SPE-177088-MS

Innovative Dual Completion Application to Overcome High Oil Viscosity

Challenges - Case Study from Paacocha Field, Ecuador
R. Almeida, J. Lomas, C. Madrunero, and M. Castillo, Petroamazonas; F. Chicaiza, A. Silva, C. Contreras,
and A. Korgemagi, Schlumberger

Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference held in Quito, Ecuador, 18 20 November
2015.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
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consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
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Abstract
The Paacocha field, located on the Northeast part of Ecuador, is part of the Block 12 from Petroamazonas
EP in an ecologically sensitive area of the Amazon rainforest.
Heavy oil (less than 14API) producers Ml and M2 formations in Paacocha field are not being fully
developed due to challenges of handling fluids with viscosities that increase exponentially as their
temperature decrease.
This paper shows how the design, planning and installation of an inverted concentric dual completion
string combined with the gravel pack technique for sand control and forced convection to minimize fluid
heat transfer through the tubing, allowed to produce high viscosity fluids.

Introduction
Petroamazonas EP currently is responsible for the operation of 20 blocks, 17 of which are located in the
East basin of Ecuador and 3 on the coast, including the offshore operation platform gas (Block 6) in the
Gulf of Guayaquil (see Fig. 1).
Petroamazonas EP currently produces an average of 345,000 barrels per day (audited production); its
production record, recorded in March 2014, reached 369,542 barrels per day.
One of the fields in Ecuadors eastern basin operated by Petroamazonas EP is the block 12, where the
Paacocha field is located, which mainly produces sand bodies of the Napo formation (see Fig 2)
The Ml sand from Upper Napo reservoir in this field, is non-consolidated (has sand production); due
to this fact, the gravel pack technique was used to control sand production. Sand production, along with
the high viscosity fluid produced from this sand, can make the lifting of produced fluids very challenging
by the use of a single conventional completion string since, as the fluid temperature goes down, the
viscosity increases exponentially, reaching the surface at an average 80F temperature and with around
9000 cP viscosity.
The combination of these effects (sand plus high viscosity) generates problems in the surface facilities,
clogging tubular and creating failures on the ESPs due to backpressures, plugging and low flow
efficiencies.

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Figure 1Oil blocks in Ecuadors Eastern basin

Figure 2Tecto-stratigraphic column and geodynamic events from the Eastern Basin (Source: The East Basin: Geology and Oil - Baby
P., Rivadeneira M., Barragan R.)

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The importance of heavy oil reserves in the Paacocha field lies in the values of Original Oil in Place
(POES) reported by Petroamazonas EP in 2014 according to the following values:

At the beginning of the operation of Paacocha field, with the aim of producing sands reserves from
M- 1 and M-2 sands, conventional completion techniques and artificial lift (electrical submersible pumps
ESP) were used, however using a simple completion, there is a cooling effect of the fluid obtained from
the reservoirs, thus the viscosity thereof rises exponentially, complicating electro submersible pumps
normal operation, dramatically reducing its run life, which implies a high workover costs to replace the
ESP equipment.
Using the Forced Convection principle between tubular, the fluid produced by M1 keeps a temperature
of about 145F, reaching surface with a 700 cP, which makes the production from this zone easier to
handle.
Even though simulations showed that the use of an isothermal tubing (concentric tubing with vacuum
thermal isolation) could allow the fluid to reach the surface at 190F, the incremental cost needed to use
this technology would be significant, making this application prohibitive for this application.
The viscosity of the produced fluids from sands M-1 and M-2 changes dramatically when these fluids
reaches a temperature below 120 F, as shown by the results of the analysis of the produced fluids from
both sands (Fig. 3).

Figure 3Viscosity vs. Temperature from M1 & M2 sands in Paacocha field

Heat Transfer
Basic Theory
In a solid, heat transfer between its molecules is produced by the interaction between neighboring
molecules, ultimately thermal energy cannot be transported from one place to another if not raising the
thermal state of the molecules that are among the two points. However a molecule that is located at a point
with a given thermal state can be transported to another point and there interact with other molecules that
were previously in its environment.
This phenomenon allows the transport of thermal energy from one place to another without having to
wait for the heat flow is communicated from molecule to molecule along all the way, for this to occur it
is necessary that the molecules have a certain degree of movement freedom, so it can only occur in fluids
(liquids or gases). Thanks to this a fluid bathing a solid can remove heat from the solid surface much
quicker than it would allow its thermal conductivity.

SPE-177088-MS

The three recognized modes of heat transfer are by conduction, convection, and radiation, and may
occur simultaneously in the well.

Figure 4 Heat Transfer through production tubing

Forced Convection
Convection is one of the three forms of heat transfer and is characterized in that it is produced by a fluid
(liquid or gas) that transports heat between different temperature zones. Convection occurs only through
material, the evaporation of water or fluids. What is called convection itself, is the transport of heat by
fluid movement.
The heat transfer involves the transport of heat in a volume elements and macroscopic mixing of hot
and cold portions of a gas or a liquid. The exchange of energy between a solid surface and a fluid or by
means of a pump, a ventilator or other mechanical device (mechanical convection, forced or assisted) is
also included.
Free transfer fluid or natural heat is hotter or colder and in contact with a solid surface, causes a
circulation due to density differences resulting from temperature gradient in the fluid.
The convective heat transfer is given by the Newtons law of cooling:

Where h is the convection coefficient (or film coefficient), As is the area of the body in contact with
the fluid, Ts the surface temperature of the body and Tinf the fluid temperature is away from the body.
When the fluid absorbs heat accelerate their molecules so its temperature increases and its density
decreases making it lighter.
Energy transportation: Due combination of heat conduction, fluid movement (Efficiency).
When one fluid in motion (Production Fluid) touch a solid surface (Pipe) a heat transfer from the fluid
to the pipe exists.
Delta Temperature: Heat Transfer occurs from the high to the lower temperature.

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Figure 5Heat transfer on tubulars

Proposal
The Paacocha field is a nature reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, the field development project
is what made taking the utmost care in protecting the flora and fauna on this area. In this field there are
only 4 production Pads and, for this reason in all wells in the field that had more than a reservoir with good
features, Petroamazonas EP installed a dual concentric completion to optimize production per well of the
field.

Figure 6 Aerial phot of Paacocha field, Block 12 Petroamazonas EP

A Dual Concentric Completion (DCC) is an array of completion tools combined with a system of
bypass allowing the installation of two completely independent electric submersible pumps (ESP)
downhole, so that each lift the production of one of the reservoirs through independent pipes installed
concentrically, the isolation of the reservoirs is accomplished using seal bore packing and Stinger type
dynamic seals.

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Figure 7Generic outline of a Dual Concentric Completion

Considering that in Paacocha field there are two reservoirs with important reserves of heavy oil, the
basic idea was to use the technique of concentric dual completions and forced convection heat transfer
principle between the production of these two sands and hence optimize well production.
The characteristics of the fluids produced by these two heavy oil reservoirs are as follows:

Ml Sand

M2 Sand

l3.8 API
BSW 58%
Non-Consolidated Sand
Pr 2400 psi
T 190 F

l4.l API
BSW l8%
Consolidated Sand
Pr 2700 psi
T 200 F

Based on the viscosity curves from Ml and M2 sands, it is clear that Ml sand is the most problematic,
since for start is unconsolidated sand thus, sand control technique is needed to control sand and produce
its fluids without causing damage to the completion and surface production facilities. In addition to this,
the viscosity increases from the fluid produced by M1 sand, while losing temperature, is more dramatic
than the fluids from M2 sand.
The High Rate Water Pack (HRWP) technique was selected to control sand production from Ml sand.
The challenge of combining the gravel pack technique with a dual concentric completion was
overcome by using a bypass system on the interior of the completion with screens. To do this, Polish Bore
Receptacles (PBR) and a dynamic Seal Unit (Stinger) were installed in the sump packer (Bottom of Gravel
Pack String).
Then, in order to prevent that the fluids from the Ml sand may lost temperature while traveling to
surface, a tool called Inverted Flow Crossover which switches the direction of the fluid, that is that
the top sand (Ml) will produce through the 2-7/8 inner string and the lower sand (M2) will produce
through the annulus between the 5-l/2 outer string and the 2-7/8 inner string. This achieves that the heat
loss of the fluids from Ml sand, traveling on the inside of the concentric pipe system, decrease because

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in the outside of the 2-7/8 pipe (annulus between 5-l/2 and 2-7/8) fluid produced from the lower M2
sand, that do not lose heat at the same rate that the Ml sand.
The dual string used for this project (Fig. 8), being an inverted type, allow to produce the upper zone
(Ml, with heavy oil) through the 2 7/8 tubing while the lower zone (M2) is produced through the annulus
between the 5 and 2 7/8 tubing, in order to maintain the temperature of the heavy oil fluid.

Figure 8 Dual Completion String used for the project

By doing this, the caloric energy produced by the lower zone is used to reduce heat loses and hence,
viscosity reduction, from the upper zone using the forced convection principle between concentric tubular.

Results and conclusions

The inverted dual string completion with gravel pack to control sand production from M1 (upper zone)
takes advantage of the higher temperature from M2 (lower zone) to increase the temperature and transfer
heat to reduce the viscosity of the fluids being produced from M1, allowing to successfully and
economically produce the fluids from these two sand, in a well from Paacocha field and, based on this
success, the application of this technique in other wells in the area with similar conditions.
Based on the above, the following conclusions can be highlighted:

Dual Inverted Completions help to reduce the heat loses and improve the ESPs run life.
Dual Completion can be combined with sand control methods such as HRWP.
Paacocha field has two sands with heavy oil reserves that can be produced using Inverted DCC.

SPE-177088-MS

Temperature at surface of Ml 138 F (468 Cp)

Temperature of M2 at surface 142 F (489 Cp)
Total Production from the Well /- 850 BOPD

References
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During Conduction Heating of Heavy-Oil Reservoir. SPE paper 124072-MS presented at the 2009
SPE ATC hold in New Orleans, Louisiana, 4-7 Oct.
Petroamazonas EP, Paacocha Field, In the Technological Forefront Head of Corporate Communication Petroamazonas EP
Technical Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer. Convection Heat Transfer. Escuela de Valladolid,
Escuela de Ingenierias Industriales. Department of Energy Engineering and Fluid Mechanics, May
2013
Aziz, K., Bories, S.A. and Combarnous, M.A. (Apr-Jun 1973). The Influence of Natural Convection
in Gas, Oil and Water Reservoirs, J. Can. Pet. Tech, 4147
Sieder, E.N. and Tate, G.E. (1936). Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop of Liquids in Tubes, Ind. Eng.
Chem. 28, 1429 1436
The East Basin: Geology and Oil. Commemorative Special Edition. 80 Years of Schlumberger in
Ecuador - Baby P., Rivadeneira M., Barragan R., Oct. 2014