IPA15-E-107

PROCEEDINGS, INDONESIAN PETROLEUM ASSOCIATION

Thirty-Ninth Annual Convention & Exhibition, May 2015
PRODUCTION OPTIMIZATION WITH RIGLESS SAND CONSOLIDATION (SCON)
SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION IN PECIKO FIELD
Aymen Mechergui*
Suhesti Herawati*
Siti Masitah*
Silmi Marisa*
Antus Mahardhini*

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

Peciko is a giant multilayer gas field located in the

Mahakam delta of East Kalimantan. The field is
divided in three main intervals which are Shallow,
Upper, and Main Zone. Main Zone reservoirs,
between 2,500 and 4,000 mSS, are consolidated
sandstone and not prone for sand production. On the
contrary, Upper and Shallow zones are
unconsolidated sandstone for which downhole sand
control is required.

Peciko is a mature gas field located 25 km offshore

the Mahakam delta on East Kalimantan district.
Started up in late 1999, the field has undergone seven
development phases with cumulative production of
4.2 Tcf and 159 development wells on stream up to
2014. Producing mainly from thin-but extensive
delta front Mouth Bar sandstones in its consolidated
Main Zone (2200 3500 mSS), most of the wells
are completed with standard monobore or tubingless
completion either 4 or 5 ID. At the early
phases, Shallow reservoirs encountered were
considered as drilling hazard. Development of
Shallow reservoirs started in 2009 by using Gravel
Pack (GP) and Open Hole Stand Alone Screens (OH
SAS) completion. As high depletion in Main Zone
and Upper reservoirs is currently observed, efforts to
find new resources are shifted to the shallow interval
which is divided into 2 zones; Very Shallow (6001,600 mSS) and Fresh Water Sand zone (1,600
2,200 mSS), the combination of thick fluvial and
distributary channel sandstones (Figure 1).

At the early development phases, Main Zone

reservoirs were the prime objectives meanwhile
Shallow reservoirs encountered were considered as
hazard for drilling. Development of the
unconsolidated Shallow reservoirs using Gravel
Pack and Open Hole Stand Alone Screens
completion started in 2009; therefore all wells drilled
before are not completed with proper sand control,
but with standard monobore or tubingless
completion. Strong depletion of Main Zone
reservoirs is currently observed and Shallow
reservoirs now become potential targets to fight the
decline in the low producing wells. After screening
of different techniques, Rig-less Sand Consolidation
(SCON) has been identified as the most suitable and
cost effective solution in the context of the offshore
Peciko field.
This paper presents a successful pilot application of
the SCON technique. Candidate selection workflow
is driven mainly by reserves evaluation from seismic
and well correlation, and a complete well integrity
review. Resin was injected on a shut-in well with no
more potential in Main Zone. Appropriate logistic
and safety preparations were performed prior to the
Coiled Tubing operation. The pilot test yielded a gas
production up to 3 MMscfd without any sand, and
more than 1 Bcf of incremental reserves. This trial
opens the opportunity to unlock additional resources
from Shallow reservoirs and to add value to low
potential wells.
______________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL E&P INDONESIE

Shallow reservoirs in low Main Zone production

wells are now become potential targets to increase
field production but these intervals are so poorly
consolidated that sand will be produced along with
the reservoir fluids unless the rate is restricted
significantly. The occurrence of shallow gas-bearing
reservoirs is patchy, with a bumpy structure and
concomitant limited reserves, hampering the
justification for mobilization of workover rig to
perform conventional GP job. For their development
low cost Rig-less sand control techniques were
investigated. Several techniques exist in the industry,
the most deployed ones are:

Chemical Sand Consolidation (SCON):

Available since the sixties (Mason et al., 2014),
SCON consists of increasing sand strength by
placement of resin into the formation by Coiled
Tubing (CT). It can be performed at least for

three objectives; as a primary completion

(Cheong et al., 2013), as a remedial option for
GP failure or proppant production in hydraulic
fracturing (Cole et al., 1999). The efficiency of
the technique requires a good injectivity,
implying good reservoir properties.

Through Tubing Gravel Pack (TTGP): The

objective is to place a proppant pack in the
perforation tunnels and keep it across the
perforated wellbore by a set of screen assembly.
Despite the ability to handle higher flowrate and
low risk of plugging from fine particles, to
convey it in small size production tubing is still
challenging. Several successful jobs have been
reported in literature (Ahmed et al., 2010).
Sand Screen or Screen Patch (SP): It is a
standalone screen deployed by Electric-line (Eline) inside the production tubing. The main
drawback of this technique is the risk of plug and
erosion due to poor sand packing around the
screen during the ramp-up process.

Based on reservoir conditions, operating practices

and economic consideration, SCON technique has
been selected as the most suitable and cost effective
solution for Peciko Shallow reservoirs.
CHEMICAL SAND CONSOLIDATION
(SCON)
Chemical consolidation involves the injection of
resins using Coiled Tubing Unit. The resin
subsequently hardens and forms a consolidated mass,
bonding the sand grains together at their contact
points (Figure 2 and Figure 3). If successful, the
increase in formation compressive strength will be
sufficient to withstand the drag forces while
producing at the desired rates. The goal of these
treatments is to consolidate near wellbore area and
allow sand free production from any sand-prone
reservoir (Penberthy, W.L., 2006). Unlike widely
used conventional sand-control methods, resin sand
consolidation allows production to continue and
maintains full wellbore access to the sections below
the treated zones. This becomes important where
large outside diameter (OD) downhole completion
equipment is required. Also, it can be done through
tubing or in wells with small-diameter casing.
The pumping sequence is as follows: diesel oil
preflush to remove connate water from the formation
precedes injection of the consolidation fluid, which
is then overflushed by diesel oil to regain
permeability and push excess consolidation fluid

from the pores further into the reservoir. The larger

the overflush, the greater the regained permeability
achieved. The down side of this is that it can also lead
to low consolidation strength. The amount of resin
used is based on uniform coverage of all
perforations. However, perforation plugging or
permeability variations can cause non uniform
treatment and therefore increase sand production
risk. For this reason, it is recommended to perform
SCON in a single homogenous reservoir and to avoid
commingle production.
CANDIDATE SELECTION
SCON candidate selection workflow consists of the
following steps:
1. Remaining potential evaluation from Main Zone
and Upper: detail analysis of well history is
performed and remaining potential is defined
from open perforation and unperforated
reservoirs. Wells encountering Shallow
reservoirs, with no more potential in Main Zone
and Upper are considered as potential candidate
for SCON.
2. Reserves assessment from Shallow reservoirs:
using different surveillance and monitoring tools
(Nathanael and Masitah, 2014), actual fluid
status is checked to avoid water rise due to
production from surrounding GP wells. Then
reserves are calculated based on wells
correlation and seismic interpretation.
3. Well integrity review: In this step cement quality
in annulus 0 (behind 4 or 5 production
tubing) and annulus 1 (7 of 9 5/8 casing) are
checked from Cement Bond Log (CBL). If poor
cement or no cement in annulus 0, annulus
cementing with CT should be performed before
the SCON job. But if poor cement or no cement
in annulus 1 the candidate is rejected.
4. Economical evaluation: It is performed taking
into account reserves and total cost which
includes chemical purchase and operational cost
(CT annulus cementing if needed, perforation,
CT SCON treatment and Clean-up through Sand
Filter).
As a result of the selection workflow, the pilot well
proposed for SCON treatment is PECIKOSCON_TEST. It was put on production on June 2005
and produced from Main Zone and Upper reservoirs.
The well was dead in 2012 with a cumulative gas

production of 6.2 Bcf. Screening of Shallow

reservoirs encountered by this well indicates an
interesting target with 5m of net pay and very good
petrophysical properties (Figure 4). Reserves
assessment was performed combining well
correlation and gas anomaly identification from
seismic interpretation. Gas extension was proven and
Initial Gas in Place (IGIP) was evaluated at 1.5 Bcf
with prognosis reserves of 0.8 Bcf. The well was
initially completed with 4 production tubing but
not cemented at Shallow target depth, therefore
annulus cementing was proposed prior to the SCON
job.
JOB PREPARATION AND EXECUTION
Several types of products exist in the market: Epoxy
Resin and Furan Resin. The low-viscosity singlecomponent epoxy consolidation fluid, developed by
Halliburton, was used for this treatment.
As part of preparation, there are several laboratory
testing need to be done before job execution. The
objective of the laboratory test is to understand resin
rheology, curing time (Figure 5), and unconfined
compressive strength. Test also has important role to
adjust chemical composition for each reservoir
characteristics. Core flood test has been done also to
optimize resin and overflush ratio prior field
execution.
SCON job in offshore is challenging, specific Job
Risk Assessment (JRA) need to be created and
implemented and logistic requirement need to be
carefully followed up. Since epoxy resin is highly
flammable fluid, extra careful handling and storage
shall be monitor. Specific equipment was built and
additional CO2 blanketing system was applied to
reduce fire risk during transfer, mixing and pumping.
Common equipment used for mixing is rotating
pedal to ensure the mixture between each
component. In this specific application static mixer
is used, to minimize movement which could create
electrostatic causing fire as well. Close system also
applied on this typical pumping, from transfer tank
until pumped into the well (Figure 6).
Coiled Tubing operation was implemented using
tension set packer to ensure liquid cleanliness
injected into reservoir and was deployed on the top
platform deck to ease the operation. After all
preparation completed, resin was pumped into the
well with following sequence (Figure 7):
-

Injectivity test and preflush

Main resin treatment
Overflush

Once pumping finished and CT has been pulled out

of hole and rigged down, the well was shut in for
several days as a curing time.
PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE POST SCON
Clean-up
To clean up the well after the SCON treatment and
to check sand production rate, ramp-up was
performed through sand filter installation. This is one
of portable de-sanding technology to support
production ramp-up activity, verify real sand
production, perform a comparison test with Acoustic
Sand Detection (ASD) result, and to get sand
samples (if any) for particle size analysis. Sand filter
screens are selected to cover a range of sand particle
size (from 50 to 250 micron). ASD (Clamp OnTM)
unit was installed upstream and downstream of the
sand filter to correlate both responses when sand
production occurred (Mardin, 2013). To minimize
the risk of pipe thinning/leaking, Ultrasonic Test
(UT) inspections were conducted regularly during
the test. Few modifications for line connection and
wellhead choke were carried out to adapt to the
existing facilities/platform and to ensure safe
operations.
The well was ramp-up per 2/64 choke opening
every 6 hours. Gas rate reached 3.7 MMscfd at 112.8
bar of Well Head Flowing Pressure (WHFP). No
sand was observed from sand filter screens neither
from ASD signal (Table 1). Matching of clean up
data was performed via Inflow Performance software
(Prosper) and results indicate an Absolute Open
Flow (AOF) of 40.5 MMscfd with a Skin value of
35.
Production Performance and Sand Monitoring
After clean-up through sand filter, the well was put
on production at 2 MMscfd and 114 bar WHFP. To
ensure continuous sand monitoring, permanent ASD
was installed and cross checked regularly by a
portable one. Visual choke inspection was also
performed frequently to prevent any risk of choke
erosion. The well produced at stable gas rate of 2-3
MMscfd from August 2013 until March 2014 when
first indication of water breakthrough appears.
Therefore, ramp-up was performed gradually with
increasing of Water Gas Ratio (WGR) without
exceeding 20 bar of maximum drawdown (Figure 8).
No sand indication was observed from ASD neither
from visual choke inspection. At the end of 2014 and
with increasing of water production (from 600 to
1200 bwpd), sand rate showed a slight increase and

reached 0.03 gr/s (Figure 9). The gas rate decreased

consequently and the well was shut in early 2015
with a cumulative gas production of 1.2 Bcf.
CONCLUSIONS
The paper presented the first successful SCON pilot
in offshore Peciko field. Preparation is crucial, from
screening ideal candidates to laboratory testing in
determining the resin formulation. Resin handling,
mixing and pumping were challenging. Specific
equipment and additional CO2 blanketing were
deployed to avoid any fire risk. Resin placement by
Coiled Tubing was carefully executed with
continuous monitoring of injection pressure and
volume displaced. After treatment, the well produced
at a stable gas rate of 2-3 MMscfd and no sand
observed after 18 months of production despite the
water production. Producing more than 1 Bcf of
incremental reserves with 1 M$ of intervention cost,
the economics of the pilot SCON is robust.
This trial proves the feasibility of SCON technique
in offshore environment and opens the opportunity to
produce additional resources from Shallow
reservoirs. Recently, two other SCON jobs were
successfully performed and the technique is
becoming more and more mature that it is currently
extended to other offshore fields in Mahakam PSC.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge permission from
MIGAS, INPEX, and Total E&P Indonsie to
publish this paper. Our biggest gratitude is given to
Peciko Reservoir and Well Intervention Offshore
teams.
REFERENCES
Ahmed, K.S., Rotimi, F.A. and Norliny, T., 2010:
Successful Through-Tubing Gravel Pack Unlocks
Production in Mature Fields Offshore Brunei. SPE131542-MS, International Oil and Gas Conference
and Exhibition in China, 8-10 June, Beijing, China.

Cheong, I.K., Azman, A., Wijoseno, D.A., Kasim,

M.H, Ishak, M.F. and Reduan, M. A., 2013: Coil
Tubing Furan Resin Sand Consolidation Treatment
on Multi Layered Formation in Peninsular Malaysia.
SPE-165911-MS, SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas
Conference and Exhibition, 22-24 October, Jakarta,
Indonesia.
Cole, S.W., Amundson, M.W. and Allen, J.S., 1999:
Remedial Proppant Consolidation Using Resin
Technology. SPE 52192, SPE Mid-Continent
Operations Symposium, 2831 March, Oklahoma,
USA.
Mardin Mursalim, 2014: Strategies Implemented to
Tackle Sand Production Issue in the Peciko gas
Field, Offshore Indonesia, Proceeding of IPA 38th
Annual Convention & Exhibition.
Mason, D.L., Shamma, H., Van Petegem, R.,
Naguib, M., Mousa, H., Bentham, P., Aytkhozhina,
D., Singh, P. and Razali, W.N., 2014: Advanced
Sand Control Chemistry to Increase Maximum Sand
Free Rate with Improved Placement Technique - A
Case Study. SPE-170594-MS, SPE Annual
Technical Conference and Exhibition, 27-29
October, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Nathanael, C. and Masitah, S., 2014: Well and
Reservoir Surveillance in Mature Gas Field Peciko
and Its Application in Well and Reservoir
Management.
OTC-24910-MS,
Offshore
Technology Conference-Asia, 25-28 March, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Penberthy, W.L. with contributions from Baker Oil
Tools, 2006:
SPE Publication, Petroleum
Engineering Handbook. Volume IV: Production
Operations Engineering, Chapter 5: Sand Control.
Totals Exploration & Production Techniques
Magazine, Techno Hub April 2011.
William, K. and Joe, D., 2003: Modern sandface
completion practices handbook, Word Oil.

TABLE 1
CLEAN-UP RESULTS AFTER SCON TREATMENT

Qg
(MMscfd)

Cumulative
Liquid (bbl)

Sand

37

0,9

6,3

Free

114,5

45

1,3

17,9

Free

20/64

114

45

1,8

20,7

Free

22/64

112,8

47

3,7

20,9

Free

WHFP

WHFT

Choke
(in)

(bar)

(C)

8/64

115,2

18/64

Figure 1 - Peciko Field Geological Markers illustrates 2 main intervals, Tunu Main Zone (MZ) and Shallow
(Sh). Shallow intervals made of two sub-intervals, Very Shallow (above Beta marker) and Fresh
Water Sands (between Beta marker and top Upper reservoirs layer 0a or flooding surface FS5).
Upper and Main Zone starts from Maximum Flooding (MF) 6 down to MF9. Upper and Shallow
are unconsolidated sands and Tunu Main Zone are consolidated sands.

Figure 2 - Sand Consolidation bonds the formation sand grains artificially into a consolidated mass. The resin
coats the sand grains and then hardens to hold sand in place (Total Techno Hub April 2011, page
32).

Figure 3 - Resin sand consolidation processes into the porous media (William and Joe 2003)

Figure 4 - Reservoir properties of the SCON pilot test. Good productivity with unconsolidated sand, therefore
the risk of sand production.

Figure 5 - Laboratory Test example during SCON design phase to adjust chemical composition for each
reservoir characteristics, (Left) Resin component before mixed, (Right) Resin after mixed and
cured.

Figure 6 - Equipment Schematic for Resin Injection Skid and CO2 Blanketing System. Transferred via
Transfer Tank to Tank A/B, SCON Chemical then mixed on the static mixer. CO2 blanketing
system was applied to reduce fire risk during transfer, mixing and pumping as the chemical is
flammable. The chemical is then injected into the well using High Pressure Pump through Coiled
Tubing Unit.

Figure 7 - Injection Chart during Resin Injection. Treating pressure indicates pumping pressure during the
job with maximum SCON chemical rate injection deduced from injectivity test prior to the job
execution.

Figure 8 - Production Performance of pilot SCON shows that the well can be produced in stable gas rate
between 2-3 MMscfd without sand production.

Figure 9 - Sand Monitoring after SCON Treatment. (Top) Average sand rate from Portable Acoustic Sand
Detection (ASD) illustrates no sand produced or low sand rate after SCON job. At the end of 2014
and with increasing of water production, sand rate showed a slight increase and reached 0.03 gr/s;
(Bottom) Visual choke inspection shows no trace of sand or no physical erosion.