Ikelic - Alliance Digital Repository

STATUS OF OIL SANDS PROJECTS (Underline denotes changes since June 1994)
R&D PROJECTS (Continued)
MORGAN - COMBINATION THERMAL DRIVE PROJECT Amoco
Canada Petroleum Company Ltd. (T-490)
Amoco (formerly Dome) completed a 46 well drilling program (7 injection wells, 39 production wells) in Section 35-51-4-W4M
in the Morgan field in order to evaluate a combination thermal drive process. The project consists of nine 30-acre seven spot
patterns. All wells have been steam stimulated. The producers in these patterns have received multiple steam and air/steam
stimulations to provide for production enhancements and oil depletion prior to the initiation of with burning air as the injec
tion medium. All of the nine patterns have been ignited and are being pressure cycled using air injection.
A change of strategy with more frequent pressure cycles and lower injection pressure targets was successful for pressure cycle
four. This strategy will be continued with pressure cycle five scheduled for this year. A conversion to combination thermal
drive is still planned after pressure cycling becomes unfeasible due to longer repressuring time requirements.
The project started up in 1981 and is scheduled for completion in 1995.
Project Cost: $20 million
ORINOCO BELT STEAM SOAK PILOT-Maraven (T-500)
The Orinoco Belt of 54,000 km was divided into four areas in 1979 to effect an accelerated exploration program by the operat
ing affiliates (Corpoven, Lagoven, Maraven and Meneven) of the holding company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Maraven has implemented a pilot project in the Zuata area of the Orinoco Belt to evaluate performance of slant wells, produc
tivity of the Puff"
area, and well response to "Huff and steam injection in relation to a commercial development.
Twelve inclined wells (7 producers and 5 observers) have been drilled in a cluster configuration, using a slant rig with a well
spacing at surface of 15 meters and 300 meters in the reservoir.
The 7 production wells, completed with openhole gravel packs, have been tested prior to steam injection at rates between
30 BPD and 200 BPD using conventional pumping equipment. Five wells have been injected, each with 10,000 tons of steam
distributed selectively over two zones. After an initial flowing period, stabilized production on the pump averaged 1,400 BPD
per well with a water cut of less than 3 percent.
With the information derived from the exploration phase, it was possible to establish an oil-in-place for the Zuata area of
487 billion STB.
PELICAN LAKE PROJECT- CS Resources Limited and Devran Petroleum Ltd. (T-510)
CS Resources acquired from Gulf Canada, the original operator, the Pelican Lake Project comprised of some 89 sections of oil
sand leases.
The Pelican Lake program is designed to initially test the applicability of horizontal production systems under primary produc
tion methods, with a view to ultimately introducing thermal recovery methods.
Eight horizontal wells have been successfully drilled at the project site in north central Alberta. The Group utilizes an innova
tive horizontal drilling technique which allows for the penetration of about 1,500 feet of oil sands in each well. With this tech
nique, a much higher production rate is expected to be achieved without the use of expensive secondary recovery processes.
Drilling was commenced on the first horizontal well on January 30, 1988 and drilling of the eighth well was completed in June
1988. Drilling of five more horizontal wells with horizontal sections of 3,635 feet (a horizontal record) was accomplished in
December 1989 and January 1990. Four more horizontal wells were drilled in 1991 for a total of 17 horizontal wells.
All four 1991 wells contacted almost 100 percent of good quality reservoir throughout the horizontal section. The horizontal
section of one well was 1,321 meters from intermediate casing point to total depth. A 496 meter lateral arm was completed off
the horizontal section of a 1,137 meter main hole section. One "J"
907 meters.
well was a limited success with a horizontal section of
The average drill, case and completion cost of the 1991 wells was $540,000. The wells took an average of 15 days to drill with
the average horizontal section being 1,290 meters. The cost per horizontal meter has dropped from $1,240 per meter in 1988 to
$420 per meter in 1991.
Special effort was made to keep the drilling program simple and cost-effective. A surface casing was set vertically at
110 meters, then the wells were kicked off and inclination was built gradually to 90 degrees at a rate of two degrees/10 meters.
An intermediate casing was run and cemented before horizontal drilling commenced in the sand reservoir. Early production
rates averaged 15 to 20 cubic meters per day, three to six times average vertical well figures. Four wells, drilled in 1988, rapidly
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SYNTHETIC FUELS REPORT, JANUARY 1995