Transformation of Steam Breakthrough Management in Oil Field Steam Flood Projects

Abstract Steamflooding is the most effective enhanced oil recovery method for extracting heavy oil from fields today. Heavy oil fields can achieve an impressive recovery factor using steamflood techniques, often reaching up to 80%. The steamflood mechanism is usually divided into three important periods: the immature, the breakthrough/transition, and the mature phases. The breakthrough phase is the most challenging period since steam has entered several oil producers. From the subsurface, a steam breakthrough can cause sanding problems, pump problems, scale problems, and rapid production declines. Meanwhile, from the surface side, steam that manages to pass through the barrier in the production well can flow through the casing annulus and cause leaks in the casing line due to the sand being carried by the steam to the surface, which can cause an oil spill. In this phase, reducing steam injection may seem like an option to mitigate excessive steam production in wells; however, this approach is not recommended because it can lead to delayed area heating and oil recovery. Implementing surface casing choke management is an effective effort to mitigate the steam breakthrough phase. This paper will discuss the transformation of steam breakthrough management in a giant heavy oil field. It includes integrating standardized surface choke management evaluation that aligns with advanced heat management, digitizing the choke management evaluation process by developing a database, and monitoring tool, creating a steam detection signal using artificial intelligence to speed up the capture of steam breakthrough wells, creating oversized casing choke that successfully reduce back pressure to reservoir, and the installation of sand barrier that help to avoid casing line cut out or pipe rupture. Implementing this steam breakthrough management transformation has successfully navigated through the ugly steam breakthrough phase and significantly improved the field's operational excellence. The reservoir heating and oil production performance were improved, and the safety concern related to the surface production casing line cut-out events was reduced substantially.