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Enhanced Oil Deliverability Using Simple Technology:
Build a Booster Mini Station
Ranov Fasallo, Sumaryanto, I Nyoman Hari Kontha (VICO Indonesia)

Abstract
Mutiara-X is an onshore development well drilled on November 2007. It discovered a new oil pool designated the
A1 reservoir. The reservoir thickness of this zone is 80 ft with 11 MMstbo of estimated original oil in place. The
well is located 7.5 km away from the nearest gathering station in hilly forested terrain. As typical of other Mutiara
wells, this well is produced to the gathering station through a flow line. The initial production rate was 1200 bopd
with a flowing tubing head pressure of 210 psi. The rate unexpectedly dropped quickly and the flow became
intermittent and very sensitive to the pressure changes at the facility's suction header. By time, more frequent flow
line gas flushes were required to keep the well on production.

In 2009, a comprehensive study by a multi-disciplinary team recommended an innovative approach to lower the
flowing tubing pressure and separately flow between gas and liquid line. This recommendation is to install a booster
mini station located close to the well, comprising a separator, a liquid pump, and an additional gas flow line. The
project was commissioned in January 2010. As a result, the well rate has now increased to 3200 bopd and is
sustaining stable flow. It is estimated that incremental oil reserves of around 400 Mstbo will be achieved. The
project has increased VICO Indonesia's total oil production rate by 20%, with very attractive economic result.

This paper will discuss the well performance and value of the project in increasing VICO oil production.

Introduction
VICO Indonesia is a production sharing contract
operated in the East Kalimantan basin, with wells at
Badak, Nilam, Semberah and Mutiara Fields. Mutiara
field, shown in Fig. 1, is located in the south of
Mahakam River just west of the small town Handil.

Currently Mutiara delivers three quarter of VICOs
oil production. These oils come from natural flowing
and gas lifted oil wells which are transported into
Mutiara gathering stations via flow lines.

Unfortunately, the well head pressure is sometimes
not enough to transfer energy to push the oil from
well head to gathering station and causes premature
abandonment. This is because the reservoir pressure
decline naturally along with the production of oil.
The condition where Mutiara field lies on hilly
topography and the use of single line for multi-phase
flow also stir up problem (high friction pressure loss)
in transporting oil. Those things were experienced by
Mutiara-X where a good oil reservoir, A1, was
successfully found and exploited through it.

Reservoir A1
Mutiara-X, located at the Northern part of Mutiara
field (see Fig. 2), is a 3-1/2 long string of dual
monobore well. Significant oil net pay named A1 was
encountered in this well and perforated through
shorter string.

Reservoir A1 is a multi-stacking sand with thickness
almost 80 ft of net pay sand, 28% of porosity, and
880 mD of permeability. The initial pressure was
noted by RFT as 1014 psig.

A1 was firstly produced on March 2008 with initial
rate of 1220 bopd and 150 Mscfd of associate gas.
Three months afterward, the rate increased to 1640
bopd and 360 Mscfd of associate gas. It was
suspected that gas from reservoir A2, which is
utilized as in-situ gas lift, increased. The detail
production profile is shown in Fig. 8.

PROSPER (NODAL analysis software) was used to
estimate the flow rate for several well head pressures
and showed that lowering well head pressure could
give a higher rate of oil production (see Fig. 3). But
in fact, from the beginning of its production, Mutiara-
X reactivation by blew the well to atmosphere and
flushing the flow line by higher gas pressure was
repeatedly executed whenever the well head pressure
decreased. Those became more frequent when
reservoir pressure started declining.

Lowering the well head pressure could, of course,
increase the productivity but the pressure then will
not be sufficient to push the liquid to gathering
station. A number of 140 160 psig was required to
pay delta pressure between Mutiara X and gathering
station. With 20 psig of suction separator pressure
and flow rate of 1200 1600 bopd, Mutiara Xs well

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head pressure should be around 160 psig 180 psig.
This, once again, means that every time the well head
pressure dropped to less than 160 psig, Mutiara X
would be unable to flow.

Reservoir A1 Reserve
There was uncertainty about the original oil in place
(OOIP) of A1 since it was developed at Mutiara-X
only (limitation of available data). Monte Carlo
simulation was, then, used to approximate the value
of OOIP.

Figure 4 shows a graphic of cumulative frequency
distribution versus OOIP. Based on Archer and
Wall
3
, reserve could be classified as follow:

cumm. freq. reserve classification
10% proven
50% proven + probable
90% proven + probable + possible

A number of 11 MMstb was taken and classified as
proven and probable reserve of A1sand. The fact that
only 1 MMstb (until January 2010) had been
produced from this sand challenge VICO to do some
study to enhance the recovery factor.

Surface Facility Development Study
In order to lower well head pressure of Mutiara-X
and solve the problem in transferring liquid to the
station, VICO team recommended three solutions
referring to development of surface facility.

Multiphase Pumps
The first one was to erect multiphase pumps close to
the well as seen in Fig. 5 below:

Application:
Heavy oil/low GOR field
New oil field development (limited gas facilities)
Limited space for Equipment
Electricity available

Advantages:
Reduce equipment space
Able to handle up to 100% GVF

Disadvantages:
Need bigger pump & power consumption when
GOR increase over time
High customization

Booster Mini-Station
To build an oil booster station was another option
offered by VICO team. Fig. 6 illustrates the station
comprising separator, liquid pump, and new line for
gas. In case of low pressure at the outlet gas, WHC is
considered to be tagged to the system.

Application:
Applicable for all type of oil field
Preferable for high GOR field
Applicable for electrical & gas engine

Advantages:
Most common used (established technology)
No operational issue when GOR increase
Able to be operated at FTHP as low as possible
(but need WHC)
Low customization

Disadvantages:
Need more equipments (flowlines, separator,
WHC), space, and installation cost.

Blow Case Pump
The last proposal was to assemble blow case pump
(see Fig. 7).

Application:
Preferable for remote area and low liquid rate
wells

Advantages:
No fuel required
No CO
2
emission
Less equipment compare to multiphase pumps &
booster station
Less Maintenance cost
Minimum operator involvement.

Disadvantages:
High customization
Possible need very big space for equipment lay
out

Method Selection
High power consumption and big pump size are
major issues in VICO so that the option of using
multiphase pumps wasnt selected. The use of blow
case pumps was more attractive but only when the oil
well head pressure close to medium pressure of gas
line. Besides, there was lack of information regarding
design, similar application in oil industry, and cost
estimation.

Booster station (separation, pumps, gas line) was the
most recommended method for lowering surface
pressure by considering:


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Ability in handling high gas production from
high GOR oil wells without any problem.
Availability of gas flowline near to oil wells.
Possibility to use idle equipment (pumps and
separator) from other VICO area.

Based on process simulation software (hysis), a
number of 65 70 psig is needed at the outlet gas
separator to flow gas to the lowest pressure system in
gathering station while well head pressure could pay
more than 80 psig. Therefore, WHC is no needed to
add.

Application
Booster Mini-Station, located 1 km away from
Mutiara-X, is intended to separate gas from liquid by
using two phase separator. Gas outlet from separator
is delivered to VLP system while liquid is delivered
to oil system in gathering station by using liquid
transfer pump. In order to handle liquid condense due
to small rate of gas, higher pressure gas from other
flowline is injected to gas line outlet separator.

Results
Having it set up on January 2010, liquid production
from Mutiara-X was diverted from MCP to Booster
Mini Station and gave 2500 bopd of the incremental
rate. This lowering pressure project also gained
more than 2.5 MMscfd of associated gas (see Fig. 9).

Mutiara-Y, which has the same reservoir as Mutiara-
X does, also utilizes Booster Mini Station to prevent
the inability of reservoir pressure to transport oil to
gathering station just because of the same conditions
as Mutiara-X had. Until Oct 2010, A1 has been
contributing 1.9 MMbbls of cumulative oil.

Conclusion
Besides lowering well head pressure of Mutiara-X,
Booster Mini Station has solved problem of inability
in transporting oil from well into gathering station.
This project gave a very good incremental oil rate
and able to enhance field deliverabilty. The flow rate
became more stable and no more sensitive to pressure
changes.

References
1. Rizki, et al., Geological Modeling, fault seal
analysis, and dynamic modeling in E3460 oil
reservoir, Dondang area, Mutiara Field, East
Kalimantan, Indonesia., IATMI paper, 2010.
2. Permadi, A.K., Diktat Teknik Reservoir I,
2004.
3. Amyx, J.W., et al., Petroleum Reservoir Engi-
neering, New York, 1960.

Acknowledgement
I would like to deliver honors to the person below
who has allowed, supported, and shared information
and knowledge in completing and publishing this
paper:
1. Bambang Ismanto, VP Resource Management,
VICO Indonesia.
2. Bill Turnbull, Manager of Base Management
Team, VICO Indonesia.
3. I Nyoman Hari Kontha, Pahala Panjaitan, Ade
Lukman, Senior Petroleum Engineering, VICO
Indonesia
4. Chrisnadi, Ari Taufiq Kramadibrata, Musyoffi
Yahya, Farah Tias, and Nindya Sekar Wiwitan,
friends in VICO Indonesia.



Fig. 1 Mutiara Situation Map, red area in left most
picture are gas fields, the green one are oil fields,
VICO fields are on the onshore of delta Mahakam.

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Fig. 2 Mutiara-X location, represented by blue star.
Gathering station location is symbolized by
green tringale.



Fig. 3 Inflow vs Outflow diagram of Mutiara-X





Fig. 4 Determination of A1 reserve




Fig. 5 Multiphase Pumps - Simplified Diagram



Fig. 6 Booster Mini Station - Simplified Diagram

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Fig. 7 Blow Case Pumps - Simplified Diagram






















Fig. 8 Reservoir A1 production profile




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