MBDCI

Geomechanics and Waste Management

Achieving Zero Liquid
and Solid Discharge
4-F Waste Management

Maurice Dusseault
 MBDCI

Permanent Disposal Options

Geological Disposal of Solid Wastes

permanent
warehousing ocean dumping
landfills, old or
quarries new mines

Slurry
Fracture salt
Injection caverns
4-F Waste Management

not to scale

Remember: disposal means disposal; treatment often means

new waste streams are generated, but have to be disposed
 MBDCI

Permanent Waste Disposal

Wastes are: tank bottoms, sand, etc. etc.

Thermal desorption, incinerating

Chemical/washing treatment and land-filling

Slurry injection (Cuttings re-injection - CRI)
 Deep placement in porous strata
 Suitable for solid particulate wastes as well
4-F Waste Management

 Geological disposal gives permanent isolation

Some other options for Zero Discharge

 Saltcavern disposal for solids
 Recycling mud and wastes
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Emulsions Oily Sand

Tank Bottoms Pit Slops

4-F Waste Management

4 of 18
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Advantages of Deep Disposal

Eliminates landfills & groundwater problems

Uses many levels of natural barriers
 Low permeability seals (shales, mudstones)
 Slow, horizontal flow regimes exist at depth

 Natural clays absorb cations, organics

The technology already exists (oil industry)

4-F Waste Management

No long-term maintenance is needed

Environmental liability becomes zero

Two methods: solids injection or salt cavern
placement (salt is not everywhere present)
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4-F Waste Management View of an Injection System

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Produced Water Disposal

Geomechanics becomes an issue if:
 large+p leads to , causing shear, etc.
 T is large, leading to cooling effects

Cooling effect is a thermoelastic stress effect

 Cool H2O injection: thermoelastic shrinkage
 drops in the cooled zone until it is below pinj

 Radial hydraulic fractures propagate out, following

4-F Waste Management

the cooling front

 The well becomes a much better injection well
because of the increasing well radius effect

Better cements are important as well (seals)
 MBDCI

Cuttings Reinjection

Ground, slurried cuttings injected through an
annulus, usually in shales (mainly offshore)

Occurs at fracture pressure (pinj > hmin)

Because of low shale permeability, pressures
can remain high, two problems can occur:
 Casingscan shear if slip occurs (high 1 - 3)
4-F Waste Management

 Subsequent wells can have high p mud blowouts

These are geomechanics issues, difficult, but

possible to monitor and analyze
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Slurried Solids Injection

possible well locations flat or gently inclined strata

surficial deposits
low permeability strata mudstone

300 3000 metres

silty shale
blanket sand in
a thick shale
channel sand in
a silty shale
4-F Waste Management

blanket sand
horizontal flow regimes
limestone
5-30 km

Many areas are suitable for injection not to scale

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Minimizing Risk & Liability

Reservoirs or deep strata can be easily

demonstrated to be remarkably secure

Solid wastes are permanently entombed by
stress once injection ceases

Thus, solid wastes cannot flow or migrate

Leachates are low toxicity & flow laterally
4-F Waste Management

Shale overburden eliminates vertical leakage

Surface storage is very risky (they all leak!)

Injection minimizes risk, at modest cost
 MBDCI

Slurried Solids Injection Cycles

pressure
repose sand
5 period inj.
6 5 6
2 4 7 2 4 7
8 8
3 3
9

10
v = 11.4MPa
1 1
4-F Waste Management

24-hr cycle
initial pore pressure = 4.6 MPa

time
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Operational Stages

 Begin injection with clear water

 Fracture generation with clear water

 Momentum built up in system with water

 Begin adding solids to clear waste water

 Stable slurry injection, 6-14 hrs.

 Gradually shut off the solids

 Post-flush with clear water

4-F Waste Management

 Stop water injection altogether

 Shut in and get closure pressures

 Obtain long-term p for analysis

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Stress Changes Reorientation

2

2

3

3
4-F Waste Management

Initial Injection Subsequent Injection Fracture Re-orientation

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One Days Injection Record

Daily Pressure vs. Time

Injection Bottom Hole Pressure (psi)

(Injection period: 4-12hrs/day)

3000

2000 end injection shut-in period

1000
4-F Waste Management

start injection
time

5:00 7:00 9:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

13-Sep-97
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Reorientation During Injection

N
Strike orientation of
Horizontal uplift vertical fractures
caused by water June 10 June 12
fluffing up formation June 13
30 - 50% of uplift volume June 14 A

W E
4-F Waste Management

June 15 A
Project TTI 4
(Saskatchewan,
June 14 B
Canada)
S
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In Situ Solids Placement

Early time slurried solids

injection operations Day 3

Wastes fractures into the Day 1
formation

Solids deposits causes
slight increase in local
Day 2
formation stresses
4-F Waste Management

Well

Changes in local stresses
cause re-orientation of
each new fracture
(fracture rotation)
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Waste Pod Development

Later time slurried

Waste pod
solids injection
development
operations from past cycles Todays

Cumulative impact of ( compressibility, fracture
solids placement and perm)
fracture rotation is to
create a waste pod.
Waste pod has
4-F Waste Management

different mechanical
Well
& flow characteristics
(stiffer, lower Virgin formation
permeability) ( compressibility, perm)
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Waste Pod Growth

Longer fractures:
- access more formation
- waste pod extension
Virgin Formation Well
4-F Waste Management

Short fracture:
- contained in waste pod
- waste pod packing
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4-F Waste Management Waste Pod Development

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Waste Pod Growth

m
100 - 600
Fmn. Thickness (20 - 60 m)

Overlying Shale
4-F Waste Management

Underlying Shale
Waste pod created by
previous fracturing Current fracture
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Waste Pod Growth

Overlying Shale Waste Pod

4-F Waste Management

Underlying Shale
Water leakoff into
sand formation
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The 3-D Shape of the Zone

1 = 2 = v

Process Here, 3 = hmin, & the other two

zone shape
= 1
principal stresses are about
2
equal. Also, the injectate density
3 3 is assumed to be the same as
3/z, so there is no tendency to
4-F Waste Management

= 1 climb. (In reality, induced

2 fractures almost always climb.)

v
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In Situ Mechanisms

Slurry forced in at fracturing pressures

High k causes rapid pressure bleed-off

Solids injection changes stress state:
 Lateralstress (h) rises
 Vertical stress (v) is constant

 Mixed horizontal and vertical fracturing

4-F Waste Management

 Fractures change direction, shape, length

Pressures decay, overburden stress is re-

imposed on solids, compaction occurs
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Injection of Solids into Shale

Low-permeability shale or
silty shale Characteristics:
Low leak-off, high fluid
efficiency
Least principal stress hmin = 3

Long, narrow fractures

generated
Little to no filtration of solids
Slow closure and pressure
decay
4-F Waste Management

Fracture orientation changes

develop slowly
Horizontal components
Slow injection rate Fractures rise because fluid
< 0.5 m3/min density < d3/dz
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Injection into Sand

Silt to sand, k=
50-5000 mD
Characteristics:
Medium to high leak-off,
medium fluid efficiency (40-90%)
Least principal stress hmin = 3

Shorter, wider fractures

generated
Solids filtration: fracture wall
permeability drops
Rapid fracture closure and
pressure decay
4-F Waste Management

Fracture orientation changes

with strains
Horizontal components develop
Injection rate of 0.5 to 3 Rise is blunted by fluid leak-off
m3/min
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Control Parameters for Injection

Methods to avoid reservoir impairment

Surry injection rate can be varied

The slurry composition (oil%...)can be varied

Slurry density can be varied (brines used)

Injection period length and volume of

solids/liquids input can be changed

4-F Waste Management

Relaxation period between episodes can be

changed to allow p and V dissipation

The proper reservoir selection is important
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Well Completion & Security

conventional high security

potable water
sources

surface casing security casing

sand blunting zone
impermeable,
ductile shale
injection casing
4-F Waste Management

injection
perforated zone
stratum
not to scale

Depending on the liquid and solid wastes and the nature of the
strata and potable water zone, higher levels of well security can
be chosen, more risk reduction measures taken.
 MBDCI

Well and Strata Choice

Computer

Surface Casing
Surface sediments
(Contain freshwater) Production Casing

Cable Injection Tubing

Shale

Uniform Cement
Sand Sheath

CONFINING ZONE Non-contracting,

ductile cement.
(Shale)
4-F Waste Management

CONTAINMENT Bottomhole sensor

ZONE (Sands & Shales) Packer

TARGET ZONE
Perforations
(Sand)
Underlying Shale
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Injection Behavior

Late Time Behavior

20000 4.0
3 3 3 3
Slurry: 416 m Slurry: 505 m Slurry: 498 m Slurry: 740 m
Sand: 45 m3 Sand: 80 m3 Sand: 85 m3 Sand: 113 m3
Bottomhole Pressure (kPa)

15000 3.0

Slurry Rate (m /min)

Project TTI_3
(Norcen 1997)

3
10000 2.0
4-F Waste Management

5000 1.0
BHP
Slurry Rate
0 0.0
Jul 14 0:00 Jul 15 0:00 Jul 16 0:00 Jul 17 0:00 Jul 18 0:00 Jul 19 0:00
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Superb Pressure Decay Response

4000

3500
(psi)

3000
Injection Bottom H ole Pressure

2500

2000

1500
4-F Waste Management

1000

500

0
9/14/97 12:00 9/15/97 12:00 9/16/97 12:00 9 /17/97 12:00 9/18/97 12:00 9/19/97 12:00 9/20/97 12:00 9/21/97 12:00
Date
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Why a High-k Site?

Usually high porosity (sandstones > 25% ),
therefore good storativity

Flow is usually horizontal in high k zone

High site means high compressibility

High k means that we will not permanently
pressurize a large reservoir volume
4-F Waste Management

Bleed off almost immediate, no long-distance

fracture propagation, waste localized near well

Much better than injection into a shale!
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Conditions for Siting

Deep, well below potable water sources

In horizontal strata of great lateral extent

Stratum must be sufficiently thick & porous

Permeability must meet certain standards

Thick ductile overlying shales are desirable
4-F Waste Management

At least one overlying permeable bed

Formation water briny, flowing horizontally

No exploitable resources to be impaired
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Ideal Injection Lithostratigraphy

possible well locations

flat or gently inclined strata

Shale barriers to
upward flow

Permeable zones to

3000-10,000
blunt upward migration

Zones with good

4-F Waste Management

storage

High k zones

No reserves

5-30 km
not to scale
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4-F Waste Management Solid Waste Injection Site - Duri

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4-F Waste Management Tank Bottom Sludges

50% H2O
30% oil
20% minerals
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4-F Waste Management Oily Sand Wastes

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Typical Surface Uplift

~symmetric
10 cm uplift max slope ~1:5,000

no uplift at
1.5 km distance
4-F Waste Management

700 m deep

waste site, 100-150 m

radius maximum V ~ 16,000 m3
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Well Capacity for Solids

Proper formation choice is required

To date, the maximum injected in a single well
is 30,000 m3 sand

Water dissipates into the sediments

50,000 to 100,000 m3 of sand (not including
the waste water carrier liquid) is quite feasible
4-F Waste Management

for a well

Target stratum tracking during injection allows
continuous re-evaluation of capacity
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CPI Duri Operations Waste Injection

E
F
D
G
B C B
H

A A
J
4-F Waste Management
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Step-Rate Test, Injection Well

bottom-hole pressure (psi) bottom-hole pressure (psi)

1200 1200
stop injection
1100
1100 1080 psi
1000

1000 decay
900 data
Step rate test Injection
800 cycle
900
4-F Waste Management

700 begin
800 injection rate (m3/min) injection
600
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 24 hours
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How Cuttings Are Injected

Injection is through the annulus between an
exterior and interior casing

The cuttings are generally ground up to a
fine powder and slurries, sometimes even
with viscosifying agents

Invariably, ground cuttings are injected at
4-F Waste Management

the shoe into low-k shales

This is not an optimum approach
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Cuttings Injection

injection into deeper casing

annulus shallow casing

fracture
fracture
planeplane

casing shoe
4-F Waste Management

cement
injection of ground
cuttings generally
occurs in shale shale
4-F Waste Management Cutting Injection Options

Courtesy MI-SWACO Ltd.

MBDCI
 MBDCI

Cutting Re-Injection Problems

Grinding offshore = a $ 1-2 million system

Shales are low permeability, extremely slow
bleed-off, strata pressures remain high

Low bleed-off means vertical fractures
climb substantially, fracture extent is large

Environmental containment is problematic
4-F Waste Management

Mud blowouts have occurred (BP/Amoco)

Several reported losses of casing (excessive
distortion develops in injected zone)
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Best Method for Cuttings, Mud

Consider using a dedicated slurry injection
well, placed away from other well casings

The well can be slim-hole, economical

Or, if you have an available abandonment

Choose a permeable stratum, high bleed-off

Dont pulverize shale, just grind it to -5 mm
4-F Waste Management

Dilute slurry with waste water, do not add

any other thickening or viscosifying agents

Carry out injection properly, monitor
carefully
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Potential Problems

Well blockages could occur

Formation could become blocked

Pressure bleed-off behavior may deteriorate

Containment could be impaired

Well casings could shear off (several cases)

Fortunately, it appears that properly
executed SF can avoid these problems
4-F Waste Management

This requires continuous monitoring and

analysis of p and V data, proactive
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Stress Changes in Solids Injection

Well liquid leakage to higher

region of reduced lateral stress
zones may occur

**regions of largest
shear stress change

+V
(+ p)
4-F Waste Management

**Large stress changes may lead to casing expansion from

shear if uncontrolled injection allowed slurry injection
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Waste Disposal

Slurried Solids Injection is a geomechanics
dominated process
 For cuttings injection
 For other slurried wastes

 For emulsions, waste water, other wastes

The technology is wide-spread offshore

4-F Waste Management

Increasing onshore

Proper geology

Proper geomechanics

ZERO DISCHARGE is a feasible goal!