Vasyl Movchan

AGH University of Science and Technology

Opportunities to increase oil production in Poland with the use of Radial Drilling Technology

The decreasing number of new discoveries of conventional hydrocarbon deposits in our country forces the need to search for new ways of development for the oil industry, which would to maintain or increase the recoverable resources and the continuation of production. Among possible paths of expansion should mention the two most important: increasing extraction from existing fields through the use of secondary and third methods of operation and commencement of production from unconventional deposits. Both work associated with increased mining from fields of conventional and unconventional releasing require the use of new advanced technologies available and mining. these solutions They require significant capital investment and, therefore, the key factors determining their profitability is growth in mining and oil price.

Unfortunately, the current situation on the oil market is not conducive to the development of advanced and often also expensive methods of extraction of hydrocarbons, because efficiency EOR methods, and exploitation of unconventional resources is closely dependent on the prices Oil (Kosowski et al. 2010). This price after a period of strong growth in the first decade XXI century and the subsequent sharp decline appeared to stabilize at a level similar to 100 USD / barrel, which allowed to look with optimism on the development of advanced extraction methods (including unconventional), but in recent months we have to deal with the very strong declines (Fig. 1).

Fig.1. WTI Oil price (USD/stb) – 1985–2015

If this trend continues, the prices for a longer period will be low, it is to be expected a significant slowdown in the development of these methods, which results, among others from:

· the high cost of mining,

· lack of acceptance of the risk of failure,

· limit new projects operational

· limit the search for new deposits.

· restrictions on access to capital,

· lack of profitability of advanced (and expensive) upstream projects.

On the other hand, a period of low prices could be temporary and perhaps should go use to analyze heir own resources, technology development, as well as search for potential assets to buy, as a consequence of the market situation may be temporary discount oil assets. In the event of a possible, future growth in prices of oil companies that well take advantage of the current situation will have available a significant competitive advantage against other market participants.

The use of new technologies for conventional beds is aimed primarily better use of resources already identified and shared. Their range includes both work related to the transformation of the existing vertical wells in the horizontal and radial drilling, as well as the use of methods of production intensification and advanced methods (EOR), including the injection of CO2 into deposits.

In the past years there has been increased interest in these methods mainly in the USA, despite periodic fluctuations in oil prices (Manrique et al. 2010). Another factor which promotes the popularity of advanced methods of developing the technology, resulting in a reduction costs. Figure 2 shows the number of EOR projects in the United States broken down by type, and Figure 3 changes in the amount of EOR projects carried out in the USA in relation to oil prices oil.

Currently in Poland there are 85 documented deposits of oil (PGI report, 2014). Most of them are operated for many years at relatively low coefficients exhaustion of the resources of the underlying geology. This indicates a significant potential, possible to land even in the absence of significant new discoveries. Because large differences in geological conditions, infrastructure and economics cannot be the immediate implementation of the American experience to Polish conditions. Because a phase of implementation of advanced methods should be preceded by verification can be the applicability of each method in Polish conditions. Preliminary analysis, in which criteria for determining the possibility of using advanced extraction methods. Basic physical properties of rocks and reservoir fluids allows to assess the possibilities of implementation EOR methods on Polish deposits (Wojnarowski 2012) (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2. Possibilities of selected EOR method applications on analyzed oil fields

The analysis results show that in Polish conditions is practically no possibility of wider use thermal methods, mainly because of the small amount of heavy oil deposits. Alternatively, it is technically possible to use steam injection in one case but the bed is analyzed in rocks of a double porosity, which undoubtedly adversely affect the efficiency of the process. Chemical methods shown in statement does not occupy a significant position mainly due to the requirements for high porosity and permeability deposits. The use of these methods involves the addition of high costs, which further reduces their attractiveness to small Polish deposits. only injection polymers, which "improved irrigation 'deposits, in some cases, may be used. By far the best in comparison to present methods of injection gas mixing conditions, including injection of CO2, which is also in line with trends world. At the moment, this method becomes a leading and virtually the only possible use in carbonate rocks, all other criteria for its application (Adequate viscosity and density of oil and bed depth) (Manrique et al., 2007). however, remember that the American experience is mostly with large deposits and are not directly reflected in Polish conditions. This solution on domestic deposits therefore it requires detailed research, analysis and test pilot.

References:

1. Beckwith, R. 2013. SPE Liquids-Rich Basins Conference: New Technology for Old Plays, JPT, Nov 2013.

2. Di Pietro, P. 2014. Next Generation CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery, NETL Carbon Dioxide Utilization Congress, San Diego, California.

3. Manrique i in. 2007 – Manrique, E.J., Muci, V.E. i Gurfinkel, M.E. 2007. EOR Field Experiences in Carbonate Reservoirs in the United States. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, December, s. 667–686.

4. Wojnarowski, P. 2012. Potential for increasing oil recovery from Polish oil-fields by applying EOR methods – Analiza możliwości zwiększenia efektywności wydobycia ropy naftowej z polskich złóż w oparciu metody OR. Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management t. 28, s. 47–58.

5. Valkó, P. i Economides, M.J. 1995. Hydraulic Fracture Mechanics.

6. Manrique i in. 2007 – Manrique, E.J., Muci, V.E. i Gurfinkel, M.E. 2007. EOR Field Experiences in Carbonate Reservoirs in the United States. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering, December, s. 667–686.