SPE 97385

Nitrogen Injection in the Cantarell Complex: Results After Four Years of Operation
J.L. Snchez, SPE, A. Astudillo, F. Rodrguez, SPE, J. Morales, and A. Rodrguez, PEMEX E&P

Copyright 2005, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum
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Abstract
The nitrogen injection project in the Cantarell Complex,
offshore Mexico, implemented in May 2000, has been the
most ambitious pressure maintenance project around the world
regarding incremental oil, production rate, nitrogen injection
rate, and investment.
In this paper, the main drivers and objectives of the
project, along with key issues that have been taken into
account to guaranty success, are reviewed. A description of
the data acquisition program implemented to monitor reservoir
performance during nitrogen injection is discussed and results
analyzed.
The pressure-production behavior of the reservoir during
nitrogen injection is presented and results obtained after four
years of operations are assessed, along with additional field
development and benefits from updating and increasing
facilities.
Introduction
Cantarell, a complex of offshore naturally fractured carbonate
fields located in the Bay of Campeche, about 50 Miles of the
Yucatn Pennsula, is the most important complex in Mxico,
see Figure 1. It is comprissed of five fields, being Akal the
largest, with 32 billion standard barrels of oil, Billion barrels,
BB, 86 percent of the OOIP of the complex. Detailed
information of the characteristics of the reservoirs and fluids
in the complex have been presented elsewhere1 and here we
will highlite only those more relevant.
Main pay zones in Cantarell are highly fractured-vuggy
carbonate formations from Jurassic, Cretaceous and Lower
Paleocene geological ages. Within Akal, formations are
hidraullicaly continuous and have an average thickness of
about 4,000 feet and structural relief of over 7,000 feet.
The reservoirs contain a 22 API oil, initially
undersaturated; pressure at the reference depth of 7,544 feet
below sea level, BSL, was 3,970 psi. Typical total porosity in

the reservoirs is 8% and it has been determined that up to 35%

of it is secondary porosity, fractures and vugs. Typical
absolute permeability in the matrix and fractures is 1 and
3,000 md, respectively.
Akal field has produced under gravity dominated flow
conditions throughout its life: Under natural depletion, a
secondary gas-cap formed and was subject to water
encroachment from an associated regional aquifer shared with
other nearby fields.
Production started in Akal in 1979 and by 1981 reached a
peak of 1.156 million barrels per day, MMBPD. Since then
and up to 1995 the Cantarell complex produced at an almost
constant rate of 1 MMBPD of oil; while pressure declined,
production was maintained by drilling additional wells. In
1987 the implementation of gas lifting was required. Since
1997 production started to climb up, when a long term
optimization program2 was launched; this consisted of infill
drilling, the modernization and expansion of production
facilities and the implementation of a pressure maintenance
program by nitrogen injection in year 2000.
In what follows, main results obtained by the
implementation of the pressure maintenance program by
nitrogen injection in the Cantarell complex are presented.
The Cantarell Oil Recovery Optimization Project.
Main drivers for PEMEX in 1995 to consider the
implementation of an optimized scheme to recover remaining
reserves of oil in the complex were the trends being imposed
by natural depletion regarding the increasing number of wells
required to maintain the oil production rate of Cantarell which
would eventually come to a limit and uneconomical, as
compared to other alternative recovery schemes, see Figure 2.
Initially, when average pressure was 3840 psi, Cantarell
produced from Akal field at an average oil rate of about
29,000 BPD per well; the 1.156 MMBPD produced in 1981
required only 40 non-assisted wells1, while the 1.02 MMBPD
produced in 1995, when the Cantarell Project was conceived,
required 150 gas-lift assisted wells, producing about 7,000
BPD per well.
Reservoir simulation studies3,4 indicated that implementing
a pressure maintenance program in the fields would yield
optimized oil recovery in the Cantarell complex. Forecasts
showed that under natural depletion, Akal would have reached
an average pressure of 1180 psi and oil production rates of
3,200 BPD per well by year 2004. Under these circumstances,
long times, in the order of 80 years, would have been required
to produce Cantarell oil reserves with replacement of
production facilities; water encroachment would have also

continued in the reservoirs with poorer oil recovery efficiency

as compared to gas invasion.
The above considerations, along with resultso from other
technical and economical studies,5 led to conclude that
pressure maintenance by nitrogen injection was required to
maximize the economic value of the Cantarell fields. The
production optimization project included the drilling of 205
production and 9 injection wells, as well as modernization and
expansion of production facilities.
The Nitrogen Injection Project.
Among gas injection technologies, nitrogen was selected
under the basis of availability, cost, handling infrastructure,
environmental and safety issues. Preliminary estimate of the
cost of nitrogen, delivered at the wellsite, was 0.54
USD/MSCF which compared favorably against 2.66 for
natural gas which was the second option found. The final cost
of nitrogen1, obtained through the bidding of services for
nitrogen supply was 0.36 USD/MSCF.
Technical and economical analysis of various simulated
production-injection scenarios3,4 indicated that best results
would be obtained when producing 2 MMBPD of oil for 4
years, which in turn would require the injection of 1.2 BSCFD
of nitrogen. Oil production rate would then start declining as
well as nitrogen requirements; excess nitrogen could then be
injected in other offshore fields. Nitrogen would be injected at
the top of Akal reservoir in the gas cap and pressure would be
maintained within the oil column.
Estimated additional oil and gas recoveries are 2.324
Billion barrels and 870 TCF, respectively, considering the
economic limit of the project.
The pressure maintenance program started with the
injection of 300 MMPCD of nitrogen in May 2000 and by
December of the same year injection reached the maximum
programmed injection rate of 1.2 BSCFD. Nitrogen is
injected into the gas cap through seven wells, drilled and
completed at the top of Akal. The response of the fields has
been followed up through a program designed and
implemented to monitor pressure, nitrogen concentration and
the gas-oil contact movement.
Monitoring Program.
A carefully designed program was designed and implemented
to monitor the pressure response of the fields to nitrogen
injection, the distribution of nitrogen in the gas cap of Akal,
gas-oil contact movement, and composition of the produced
gas during nitrogen injection. Recently, a paper was
documented6 on practices followed in Cantarell on this regard.
Pressure Monitoring. Pressure has been measured in 10
wells strategically located in the gas cap, oil column and the
aquifer, see Figs. 3 and 4. The measured pressure response of
the wells has been found consistent with that predicted by
reservoir simulation, as shown in Figure 5.
Bottomhole pressure data measured in typical wells located
in the gas cap and oil column of Akal are shown in Figs. 6 and
7 respectively. Detailed analysis of the pressure response to
changes in the nitrogen injection rate shows very short
transient flow periods, followed by pseudo-steady state flow

SPE 97385

regimes, which confirms the extremely high transmissibility in

the Akal reservoir.
Figure 6 shows that pressure in the gas cap has been
steadily increasing with time as a result of the intention to
maintain pressure at the water-oil contact. Notice that this
condition is met if pressure in the oil column is also
maintained. For this to happen, pressure in the gas cap must be
increased as oil column is removed, since higher pressures are
found by the gas-oil contact as it moves down the structure.
Notice in this figure the shift in the rate of pressure change in
Well C42 as it becomes invaded by the gas cap.
Figure 7 shows pressures measured in the oil column since
nitrogen injection started. Notice that until about the end of
2001, pressure in the oil column increased with time, since the
target nitrogen injection rate of 1.2 BSCFD was achieved
before the 2 MMBPD target oil production could be
established. During this period, an enhancement in the
production rates of the existing wells was evidenced. This
overpressuring was then compensated by producing over the
target oil rate, as shown by the pressure decrease, starting
2002.
Nitrogen Concentration Monitoring. Gas chromatography
has been applied to monitor the concentration of nitrogen, CN2,
in wells strategically located accross the Akal field.
Being nitrogen one of the components in the original
Cantarells fluids, sampling and analyses of the gas-cap gas
and the produced associated gas were conducted prior to
nitrogen injection: Concentrations of 1.1 to 1.3 mole percent
were measured in the gas-cap gas, and 0.4 to 0.6 mole percent
in the produced gas.
The buildup of nitrogen concentration in the gas-cap gas
has been measured in gassed out wells, as reached by the gasoil contact and afterwards. Measurements have also been
conducted in old gassed-out and recompleted wells located up
in the reservoir. Figure 8 shows concentrations measured at
various locations within the gas cap. Notice that large nitrogen
concentration values are found as we approach the gas-oil
contact, and that as we move up in Akals gas-cap, small
concentration values, tending to the concentrations of the
original gas-cap gas, are found. This indicates that the injected
nitrogen is segregated in the gas cap and that distributes in a
cone-shaped fashion, as has been verified by reservoir
simulation studies7.
Figure 9 shows the evolution of CN2 in the gas produced
from Cantarell. Notice that during the first year after injection
started, the concentration of nitrogen in the produced gas
remained basically the same as before injection. Notice also
that after this period, intermittent increasing-decreasing values
of CN2 are found due to the use of nitrogen in the gas-lifting
operations of Cantarell. Then, at about middle 2002, a trend of
increasing CN2 values are found due to continuous use of
nitrogen for gas-lifting. Notice, interestingly, that beginning
2004, when nitrogen usage for this purpose ceased, N2
concentrations started declining and tended to approach the
original values.
Gas-Oil Contact Monitoring. The gas-oil contact in Akal has
been monitored through the years and with special emphasis
since nitrogen injection started. Figure 10 shows information

SPE 97385

on the position of the gas-oil contact through the years along

with oil production rates. Notice that after nitrogen injection
started, in May 2000, and oil production rate increased, a
noticeable increase in the rate of descent of the gas-oil contact
is seen, averaging about 230 feet per year. This was important
information used in the calibration of Akals numerical model,
and more important, to anticipate the invasion of wells by the
gas-cap.
Special Tests. One key issue in forecasting the evolution of
nitrogen concentration in the production stream is the proper
characterization of nitrogen diffusion in the vecinity of the
gas-oil contact and dispersion within the oil-column through
the fractures. In order to characterize this phenomenon, a field
test was designed and implemented, which consisted of
monitoring changes in the composition of the oil in a well
producing in the neighborhood of the gas oil contact, as the
contact approached perforations. Downhole oil samples were
taken in different wells at different times and compositional
analysis on the sampled oils was conducted. Figure 11 shows
an example of the composition of oil samples taken four
months apart in a given well completed close to the gas-oil
contact. As seen in this figure, no noticeable changes in
composition were found within this time lapse, thus indicating
very limited, or practically unexistent, transfer of nitrogen
from the gas-cap into the oil column.
Results of the Pressure Maintenance Project.
The cummulative volume of nitrogen injected in Akal four
years after pressure maintenance operations started was 1,400
BSCF. During the same period of time, a slightly bigger
equivalent amount of reservoir oil and its associated gas have
been produced. As expected, given the gravity dominated flow
conditions of Akal through the years, the gas-oil contact has
been moving steadily during nitrogen injection: no channeling
of the injected gas has been detected, and the invasion of wells
by the gas-oil contact has been very predictive, based on
reservoir simulation and field results. The gas oil contact has
moved at a pace of about 230 feet per year in the last four
years. Due to the high vertical permeability of the fractures,
gas coning has not been a problem in Akal. Current position of
the gas oil contact is 7,446 feet BSL and thickness of the gas
cap is 3,838 feet. Current position of the water-oil contact is
8,700 feet BSL as compared to its 10,500 feet BSL original
position.
Figure 12 provides information about the effect on oil
production rate of the two main components of the Cantarell
optimization project: pressure maintenance and additional
drilling-expansion of production facilities. Discrimination of
effects was obtained by using the numerical model of
Cantarell7. The base case of continuing operations with no
implementation of the production optimization project is also
shown. Notice that as of beginning 2004, an increase of about
1,402 MBPD in the rate of oil production was estimated, as
compared to the base case. From this rate, 628 MBPD
corresponds to pressure maintenance and the rest, 774 MBPD,
to the drilling of new wells and expansion of production
facilities.

As per the above description of experiences and results, it

follows that the pressure maintenance project by nitrogen
injection in Cantarell has been very successful, both
technically and economically.

Conclusions
1. In the first four years of the pressure maintenance project
in Cantarelll, a cummulative volume of 1,400 BSCF of
nitrogen has been injected into Akal. The volume of gas
in the secondary gas cap before injection was 1,800
BSCF.
2. Pressure in the oil column has been kept at 1455 psi. Had
not the pressure maintenance project been implemented,
reservoir pressure would have dropped to 1220 psi by
2004, as updated estimations indicate.
3. The gas-oil contact has continued moving into a flat
surface at a rate of 230 feet per year during the nitrogen
injection process.
4. Overall nitrogen concentration in the produced gas of
Cantarell increases only when the gas-oil contact reaches
the producing wells, or when nitrogen is used in gaslifting operations.
5. Data obtained from the monitoring program indicates
that nitrogen is segregated in the gas cap and that its
concentration in the oil column has not changed.
6. Contribution of pressure maintenance to oil production
rate, as of beginning 2004, was estimated in 628 MBPD.
7. The pressure maintenance project by nitrogen injection
in Cantarell has proven to be very successful, both
technically and economically.

Acknowledgement
We thank the management of PEMEX Exploration and
Production for permission to publish this paper.

Nomenclature
BSL
= Below sea level
BB
= Billion Barrels
BSCF
= Billion of standard cubic feet
CN2
= Nitrogen concentration, Mole percent
MBPD = Thousand barrels per day
MMBPD = Million barrels per day
OOIP
= Original oil in place

SPE 97385

4.
5.

6.

7.

Advisory study of the Cantarell Complex fields (Akal, Chac,

Kutz and Nohoch), located offshore Campeche Mexico,
prepared for PEMEX E&P by NSAI, June 1996.
Cantarell Complex Special Simulation Runs, SchlumbergerGeoquest, Denver, CO., August 1998.
Feasibility Study of Gas Injection in Offshore Mexican Oil
Reservoirs, a Unigas, Co. study prepared for PEMEX E&P,
Norman, OK., December 1996.
Astudillo-Abundes, A., Miguel-Hernndez, N., Urriza-Vergara,
A. and Jimnez-Bueno, O.: Methodology to Detect Nitrogen
Concentration at Surface Facilities and in the Reservoir Gas
Casp in the Akal Field During Nitrogen Injection, Paper SPE
92112 presented at the 2004 SPE International Petroleum
Conference in Mexico, hel in Puebla, Mxico, 8-9 Nov. 2004.
Rodrguez,
F.,
Snchez,
J.L.
and
Galindo-Nava,
A.:Mechanisms and Main Parameters Affecting Nitrogen
Distribution in the Gas-Cap of the Supergiant Akal Reservoir in
the Cantarell Complex, paper SPE 90288 presented at the 2004
Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition of SPE, held in
Houston, Texas, USA, 26-29 Sept., 2004.

300

Qo
Pws AKAL
No. of wells
Gas-lifting wells

Pws = 270

1250

Declining
pressure

250

Qo = 1,017.3

1000

200

150
141
Pws = 125.5

750

150

500

100
Increasing No.
of gas-lifting
wells

Increasing No.
of producing
wells

250
0
79 80

82

84

86

88

90

92

50
0

94

96

98

Year

Fig. 2 Production history of Cantarell previous to the

planning of the Production Optimization Project

TM

KL
KUTZ-A
K-1269

KUTZ

Permanent gauge
Non permanent

MB

C-3002D

TJ

BN

DB

N
J

C-77D

CI
O AKAL
CI-67
C
FO F
G
GP

D
C-75

CHAC

C-429

C-269DC-468
S

CHAC-A

C-64

NOHOCH
NA

C-86D

NC

NB
C-2035

460

500

540

580

620

MALOOBMALOOB-103
BACAB LUMLUM-1

Kutz

2170

Fig. 3 Areal location of wells for pressure monitoring.

EK
BALAM

ZAAPZAAP-1
KU

CANTARELL
Chac

TARATUNICH Kutz
IXTAL
IXTOCIXTOC-1
301 101
201
CAAN
BATAB
TOLOC
POL
OCH
ABKATUN
CHUC
KAXKAX-1

Akal

Nohoch

1 TAKIN

2130

UECH

200 m.

47 miles

SINAN 101A
1A

MISONMISON-1

2090

DB TM FO
77D 3002D 429

100 m.
KABKAB-101

KIXKIX-1
YUMYUM-2
401
2 -B

50 m.

KIXKIX-2

CIUDAD DEL
CARMEN

O
18

D AKAL- CI
75 CI - 67

GP
468

I
39

R
2279

NB
2035

MAYMAY-1

1000

25 m.
2050

YAXCHEYAXCHE-1
FRONTERA
DOS BOCAS

30 Km

ESCALA GRAFICA

Figure 1. Offshore location of the Cantarell complex in Mxico

Depth ( m)

3.

1500

Qo (Mbls/d)

References
1. Rodrguez, F., Ortega, G., Snchez, J.L. and Jimnez, O.:
Reservoir Managemet Issues in the Cantarell Nitrogen
Injection Project, paper OTC No. 13178, presented at the
2001 Offshore Technology Conference held in Houston,
Texas, 30 April-3 May, 2001.
2. Limn-Hernndez, T., Garza-Ponce, G. and LechugaAguaga, C.: Status of the Cantarell Field Development
Program: An Overview, paper OTC No. 13175,
presented at the 2001 Offshore Technology Conference
held in Houston, Texas, 30 April-3 May, 2001.

1268 m

1500
2000

GOC 2180 m

2500
3000
3500

Oil producer
Gassed-out
Watered out
Gauge position
Perforations

WOC 2700 m

WOC 2350 m

Fig. 4 Vertical location of wells for pressure monitoring

Pressure (Kg/cm2) / No. of wells

Pressure (x103 psi)

SPE 97385

Reservoir simulation

...... Field data

229

25

92

63

79

219

Depth, (m)

800
1000
1200
1400

1.6

1 46 7

CN2

1600
1.9

1800

24

2000

3.9

15 4 5

(Mole %)
CONTACTO GAS ACEITE 2180 mv bmr

1 7 25

1 89 7

26.7

10

1 98 2

2200

57.3
1 9 82

2 01 0

54.8

2 1 35

2 21 1

2400
2 4 96

2600

Year
Figure 5. Field and reservoir simulation static pressures
for Akal field.

Figure 8. Nitrogen concentrations measured in wells at

various locations in the gas cap of Akal

77.0

1800

1250

1500

1200

1230

1200

1210

900

C-75 (D)

1170

1150
1110

300
0

C-42 (G)

N2 Inj. starts: May/00

-300
-600

C-39 (I)

1090

C-67 (CI)

-900

82.1

1070

-1200

1050
1050

-1500

C-269D (P)

1030
1010

600

0
86.6

1150
1130

600

C-52 (E)

C-57A (D)

Gas-oil contact
reaches well C42

990

TJ

BN

970

CI
C

-2100

DB

C-57A
C-39

I
I

-2400

CHAC

NOHOCH

-2700

N-A N-C

C-42

77.6

MB
B

C-75
C-52
CI-67
C-269D
O

950
May/00

-1800

AKAL
TM

KUTZ

73.1

N-B

950

M ay/00

-3000

Jul/00

Oct/00

Ene/01

Abr/01

Jul/01

May/01

Oct/01

Ene/02

Abr/02

Jul/02

Oct/02

Ene /03

May/02

May/03
Abr/03

Jul/03

55.0

1750

2100

1750

44.0

1400

1400

Intermittent use of
N2 for gas-lifting

1050

33.0

1050

22.0

700

700

11.0

350

350

Continuous use of N2 for gas-lifting

00.0

Oct/03

01-Feb-01

02-Jun-01

Jun-01

02-Oct-01

01-Feb-02

03-Jun-02

03-Oct-02

02-Feb-03

Jun-02

04-Jun-03

04-Oct-03

Jun-03

03-Feb-04

Time

Time

Figure 9. Evolution of nitrogen concentration in the gas

produced in Cantarell.

Figure 6. Evolution of pressures measured in wells at

various locations in the gas cap.

2800

2400
2400

2243 MBPD

2104 MBPD

1570

2100

1658 MBPD 1667 MBPD

1800
1800

HURRICANE
ISIDORE

1550

1500

1200

1540

1200

1530

900

600

1520

600

Downhole pressure (psi)

1510

1500
1500
1490

1480

N2 Injection starts: May/00

0
0

71 psi/year

-300

2 psi/year

28

1480
1470

300

C-77D
(DB)

-600

28

-900

1460
1460

-1200

C-58 (O)

1450

1440

AKAL

1440

TM

KUTZ

TJ

1430

1420
1420

-1500

C-77D
C-42 (G)

F
P

GP

NOHOCH
N -A

-2400

CHAC

Qo
1600

1600

1800

1200

2000

800

2200

400

-2700

N-C

N-B

1400

May/00

2000

1400

-2100

D
O

2400

Gas-Oil Contact

-1800

DB

C-58
C-18

1410

1400

MB
B

BN

C-18 (O)

28 psi/year

1200

D e p th , m

1580

N 2 injection rate (MMSCFD)

Oil production rate (MBPD)

1000

1560

-3000
Jul/00

May/00
May/00

Oct/00

Ene/01

Abr/01

Jul/01

May/01

Oct/01

04-Jun-04

Jun-04

Ene/02

Abr/02

May/02

Jul/02

Oct/02

Ene/03

Abr/03

May/03

Jul/03

Time

2400
78

80

82

84

86

88

90

92

94

96

98

00

02

04

Year

Figure 7. Evolution of pressures measured in wells at

various locations in the oil column.

Figure 10. Monitoring of the gas-oil contact movement in

Akal.

Q o (M B P D )

Downhole pressure (psi)

1190

2100

Oil production rate, MSTBD

1800

1270

66.0

Qo (MBPD
(MBPD))

2100

Oil Production rate

Nitrogen Concentration,
Mole%
2
%MOL N
N2

2400

1290

2450

PRODUCCION DIARIA DE CANTARELL

Downhole pressure N2 inj

inj.. rate (MMscf/d)
C--42 (Kg/cm2) Oil prod
Well C
prod.. rate (Mstb/d)

2400

1310

2450

N2
GASdelivered
AMARGO ENTREGADO
EN CD.
PEMEX
N2ENinELgas
to treating
facilities

SPE 97385

40
35
30

% m ol

25
20

Jul 5th-2001

9-Nov 9th-2001

15
10
5
0
H2S CO2 N2

C1

C2

C3 I-C4 N-C4 I-C5 N-C5 C6

C7

C8

C9 C10 C11

Component

Figure 11. Special testing: Composition of downhole

sampled oil at different times, conducted in a well as the
gas-oil contact approached perforations

2250
Produccin
Base
Base production
Produccin de Obras y Pozos
New wells and facilities
Produccin N2

2000

Dec-03:
Dic / 2,182
03 2,182MSTBD
MBD

Qo (MBPD)

Nitrogen injection

628
628

1750
1500

Jan-97: 1,146 MSTBD

Ene / 97 1,146 MBD

1250

MBD
1,5541,554
MBD

774
774

1000
1
000
750

780 MBD
780 MBD
500
94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

Year
Figure 12. Impact of the pressure maintenance and new
wells and facilities expansion on oil production.

04