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Oil Well Testing Using Production Logging Tool in Khurmala field in Kurdistan
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Article in UKH Journal of Science and Engineering · December 2019
DOI: 10.25079/ukhjse.v3n2y2019.pp41-51
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in
the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Maha R. Hamoudi1*, Akram Humoodi1, Bashdar A. Mohammed 2
1
Department of Natural Resources Engineering & Management, University of Kurdistan Hewler, Iraq
2
Engineer, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
*Corresponding author’s email: [Link]@[Link]
Received: 07 November 2019 Accepted: 28 November 2019 Available online: 27 December 2019
ABSTRACT
Production logging tools (PLTs) in oil and gas industries are used for obtaining fluid types and
measuring fluid rates in the borehole for both production and injection wells and to better
understand the well productivity or the well injectivity of the interest zones. Additionally, it can
be used to detect well problems, such as early water or gas breakthrough, channeling behind
casing or tubing, and water or gas coning. The Khurmala field is a big oil field in the Kurdistan
region of Iraq. PLTs have been acquired in many of the Khurmala oil wells, and the log records
took into consideration the production technique decisions. In this study, results of the PLT log
will be discussed in one of the Khurmala oil wells. Owing to the long history of production of oil
or gas wells, many problems have been seen, such as coning either water or gas, formation
damage, casing corrosion, and well obstruct. This research will evaluate the production profile
across the slotted liner interval of (W1) well in the Khurmala oil field in the Iraq-Kurdistan region
and detect possible water entry points, verify the distribution and nature of fluids, and estimate
fluid segregation after the shut-in period. This was done by applying PLTs and interpreting the
data by using Emeraude software.
The performance of each choke size was studied and assessed. It was found that a choke
size of 48/64̎ gives the best favorable production gas, oil ratio, and profile. Results from the PL
survey showed that no water entry was detected across the logged interval. All the water was
coming from below a depth of 990 m; most of the hydrocarbons were coming from the slotted
interval across 981.8-982.9 m, and the flowing pressure across the logged interval using
maximum choke was less than the saturation pressure.
Keywords: Production logging tool, Well test, Choke size, Wellhead pressure
1. INTRODUCTION to the long production time, and the wells have been
affected and have lost their initial properties,
N
owadays, in the Khurmala oil field, suffering from problems, such as wellhead
hydrocarbons are being produced from the pressure, casing integrity problems, and oil flow
well using the natural reservoir pressure rate that is directly related to the area of the pay
only. Well life has been challenged owing zone. This has all been a result of mismanagement
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering | Volume 3 • Number 2• 2019 41
Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
and poor well study of the well performance. These diagnosing problematic wells, and monitoring the
problems were taken into consideration, and results of a stimulation or completion. The latest
therefore, a production logging tool (PLT) was tool uses a new technology to measure the flow
considered to be used in the Khurmala oil wells profile for the individual fluid phases all around the
before deciding to do workover jobs. Using borehole. Production logging is used in all stages of
production logging to decide on the stream of oil, the life of a well. It is run into cased hole initial
gas, and water phases is central to get an idea about completion or injection wells with or without
production problems and workover programs. tubing and also in secondary recovering production
Production logging is a record of one or more in- wells. This study will evaluate the production
situ measurements that describes the nature and profile across the slotted liner interval of (W1) well
behavior of the fluid around the borehole during in the Khurmala oil field and detect possible water
production or injection. It is the measurement of entry points, verify the distribution and nature of
fluids, and estimate fluid segregation after the shut-
Access this article online in period. This was done by applying a PLT and
interpreting the data by using Emeraude software.
DOI: 10.25079/ukhjse.v3n2y2019.pp41-51 E-ISSN: 2520-7792
Copyright © 2019 Hamoudi, et al. Open Access journal with
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No
2. THE PURPOSE OF USING A PRODUCTION
Derivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). LOGGING TOOL
fluid parameters that are the foundations that yield
information about the type and movement of fluid • Production profiling: To profile the well; to
around the wellbore. The primary aim of a PLT is find if it is performing normally.
to measure the performance of producing wells.
The research will provide analytical information • Injection profiling: To decide the profile of
about the different fluids, such as water, oil, and injected water or gas of the injection wells.
gas, that enter a well, and PLTs gives signals about
the efficiency and productivity of the perforations. • Excessive gas problems: Gas coning is bad
Mckinley (1982) showed that traditionally reservoir and limits the stream of the oil; so, if the
and subsurface engineers use the PLT however, due area of the source of that gas production is
to the increasing of threats of drilling it’s of a great found, it can be controlled.
importance by drilling engineers and it can’t be
ignored. Production logging tools detect problem • Water problems: A vast majority of the
wells as we as reservoir surveillance it should be productions logging jobs are done because
run before a well is perforated for production. of the production of undesirable water. At
Traditionally, there are four measurements in which a point when the volume of produced water
production logging is involved, namely, flowing, expands sharply from a zone, it would
flow density, temperature, and pressure. The flow decrease the production rate of
and density readings were used in traditional hydrocarbons. (Whittaker, 2013).
quantitative production logging, while an analysis
of temperature and pressure data has normally been • Mechanical problems: Any problem in the
used in a qualitative way to calculate in-situ flow tubing or casing can be detected and found;
properties and detect zones of entry of fluid into a similarly, it is used to distinguish blocked
well. Modern production logging is very different perforations.
than the old one. It has been redesigned and
developed and additional highly accurate sensors 3. PROCEDURE AND INTERPRETATION USED
have been added in a single tool. Now PLT is run FOR
for different purposes, such as monitoring and PRODUCTION LOGGING TOOLS
controlling the reservoir, analyzing dynamic well
performance, productivity of different zones, The procedures will be presented as two main steps:
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Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
I. Programming the Job II. Depth maintaining
This part is the most important part; there should be III. Data recording
a good coordination between engineers and well
operators. First, the problems must be defined such
4. INTERPRETING THE DATA
as channeling, saturation, falling of oil production,
and increasing of water cut. Usually, interpretations are done with computers
using Emeraude software, which is for two types of
interpretation models: for single phase (only one type
II. Running the Job
of fluid) or multi-phase (two types of fluids such as
In this step, tools will indicate the following:
water/oil fluid). See Figure 1.
I. Tools calibrating
Figure 1. Main screen of interpretation (Emeraude, version 2.60, KAPPA, 2010)
flowmeter, fluid density log, and
5. APPLICATIONS OF PRODUCTION LOGGING gradiomanometer. The tools’ reactions
TOOLS are to both velocity and fluid type;
thus, it can track the movement of fluid
PLTs are used after the well is drilled and during inside and outside the casing of the
production until the well is abandoned, for well.
determining various applications that are
responsible for the development of modern PLTs. 2- Cement placement monitoring: Using
The most important applications of PLT are this application for checking the
explained as follows: cement to see if it isolates the zones
and to locate the cement top. The logs
1- Allocating productions and identifying were used for are; temperature log and
the problems: The tools that are used gamma ray log.
for these purposes are temperature log,
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Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
3- Cement corrosion monitoring: Cross- 19th, but owing to spinner damage, the
flow through poorly cemented areas job could not be completed, and it was
results from the inequality in the decided to start it over again after
hydrostatic pressure and formation spinner replacement. Shut-in data
pressure. For this purpose, the during the 1st run out of hole showed
following tools were used: cement that the spinner collapsed around 994
bond logs, temperature log, Noise logs, m owing to some unknown restriction;
radioactive tracer log, and Neutron so, during the 2nd run in hole, it was
activation logs. Cement bond logs were decided not to go down below 990 m
used to find the integrity and quality of as the chance of spinner damage could
cement. Temperature log was used to be high.
identify changes caused by flow. Noise
logs measured the turbulent sounds f. The acquired data are considered to
caused by flow. The radioactive tracer have good quality in seven casing.
log located the fluid behind the casing.
Neutron activation logs traced the g. These surveys had been run to cover
water behind the pipe (Smolen, 1996). slotted liner intervals in this well. The
slotted interval as per well sketch
provided by the KAR GROUP is
6. FIELD DATA PROCESSING 982.7-996.7 m.
a. The production logging surveys were h. The production profiles have been
performed on an electric line, a vertical made based on the spinner,
well completed with slotted liner temperature, and capacitance
Spartek PL tools. responses in flowing surveys.
b. The objectives of the logging program i. Sump level could not be detected by
are as follows: capacitance and acoustic density
during the static condition as the
1- Evaluate the production profile bottom of well could not be reached.
across the slotted liner interval and
detect possible water entry points. j. No cross-flow was detected during
shut-in conditions. Stable and
2- Verify the distribution and nature repeatable pressure, capacitance, and
of fluids. density (apart from the density of first
up and first down passes) support the
3- Estimate fluid segregation after the fact that there was no cross-flow.
shut-in period. Different readings on temperature for
up and down passes were due to
c. The well was logged at shut-in and hysteresis effect.
three flowing rates: 32/64, 48/64, and
64/64 chokes. k. The spinner data of all the flowing
surveys were increased up to 981.8 m,
d. There were six passes down and up at while from the well sketch, the slotted
different cable speeds (10, 20, and 30 liner top was 982.7 m. As all the logs
m/min) across the interval during the were cross-checked several times with
flowing survey. the reference logs, it could be noticed
that the well sketch needed to be
e. Before these passes, the shut-in and
flowing surveys were tried on February
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Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
updated as the slotted liner might have were producing some gas during the
been off depth by about 1 m. flow on 64/64 choke. The lower
density of 64/64 choke compared with
l. A small amount of water was seen the other two flows confirms this.
during the flowing surveys but no signs
of water was seen across the logged The selective inflow performance (SIP) plot for
interval. each flow zone was made using four points (one
shut-in and three flowing rates) for hydrocarbon
m. Figure 2 shows the density, production at surface condition. The good spinner
temperature, and pressure of all the data quality and the well stability in terms of
surveys together. As can be clearly pressure and flow rate increased the confidence
seen from the image, the inflow zones level of the SIP plots.
Figure 2. Density, temperature, and pressure comparison of all survey
7. PROCESSING THE RAW FIELD DATA oil zones (Schlumberger,1989). The fluid density
was obtained from the acoustic density tool and
The Spartek PL tool was used with wireline (Gama pseudo density (dp/dz). The pressure volume
Ray (GR) and Collar Casing Locator (CCL), temperature properties of fluids were provided by
acoustic density, full bore and in-line spinner, KAR GROUP CO. The well bore pressure readings
dielectric, pressure, and temperature). The spinner were quite stable and repeatable between passes
data were considered to be of good quality with (pressure variations of around 5 psi between passes)
constant cable speed. The spinner calibration slopes in all surveys. The averaged data pressure from the
and thresholds were obtained from each survey. passes was used for calculating input. The fluid
The spinner slopes among the surveys were density was obtained from ADT and pseudo density
consistent with low spinner thresholds in water and (dp/dz). The ADT density was repeatable during
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Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
most of the surveys. The ADT data were accommodate the possible water presence in the
qualitatively consistent with capacitance data. The wellbore. There was small water production at the
dielectric or capacitance was run in the well. The surface during the flowing survey.
dielectric/capacitance data were fairly considered
repeatable between passes and surveys, as in terms
of flow regime, the well was not stable. Both 8. SHUT-IN SURVEYS
capacitance/water holdup and pseudo density data
were used for water holdup calculation in Table 1 shows the PLT value at the calibration
Emeraude software. The water hydrocarbon (L) condition zone, while Table 2 shows the production
flow model was used for this interpretation to rate at each phase (Mohammed, 2017).
Table 1: The PLT value at the calibration condition zone
Calib. Slope (+) Slope (-) Int (+) Int (-) ft/min Int. Diff. ft/min Thr. (+) ft/min Thr.
Zone ft/min (-)
M ft/min
968.4- 0.068 0.060 2.44 -0.54 0.00 0.00
2.99
973.0
Table 2: The production rate at each phase
Zones m Water STB/D Oil STB/D Gas Mscf/D
Inf. 1 (987.9-988.5) 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total (inc. bottom) 0.00 0.88 0.22
9. FIRST FLOWING SURVEYS 32/64’’ the production of oil was 877 bbl/D, gas was 224
Mscf/D, and water was
Figure 3 shows the production rate using the choke
zero. Although at a depth of 985.1-985.9 m, oil
32/64” for the production of each, oil, gas, and
production and gas production were dropping to
water. It was measured at an interval of 981.8-990
219 bbl/D and 56 Mscf/D, respectively, while water
m, as it was seen at an interval of 981.8-982.9 m;
was still zero. All production was reducing to zero
at an interval of 990 m.
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Figure 3. First flowing using choke 32/64”
10. SECOND FLOWING SURVEYS 48/64’’ for oil and 68 Mscf/D for gas. The production rate
was zero during the interval of 990 m.
Figure 4 shows the production rate when the choke
was opened to 48/64” for production of each, oil, 11. THIRD FLOWING SURVEYS 64/64’’
gas, and water. During the interval (981 m), oil
production was 1834 bbl/D, gas production was 479
While opening choke to 64/64”, the rate of
Mscf/D, and water was zero. When coming down production was going up to about 2037 bbl/D for oil
to 985 m, the production rate reduced to 262 bbl/D and 693 Mscf/D for gas, while water was at zero in
the interval of 981 m; see Figure 5.
Figure 4. Second flowing by choke 48/64”
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Figure 5. Third flowing by choke 64/64”
Figure 6 shows the combination of all the previous smaller than the second and third flowing, that is,
three scenarios, and as can be seen, oil flow rate as the highest oil and gas production was coming from
well as gas flow rate during first flowing is much third flowing during the intervals of 981.8-982.9 m.
Figure 6. Combined three scenarios
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Figure 7 shows the cumulative fluid gross during intervals of 981.8-982.9 m, which is the
production of all four surveys during different maximum rate of production when compared with
intervals. It can be seen that the rate of production other surveys.
is around 2900 bbl/D when using choke 64/64”
Figure 7. Cumulative gross production
stability in terms of pressure and
12. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION flow rate increased the
confidence level of the SIP plots.
• Figure 2 shows the density,
temperature, and pressure of all • A shut-in survey was tried during
the surveys together. As can be both of the runs in holes. Cross-
seen from the figure, the inflow flow was not detected during a
zones were producing some of the static condition.
gas during the flow on the 64/64”
choke. A lower density of the • During the last flowing survey, a
64/64” choke compared with the mixture of gas and oil was
other two flowing confirm that. flowing from the slotted interval,
which confirms that during the
• The SIP plot for each flow zone maximum choke, flowing
was made using four points (one pressure was less than bubble
shut-in and three flowing rates) point pressure.
for hydrocarbon production at
surface conditions. The good • The interval below 990 m was
spinner data quality and the well producing a little amount of
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hydrocarbons during the 3- Conclusions from the PL survey can
maximum and medium chokes, be summarized as follows:
while production from this
interval was negligible during the • No water entry was detected
minimum choke. across the logged interval. All the
water was coming from below
No sign of water entry was detected across the 990 m.
logged interval; all the water was coming from
below 990 m. • Most of the hydrocarbon was
coming from the slotted interval
across 981.8-982.9 m.
13. CONCLUSION
• The flowing pressure across the
The PLT was used on well (W1) in the Khurmala logged interval on maximum
oil field at a depth of 981.8 m. Measurements choke size was less than the
were taken through the used PLT tools, and data saturation pressure.
were interpreted through Emeraude software for
determining the following: 4- During the flowing, three scenarios
were analyzed:
1- The performance of each choke was
studied and assessed, and it was found
• In the 1st scenario, when the
that a choke size of 48/64̎ gave the
choke was set to 32/64”, the
best favorable production of gas, oil
production rate in the zone 981.8-
ratio, and profile.
982.9 m was no water and no gas
available, and oil rate was 1000
2- The study is an indicative method for
bbl/D.
identifying best production operation
practices that safeguard well
• In the 2nd scenario, when the
performance, the reservoir structure,
choke was set to 48/64” in the
and extend well life with optimal
same zone, the production rate of
recovery. Using a choke size of
gas and water was zero, and the
64/64” shows production of oil and
discharge of oil was 2100 bbl/D.
gas as well as water; the produced
This scenario is the recommended
water is undesirable as it needs further
one as it extends the production
surface processing and separations,
period and also the well life.
which would incur high costs for the
operator. The produced water is a
source for pressure loss of the well. In the 3rd scenario, when the choke was set to
64/64” also in same zone, the production rates
This pressure could be used for
producing hydrocarbon. With the were a small amount of water, but was not
recorded because it is less than the sensors
third choke (32/64”), the production
profile was limited to gas and oil with reading with rate of gas was 600 bbl/D and oil
no water production, for the well is discharge was 2300 bbl/D.
low owing to a small choke size. In
the second scenario, with a choke size 14. RECOMMENDATIONS
of 48/64”, we experienced a
production profile of gas and oil with I. Links with Halliburton software to
no water. This gave us a high rate of provide a complete interpretation,
production with no water being
produced.
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Hamoudi, et al.: Oil Well Testing Using a Production Logging Tool in the Khurmala Field in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
including phase flow rates at both the
downhole and the surface.
II. Advanced and modern tools
recommended for running during the
drilling, such as an electromagnetic
propagation tool, which is used to measure
the propagation of the time when this
transmission is variable from water, oil,
gas, and matrix in the reservoir as well as
can measure the cementation exponent
(m) to get more accurate results and new
data for the Khurmala oil field in the
Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
REFERENCES
Smolen, J. J. (1996). Cased hole and production log
evaluation. Penn Well Books.
Emeraude, v2.60, KAPPA, 2010. Guided interpretation.
Whittaker, C. (2013). Fundamentals of production logging.
Schlumberger, Schlumberger Oilfield Marketing
Communications.
Schlumberger (1989). Cased hole log interpretation
principles/ [Link].
McKinley, R. M. (1982). Production logging. In International
Petroleum Exhibition and Technical Symposium. Society
of Petroleum Engineers.
Mohammed, B. A. (2017). Oil well testing using production
logging tools (PLT). 1st. ed. Erbil: UKH.
UKH Journal of Science and Engineering | Volume 3 • Number 2• 2019 51
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