A Division of MI LLC

Zero Discharge
Cuttings Injection
Day #2

John Robertson

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John Robertson
 Injection Pump Requirements
 The processing requirement of 0.77** bpm solids translates into a slurry volume of 4 bpm at 20% solids
content. A triplex should be limited in use to a total 16 hours per day. The resulting injection rate
required would be 6 bpm.
 Considerations for Pump - Rates:
• Slurry Weight (Solids Content)
• Annular Volume
• Hole Angle (Settling)

h ole
2 - 1/ 4”
hr of1
350’/ ho u t
** W a s
%
@ 10
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John Robertson
 Injection Pumps - Options

CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS
Low Pressure
High Volume (Fixed Volume)
High Solids Tolerance
Suitable for Lost Circulation Zones
Low Cost
Low Maintenance

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John Robertson
Injection Pumps - Options
PROGRESSIVE CAVITY PUMPS
Can be used for Low Frac. Pressure
Low Volume Jobs
Up to Medium Pressure, Medium Volume
Low Solids Tolerance
Dedicated Pump
Low Cost Option
Less Tolerance to Wear and Tear
Maximum 250 - 300 psi at 2 bpm (80 gpm)
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John Robertson
Injection Pumps - Options
MUD PUMPS (Triplex)
High Pressure, High Volume
High Solids Tolerance
Existing Rig Pump optional
CEMENT PUMPS (Triplex)
High Pressure, High Volume
Low Solids Tolerance
Back up Mud Pump WHY ?

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John Robertson
Triplex Injection Pump

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John Robertson
Gardner Denver PAH310
Detroit Diesel 8V92 (300HP)
69 gpm @ 4,000 psi ????
?? (0
.4 hp / c
u.in.)

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John Robertson
Injection Pumps - Options

CEMENT PUMPS
Similar Performance to Mud pumps
Less Tolerant to Wear and Tear
Often (Always!) used as Back-Up to Dedicated
Injection Pumps
Will meet most Pressure and Volume Requirements
High Cost

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John Robertson
“Concrete” Injection Pump - Venezuela

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John Robertson
Composite Catalog on the Internet
World Oil
www.worldoil.com
National
www.natoil.com

OR ….. Rig Equipment

www.rigzone.com
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John Robertson
 Other Injection Pump
Considerations ???

Data Collection Systems for

Injection Operations Next

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John Robertson
SMART System Monitoring and Recording
Site
Monitoring
And
Remote
Telemetry
System

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John Robertson
  Creates a database and visual display of all
sensor input
 Electronic platform for process management,
warnings and shutdowns
 Facilitates accumulation and distribution of
Injection data
 Historical data allows well symptom diagnosis
and proactive maintenance strategies

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John Robertson
SMART System Recorded Data

 Allows for injection program

troubleshooting
 Easy information distribution
 Quick access to historical data
 Record for regulatory compliance

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John Robertson
SMART System Recorded Data - Hibernia

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John Robertson
SMART System Recorded Data - Hibernia

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John Robertson
Cuttings Injection
Equipment - Basic Setup
Dra
in
& S Wate
lop r S
s eaw
Sup ater
pl y
Shakers
Flush
Centrifuge
Line
Shaker
Underflow Wellhead
Coarse
Cuttings
Tank
Ditch
Coarse Tank Fines Inject
Circulating Pumps Tank

Shakers

Screw High Pressure

Conveyor Coarse Fines Tank
Injection Pump
Tank
Alternative Feed to Coarse TankCirculating Pumps

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John Robertson
Cuttings Injection
Equipment - With
Vacuum 13

13

14

1 15
21
1 20
19
1
16
1

1
12

17
2
4

18

6
8 5
5 11

9 7
3

10

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John Robertson
 Cuttings Injection Equipment - With CleanCut
1

1
18
1
2

2 2

3 5

5
19

8
6
10

7
12 17

14

11 11

13

9 13
15 SW 00070 P

16

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John Robertson
Equipment Layout on an
offshore location Baltic 1 (Venice, La)

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John Robertson
Equipment Layout on an
offshore location (Ensco 69)

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John Robertson
Equipment Layout on a
land location

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John Robertson
Magnus CRI Unit

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John Robertson
Dunlin Alpha Cuttings Injection Unit

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John Robertson
North Cormorant
Cuttings Injection Unit

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John Robertson
New Build Offshore
Denmark
• Vacuum Collection
• Vacuum Pulverization
• Mechanical Grinding
• Classifying

• Coarse Tank 50 bbl

• Fines Tank 50 bbl
• Holding Tank 100 bbl
• Agitation
• Classifying Shaker
• Control Cabin

• Average Noise 81dB

• 70-100 m/hr 12 1/4”
• 35-50 m/hr 17 1/2”

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John Robertson
 5. Slurry Properties and Procedures

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John Robertson
Shaker Screens - Mesh Size
HOW BIG IS
U.S. 12 x 12 mesh A ‘MICRON’ ?? 1,540µ

U.S. 16 x 16 mesh
1,020 µ
1/16"
765 µ
U.S. 20 x 20 mesh

U.S. 80 200 µ
U.S. 200 74 µ
U.S. 325 44 µ
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John Robertson
 Material Micron Size
Normal Eyesight 40 μ
Finger Sensitivity 20 μ
Bentonite .002 - 10 μ
Barite* 3 - 100 μ
Cuttings .007 - 1,000 μ
Sand > 74 μ
Silt 2 - 74 μ

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John Robertson
RELATIVE SIZE COMPARISON
(SEE THE SQUARE???)

1 1,000

1,000,000

1 MILLION

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John Robertson
 x1,000 = 1,000,000,000 (Billion)
IF I SHOWED YOU THE
“1 THOUSAND” SLIDE 1,000 TIMES
IT WOULD BE EQUAL TO 1 MILLION
(1 THOUSAND THOUSANDS) …. THEN
A THOUSAND TIMES A THOUSAND
AGAIN EQUALS 1 BILLION
(1 THOUSAND MILLIONS)
(1 ONE THOUSAND SLIDE 1 SLIDE
PER SECOND FOR 11.6 DAYS!!)
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John Robertson
Well Annulus Management
 Process Rate 50 m/hr in 12 1/4” hole size
Maximum cuttings / cavings 4” nominal
 Slurry Properties
Density : 1.2 - 1.4 SG Nominal
Funnel Viscosity : 60 - 90 secs / quart
Solids Content : 10 - 25 % w/v
Solids Particle Size : D90 < 300µ = 60 mesh
Gel Strength : 18 / 25 / 27 lb/100 ft2

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management
 Injection Rates
Site Specific Design
Offset Well Data indicates
12 ¼” 8 ½”

Injection Rate 1900 - 2300 psi 1100 - 1700 psi

Pump Rate 2 - 3 bbl/min 2 - 4 bbl/min

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management

 Slurry Movement
 Monitoring
Distance Travelled From Wellbore
Radioactive Tracers
Invasion measured by Schlumberger
Wireline Tool

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management
 Annulus Suspension Fluids
 Objective
 Displacement of slurry in annulus to prevent solids
settling and plugging of injection zone
 Suspend and prevent settlement of other solids
 Hydrostatic Pressure to hold open injection
formation
 No significant increase in gel strength or viscosity
 Inert when in contact with slurry or formation
 Non Corrosive , Non Bacterial

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management

 Annulus Suspension Fluids

 < 6 Hrs (12 ¼” & 8 ½” Sections)
Slurry immediately prior to shut down is
in specification
No further fluids necessary

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management
 6 Hrs - 3 Days (12 ¼” Section)
10 - 20 bbl stockpiled slurry or viscosified seawater
per day to limit gel strength, potential solids
settling and to maintain injectivity
 6 Hrs - 3 Days (8 ½” Section)
Displace Annulus with 1 ½ times annular volume
treated seawater (Oxygen Scavenger & Biocide)
Pump 20 - 50 bbl viscosified seawater pill to
achieve efficient slurry displacement

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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management
 3 Days - 7 Days
Displace Annulus with 1 ½ times annular
volume treated seawater (Oxygen
Scavenger & Biocide)
Pump 20 - 50 bbl viscosified seawater pill
to achieve efficient slurry displacement
7 Days
Fit for purpose suspension fluid
Viscosifier, Biocide, Corrosion Inhibitors
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John Robertson
Well Annulus
Management

 Typical Suspension Recipe

Product Concentration
Liquid Viscosifier 5 - 5.5 ppb
Oxygen Scavenger 0.01 - 0.02 lt/bbl
Corrosion Inhibitor 1.0 lt / bbl
Biocide 0.1 lt / bbl

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John Robertson
 1,000 CLAY SILT SAND

500
RELATIVE EFFECT ON VISCOSITY

200

100

50

20

10

0.01 0.1 1.0 10 100 1,000

PARTICLE SIZE - MICRONS

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John Robertson
 200
180
160
Fine Solids
140
120
Apparent 100
Viscosity 80
60
API Barite
40
20
0
10 11 12 13 14 15
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John Robertson Mud Wt. (ppg)
 6” X 6” X 6”
216 in2 Surface area
Volume = 216 in3

Divided into 8 ths

432 in2 Surface area
3” X 3” X 3”
(200%)
Volume = 216 in3

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John Robertson
Divided Each 3” cube into 27 ths
Volume = 216 in3

Surface Area = 1,296 in2 (600%) 43

John Robertson
 NOT ONLY DOES THE INCREASED

SURFACE AREA INCREASE VISCOSITY

PROPERTIES, IT ALSO TAKES A LOT

MORE FLUID TO “WET” THE SURFACE

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John Robertson
Slurry Tests

 QC
 Slurry Property Management
 Ensure ‘Standard Practices’
 Prevent injection problems
 Avoid changing fluid types

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John Robertson
 Monitoring and
Recording

 Injection Information Manager

 Custody and transfer records
 Smart System downloading to logs
 Slurry test log (manual)
 Well (drilling and injection) recap
 Regulatory audit paper trail

John Robertson
Chemical Additions

 Polymer – Allows oil & water to mix and

form a viscous slurry
 Biocide – Added to kill bacteria which
could possibly form H2S in the future
 Oxygen Scavenger – Prevents corrosion
of the casing
 Gel, extender and defoamer (water base)

John Robertson
Injection Procedures
Annular Injection
 Do not exceed 70% of burst pressure and 50% of
collapse pressure of casing
 Typical Injection Rates: 1.5 - 4 bbl/min
 Turbulent Flow in the annulus
 Monitor viscosity closely to insure suspension of solids
 Flush wellbore with water (clean fluid) between
slurries

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John Robertson
6. Injection Formation Trouble Indicators

 Pressure build up & fall back

 Consistent pressure increase

 Abrupt pressure increase

THE OPTIONS FOR EACH ARE > > > > > > >

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John Robertson
Formation Trouble Indicators

Pressure Build Up & Fall Back

 Pressure builds as formation containment
limits are reached
 Pressure falls back as fracture propagates
into a new zone and fluid bleeds off
 Considerations: Fracture is traveling
upwards toward surface

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John Robertson
Formation Trouble Indicators Cont’d

Consistent Pressure Rise

 Pressure gradually rises as formation
leakoff is reduced by slurry solids
 Indicates low fracture propagation
 Considerations: Pressure may rise above
limitations before fracture propagates

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John Robertson
Formation Trouble Indicators Cont’d

Abrupt Pressure Increase

 Pressure increases quickly due to formation
blockages
 Serious evaluation of injection program
should be performed
 Considerations: Slurry Properties should be
evaluated to prevent plugged formation

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John Robertson
 7. Benefits and Limitations of Injection
Benefits
 Eliminates the need for overboard
disposal “Zero Discharge”
No known / proven environmental impact
 No limits on mud system - able to handle
salts, oils and heavy metals
 Usually the most economical option
 “Out-of-Sight / Out-of-Mind”

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John Robertson
 •Benefits (cont’d)

 Can add Rain and rig water w/out

additional cost

 Can eliminate need to store or transport

waste

 Basically a simple process

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John Robertson
 Benefits (cont’d)
 $10 million saving over PS-OBM, WBM & onshore disposal (BP)
 Improved drilling performance
 Extended reach wells possible with OBM
 Central disposal for exploration wells

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John Robertson
Limitations

 Limited availability of appropriate formation /

injection zone for success
 Some areas do not allow it (Italy, Holland)
 Geological and Frac information required
 Need a backup plan in case of injection Failure-very
important!!!!
 Uncertainty in Frac predictions: “ How much can we
safely pump?”

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John Robertson
Limitations (cont’d)
 Ensuring well integrity, concern about losing well or
damaging casing
 Possible need to wait on process during high ROP’s
 Limited Space and storage on offshore facilities
 Addressing trapped pressure
 Guaranteeing fracture propagation does not reach
seafloor or surface

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John Robertson
•Limitations (cont’d)
 Back-up well Option
 Surface storage available
 Retention of injection pressures
 Swelling Shales
 Erosion of the wellhead
 Restricted rates < 4 bpm
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John Robertson
Limitations (cont’d)
 Long term chemical reactions
• H2S Generation
• Bacteria growth
 Corrosion
• O2
• CO2
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John Robertson
 8. Permitting of Injection Wells

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John Robertson
 THE ‘BIBLE’
API E5
Environmental Guidance
Document: Waste Management
in Exploration and Production
Operations

2nd Edition 1997

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John Robertson
 10. Case Histories & Projects

ADD Injection Cost in Various Areas

Sample ‘Injection Reports’

Sample Injection Charts

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John Robertson
BP Gyda Cuttings Injection Injection PRESSURES
? 1994

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John Robertson
BP Gyda Cuttings Injection Injection VOLUMES

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John Robertson
 Slurrification & Injection Pkg. Cost:
Gulf Coast U.S. $450,000 +
North Sea U.K. $700,000 +
?????
?????

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John Robertson
Alaska N/S Alpine Project

$6,000,000 Unit
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John Robertson
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John Robertson
 Terra Nova - E. Canada

500 mi

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John Robertson
Hibernia Platform Project E. Canada

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John Robertson
Hibernia Platform Project $1,600,000 Unit

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John Robertson
Hibernia Platform Project

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John Robertson
 Terra Nova Project - E. Canada

‘Henry Goodrich’

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John Robertson
 North Sea
Slurrification Unit

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John Robertson
 Venezuela
Slurrification Unit

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John Robertson
 Zero Discharge
Cuttings Injection
THE END

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John Robertson