Decline analysis of oil well production caused by fines migration and geomechanical compaction according to well drawdown

ABSTRACT: This work analyzes the production decline in several oil wells in the studied oilfield. The producing wells show a sharp decline in production in the first months after opening, followed by a smoother decline throughout their productive life. It is known that part of this decline occurs due to geomechanical compaction and part due to fines migration. Both types of damage are aggravated by high levels of drawdown in the well, yielding a drawdown control policy in the field. To reproduce the decline in production, this work proposes a model that consider fines migration and geomechanical compaction in the well. The model allows the estimation of production decline based on the a liquid production and the level of applied drawdown. Additionally, it facilitates the calculation of the optimal drawdown that maximizes well liquid production. The model provides a theoretical basis for defining drawdown limits and control, assisting the fitting of production history and forecasting future production. The results of this study are promising and have been adopted by the studied oilfield production management.