structures and preparation of the site for uniform extraction of resources.
- Completion of development. Due to the decrease in the profitability of the production process, the well is closed.
Again, not all operating procedures can be associated with the extraction of oil and gas raw materials and related activities. How many stages are distinguished in the development of an oil field as part of the main organizational and production processes? Standardthe technology involves 4 stages, which will be discussed below.
1 development stage: drilling
Intensive drilling of the marked area along the design contours is being carried out. Technological equipment for well construction is put into operation. At the first stage of the development of oil fields, the extraction of resources can be performed, but in an anhydrous mode. The volume of recoverable oil is still minimal, but may increase depending on the design regime.
2 stage of development: start of production
In terms of production, this is the main period of development, during which the largest volumes of the resource are extracted. The commissioning of reserve wells with integrated extraction and transportation of oil through an established system of communications is practiced. In such an infrastructure, the main stages of the development of oil and gas fields are organized, although there are some technological nuances that cause a difference in the extraction of different resources. As far as oil is concerned, high-precision regulation of the development process is practiced today in order to maintain production volumes. For this, special geological and technological measures are connected. But it is important to take into account that the duration of this stage is only 4-5 years, therefore, along with the active development of deposits, we can also talk about significant material costs.
Development stage 3: slowing down production decline
After intensive development, there is a drop in productionoil as a result of declining available reserves. And if at the previous stage we can talk about the inclusion of measures to regulate development in order to maintain production volumes, then in this case, on the contrary, measures are involved to slow down the decline in the recovery of raw materials. In particular, this is achieved by continuing drilling operations, pumping water for clearing, commissioning additional wells, etc.
4 Development Stage: Preparing for Liquidation
The overall development period as such is coming to an end. Both the volume of oil produced and the rate of its technological selection are decreasing. On average, at this stage of the development of oil fields, about 85-90% of the reserves are recovered from the total volume of the extracted resource within the framework of a particular project. The main activities are related to the preparation of the site for liquidation.
It is worth noting that after the completion of development, the well receives the status of a mature field. That is, its parameters have been studied, resources have been mastered, and then there may be a question about the prospects for its further development for the period of conservation. Despite the possible unprofitability of subsequent work, mature fields have advantages. For example, significant investments (the largest ones) are no longer required at the first stages of development. While maintaining the minimum performance of the already organized infrastructure, you can count on certain production indicators, albeit in much smaller volumes than at the main stages.
Collecting and preparing resources
Another technological stage,which is not always used, but is used in the oil infrastructure for the same technological optimization. That is, the collection and preparation of resources can be organized as part of the development of oil and gas fields, if there are appropriate conditions for this. Preparation may be associated with a preliminary discharge of water, after which products are collected for subsequent transportation. A kind of filtration is carried out on special equipment, where oil and gas are supplied directly from the field. The extracted raw material is then sent to storage facilities or pipelines. Usually, communications are connected with the central resource collection points, where special processing is carried out with the measurement of physical and chemical parameters.
Conclusion
Oil production technologies are regularly improved and improved, but even despite this, the basic technical and structural approach to field development remains the same. The difference will be only in certain aspects that are taken into account at the design stage. One way or another, the 4 stages of oil field development remain key, their basic execution configurations do not change, but approaches to specific operations can be adjusted. This applies to exploration activities, means of production control, assessment of the productivity of deposits, etc. These and other indicators are taken into account by designers not only at the initial stage of field exploration, but also directly during its development. This is what allows timelychange the tactics of work, making certain adjustments to the nature of the use of technical tools.
