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Oil companies produce
WATER & GAS CONING/ CUSPING
Unwanted Fluid Production
• Leads to Several Technical problems of
oil field management.
• Economic Factors
• Reduction in ultimate recovery Factor
In horizontal wells this is known as
Cusping and is attributed to the
horizontal proximity of the well
(or part of well) to the water
source.
an average of three bbl
of water for each barrel
of oil. A huge financial
burden exists to handle
the large volume of
unwanted and produced
water from the oil fields. Similarly a lot of gas
is being flared to burn
off excess natural gas
at an oil well resulting
a great threat to
nature.
CAUSES
When OWC is near perforation
with a relatively high vertical
permeability. The effect is called as
coning
Poor sweep efficiency
due to edge water
movement from aquifer
to well or movement of
injected water during
water flooding through
pay zone. Permeability
anisotropy is the mainly
responsible for this
process. Existence of
sand channels is usual
phenomenon.
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Watered out layer with/without cross
flow : This may be due to
interconnected high permeability
layers. This may be with or without
the presence of impermeable barriers
From Fractures and Faults
when there is extensive
fracture system or from the
fractures that intersect the
water zone.it may also result
from the faults that
intersects the water zone
Coning
of water and/or gas in an oil well or
water in a gas well is the phenomenon
related to the vertical movement of
water from the underlying water zone
or gas from the overlying gas zone
towards the completion interval of the
production well.
Cusping
of water is the lateral breakthrough of
water from a down-dip aquifer.
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The Gravity Segregation
mechanism occurs in
layers especially in a
thick reservoir with good
to excellent vertical
permeability. gravity
segregation results in
water production. It is
also called as water under
run.
In horizontal wells when
well bore is placed near
the bottom of pay zone or
when critical rate is
exceeded.
Leakages
CONING
A term used to describe the mechanism the
upward movement of water or the down
movement of gas.
Coning is primarily the result of movement of
reservoir fluids in the direction of least
resistance, balanced by a tendency of the
fluids to maintain gravity equilibrium
It impacts the well productivity and influence
the degree of depletion
A process that effect overall recovery
efficiency and economics of the reservoirs.
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IMPACT
1. Costly added water and gas handling
2. Gas production from the original or
secondary gas cap reduces pressure
without appreciable contribution.
3. Reduced efficiency of the depletion
mechanism.
4. The water is often corrosive and effects
its disposal
5. The affected well may be abandoned
early
6. Loss of overall recovery factor.
FACTORS FOR THE CONING
Rapidity of coning will depend upon Viscosity
of the moving fluid, as such gas has a greater
tendency to cone than does water.
Rate at which fluid is withdrawn from the well
will depend on:
1.Permeability ratio- the vertical direction kv
compared to that in the horizontal direction kh
2. Distance from the wellbore to withdrawal
point
3. The gas-oil or oil-water saturation matrix
EFFECTIVE FORCES
Three forces that may affect fluid flow
distributions around the well bores. These are:
1.Capillary forces : negligible effect
2.Gravity forces : directed in vertical direction
and arise from fluid density
differences.
3. Viscous forces : pressure gradients that are
associated with fluid flow
according to Darcy’s Law
When the dynamic (viscous) forces at the wellbore
exceed gravitational forces, a “cone” will ultimately
break into the well. (V>G)
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CONCEPT
Production from the well would create
pressure gradients that tend to lower the gas-
oil contact and elevate the water-oil contact in
GOC
the immediate vicinity of the well.
Pr
Counterbalancing these flow gradients is the WOC
tendency of the gas to remain above the oil
zone because of its lower density and of the
water to remain below the oil zone because of
its higher density.
These counterbalancing forces tend to
deform the gas-oil and water-oil contacts into
a bell shape.
THE CONING SCENARIO
RESERVOIR
STATIC
CONDITION
GAS AND WATER
RESERVOIR
CONING
DYNAIC
CONDITION
Stable cone CLASSIFICATION
If a well is producing at a constant rate and the pressure
gradients in the drainage system have also become constant, a
steady-state condition is reached. A cone formed under this
condition will not extend to the well i.e. will neither advance
nor recede, and is termed as a stable cone
Unstable cone
If the pressure in the system is at unsteady-state condition,
then an unstable cone will be formed and continue to advance
until steady-state conditions prevail.
Pseudo stable cone
If the flowing pressure drop at the well is high or the drainage
will be more than the critical rate ,it will result in conversion
of stable cone to break into well ,this situation cone is called
Pseudo stable cone. {rate dependent)
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ESSENTIALITY
The defining conditions for achieving the
maximum water-free and/or gas-free oil
production rate are :
1. Predicting the maximum flow rate that
can be assigned to a completed well
without the simultaneous production of
water and/or free-gas.
2. Defining the optimum length and
position of the interval to be perforated
in a well in order to obtain the maximum
water and gas-free production rate.
FACTS
Closure of wells permits the contacts to re stabilize the
cone (depending on gravitational forces) and the water cone
recedes due to favorable gravity separations.
Gas coning is difficult to avoid as gas saturations once
formed may not be eliminated.
Cone can be minimized
By shallower penetration of well -especially where there is a
water zone or better horizontal permeability.
By increasing the ratio of horizontal to vertical flow rates by
selective acidization of effected zone i.e. above the water zone
or below the gas zone
Implementing analytical approach to solve the coning for
* Critical rate calculations * Breakthrough time prediction
By Selective Chemical treatments also ensures zone control
for specific duration.

Dynamics of cone formation

Dynamics of the cone formation may be
explained on the basis of draw down pressure.
A vertical well exhibits large pressure draw
down near the well bore as compared to
horizontal well .This large pressure draw down
in the vicinity of wellbore causes coning. It can
be controllled by reducing the production rates
Inversely, Horizontal Well will have low
pressure drawdown and will exhibits minimum
coning tendencies.

Factors/Conditions of minimized drawdown

Reservoir Permeability
For a given pressure draw down , the Water
magnitude of pressure drop in the near well coning
bore region is smaller in high permeable In
reservoir than low permeability reservoir. Fractured
Reservoirs
Thus high permeable reservoir show less
tendency to coning than low permeable reservoir.

Fractured reservoirs
In naturally fractured reservoirs having vertical
fractures higher coning tendency. This is
attributed to absence of transition zone.

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Type of well Oil Viscosity µo

In vertical wells condition of minimized drawdown
will lead to reducing the oil production rate ie low
rate in barrels of oil per day per foot length of a
well and would effect the well economy.
However, in a long horizontal well the condition of
minimum pressure draw down may be achieved
easily. In this case production per foot length may
be still low (small),but because of long well length,
high production rates will be obtained,
Horizontal well will provide an opportunity where by:
1.Conditions of minimized pressure draw down is
possible.
2.Provide sufficient/high production rate options
3.Coning tendencies are minimized
Oil viscosity effects the coning,
In heavy oil reservoirs the coning can be
more severe than light oil reservoirs’ This
is attributed to mobility factor where
mobility ratio.
Fluid Density difference ∆ :
Also the density difference ∆ = ∆w - ∆o
may also considerably vary from heavy oil
to light oil reservoir.
In general higher is the ∆, higher will be
the critical rate.

Well penetration ratio b =hp/h

Lower is the value of perforated interval , hp, the lower Vertical permeability;
will be the penetration ratio and the higher the critical
rate (assuming that the well is perforated at the top , in
the reservoirs with bottom water or the well is Lower is the value of vertical
perforated at the bottom in reservoirs with a gas cap) permeability lesser will be upward
movement
Thus if vertical permeability is zero
there will not be any coning problem.
But if kV = k H , maximum coning
tendencies are expected.

CRITICAL RATE CORRELATIONS The critical rate would also correspond to

the development of a stable cone to an
Critical rate Qoc is defined as the maximum allowable
elevation just above the top of the
oil flow rate that can be imposed on the well to avoid a
cone breakthrough perforated interval in a gas-oil system.
The critical rate would correspond to the development
of a stable cone to an elevation just below the bottom
of the perforated interval in an oil-water system

Gas coning.

Water coning

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Simultaneous gas and water coning

If the effective oil-pay thickness is comprised between a
gas cap and a water zone, the completion interval hp must
be such as to permit maximum oil-production rate Parametric Estimation
without having gas and water simultaneously produced in vertical wells
by coning, gas breaking through at the top of the interval
and water at the bottom.

Critical rate correlations

Breakthrough time

REMARKS:
This case is of particular interest in the production from a thin column
underlain by bottom water and overlaid by gas.

1.- Critical rate correlations Gas-oil system Gas coning

The Meyer-Garder Correlation
Assumptions:
Cone development is a result of the radial
flow of the oil and associated with pressure
sink around the wellbore.
Correlated the critical oil rate required to
A homogeneous system with a uniform achieve a stable gas cone with the following well
permeability throughout the reservoir, i.e., penetration and fluid parameters:
• Difference in the oil and gas density
kh = kv .
• Depth Dt from the original gas-oil contact
It is the is the most critical term in to the top of the perforations
evaluating and solving the coning problem. • The oil column thickness h

The well perforated interval hp, in a gas-oil Example-1

A vertical well is drilled in an oil reservoir overlaid by a
system, is essentially defined as gas cap. The related well and reservoir data are given
hp = h – Dt below:
Following is the expression for determining the horizontal and vertical permeability, i.e., kh, kv = 110 md
oil critical flow rate in a gas-oil system: oil relative permeability, kro = 0.85
oil density, ρo = 47.5 lb/ft3
gas density, ρg = 5.1 lb/ft3
oil viscosity, μo = 0.73 cp
(Eq. 1)
oil formation volume factor, Bo = 1.1 bbl/STB
oil column thickness, h = 40 ft
perforated interval, hp = 15 ft
depth from GOC to top of perforations, Dt = 25 ft
wellbore radius, rw = 0.25 ft
drainage radius, re = 660 ft
Calculate the critical oil flow rate.

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Solution Water coning

The critical oil flow rate for this gas-coning problem can be
determined by applying Equation (1) as above
Step 1. Calculate effective oil permeability ko
ko = kro / k = (0.85) (110) = 93.5 md
Step 2. Solve for Qoc by applying Equation (1)
a similar expression for determining the
critical oil rate in the water coning system
(Eq. 2)

Example-2 Simultaneous gas

Resolve Example -1 assuming that the oil zone is
under laid by bottom water. The water density is
given as 63.76 lb/ft3. The well completion interval is
15 feet as measured from the top of the formation
(no gas cap) to the bottom of the perforations.
The critical oil flow rate for this water-coning problem can
be estimated by applying Equation 2. The equation is
designed to determine the critical rate at which the water
cone “touches” the bottom of the well .
and water coning
The effective oil-pay thickness h is between a gas cap and a
water zone and the completion interval hp permit maximum
oil-production rate without having gas and water coning, or
gas breaking through at the top of the interval and water at
the bottom.

(Eq. 3)

Example 3
A vertical well is drilled in an oil reservoir that is overlaid by a
Solution
gas cap and underlain by bottom water. shows Apply Equation (3 )to solve for the simultaneous gas- and
ansimultaneous gas and water coning. water-coning problem, to give
Calculate the maximum permissible oil rate that can be
imposed to avoid cones breakthrough, i.e., water and gas
coning. The following data are available:

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Technical Essentialities
Example 4
In the possibility of simultaneous gas and water coning,
it is essential to know the optimum placement of the Using the data given in Example 3, calculate the
desired hp feet of perforation in an oil zone with a gas
optimum distance for the placement of the 15 -
cap above and a water zone below.
foot perforations.
To evaluate the optimum distance Dt from the GOC to
the top of the perforations Solution
Pirson suggested relationship incorporating above
vital parameters:
Applying Equation (4)
Eqn. (4 )

where the distance Dt is expressed in feet.

If the permeability in the horizontal direction is
considerably greater than the permeability in the
vertical direction the method has limited applicability.

2.- Critical rate by Production Testing

1 In a field few wells that are producing water of gas are selected, These
wells are choked down
a) Reducing Choke Size
b) Reducing gas injection in a gas lift operation
c) Reducing pump rate
Chocking the well down, increases bottom hole pressure
and hence reduction of fluid production.
2 Well is allowed to stabilized and water cut is measured at
new rate.
3 A plot of flowing tubing head pressure against water and
Oil rate can be made.
R The production test can be made at several flowing pressures (FTP).
5 A plot of oil rate and water rate against FTP can be used to estimate
critical production rate using the following condition:
If one increases FTP at certain rate of setting, the water rate may
drop significantly indicating critical rate.
It is comparable with other methods.

3. Critical Rate by Decline curve analysis

Decline curve may be given as: Decline curve
Analysis

Where,
b ,the Decline index, varies from 0 to 1

It has been observed that for a bottom

water drive reservoir, b=0.5. and
determination of rate at this value will
represent Critical Rate and will also ensure
in high ultimate recovery.

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2. BREAK THROUGH TIME

If a well produces above its critical rate, the
cone will break through after a given time 1 Dimensionless cone height Z
period. This time is called time to breakthrough
tBT.
Sobocinski-Cornelius Method
A correlation for predicting water breakthrough
time based on laboratory data and modeling results 2
Dimensionless breakthrough time
It correlates the break through time with two
dimensionless parameters,
1. The dimensionless cone height and
2. The dimensionless breakthrough time
It provides an analytical approach for each
parameter

3 water breakthrough time

Example
Calculate the water breakthrough
using the Sobocinski-Cornelius method
for a vertical well producing at 250
STB/day. The following reservoir data
are available:
4 critical oil flow rate

SOLUTION

THANKS

Step-4 Estiamte the critical rate as below: