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SPE 29805
Gas Iq@ction In The Safah Field, Oman
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Abstract (Fig. 1). The field produces 42 degrees

The Safah field aontaina 640 million
barrelm of oil-in-place and 62 billion
cubic feet of gae cap. The field ia
divided into East and We#t lobes. The
m.-+ 1A..a.!
---. *“- - -UUW*.*“VU
*- ...had
..{
dad *...”
4-+- ..”--------
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Southeaat lobes based on PVT properties.
The Northeast lobe contains saturated oil
with gas cap and the Southeast lobe has
under8aturated oil. To arrest remervoir
preaaure decline and to improve oil
recovery, two aoeociated gas injection
projecta are currently underway in the
East lobe. There is a gaa cap injection
in the Northeast lobe and a down-dip
pattern gaa injection in the Southeast
lobe. Results to date ● re very
encouraging with gam injection
contributing about 13 % of field oil
production in September 1994. For that
month, the field oil production waa 34,200
B/D. Total incremental Oil through
September 1994 iB 4.3S million barrels.
Comparison of the incremental oil between
the gam aap and the oil leg injection
indicates that (1) the response is fainter
for gam injection into the oil leg, and
(2) the benefit of gas injection in the
oil leg of the Southeaat lobe is greater
than that of the gaa injeation into the
gae cap in the Northea8t lobe.
Xatroduction
The Safah field ie located 415 kilometer
weet of Mumcat in the Sultanate of Chnan
API oil from a lime mudstone of the Upper
Shuaiba Formation, Lower Cretaceous age.’
The average rock permeability ia about 5
millidarciem and the average poromity ie
22%. The concession holders @re
Occidental (operator) and Neete Oy (the
----
wa-ma-k -.binm.l
=***..*-.. -41
“** “--mm”
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The field production started in February
1984. Due to a weak aquifer influx, the
reservoir preseure decreaaed from the .
initial pressure of 3100 psia to reservoir
preaeure ranging from 2865 to 2965 paiaby
the end of 1988. To arrest reeervoir
prenaure decline and to improve the oil
recovery, the Northeaat lobe gae injection
was started in ●arly 1989 by converting
Safah 39 (Fig. 2), ● high GOR producer
under the gas cap, to an injector ●nd by
installing a temporary gas compressor with
a maximum injection capacity of 7 MNSCFPD.
Later, another high GOR producer under the
gae cap, Safah 24, was converted to gas
injection in 1989. The portable
compressor was replaced by five permanent
gas injection compressors and a full scale
gas injection project wae started in May
1990. The injection capacity hae been
increaeed by adding two reciprocating
compressors in July 1991. The gag
injection capacity was further increamed
by installing a 50 NMCFPD centrifugal
compressor in Deaember 1993.
Based on the reeults of the sector
simulation study conducted
.LL—.–—in early 1990*
the Soutineamtiobe paccern gaiiinjection
was started by converting Safah-68 in
September 1990. To expand the pattern gas
 .. -!

2 GAs INJBcrIml IN!mEt3AFAE FIELD, OMAN SPE 29805

injmction in the Southeast lobe, Safah-32
was converted to gas injection in December
19!3s. m.
.“ impmv: +hn
. ... p=~y~o~ ~ CM
rocovory eatimatem u*ing the sector
model, a three dimensional model covered
part of the Northeast lobe and the entire
Southeast lobe was begun in mid-1990 and
completed in early 1991. Remultm of
remervoir simulation atudiea indicate that
the gaa injection project will increaae
the field recovery factor from 17% to 23%.
This paper diecuaeee simulation reaulte,
the injection historical data, observed
response in offset producero, injection
facilities, the difference of performance
between the gag cap and oil leg gaa
injection and the factora affecting the
performance.
Reservoir Fluid Properties
The hydrocarbon composition analyaie
indicatea that there ia only one type of
crude in the Safah field. However, ita
PVT properties vary between different
areaa. The Northeaat lobe containa
saturated oil with a bubble point preaaure
of 3100 (initial reservoir pressure),
initial ●olution gaa oil ratio of 9S0
SCF/STB, and formation volume factor of
1.%3 RB;i3’fB. The SStithe=stLebe cil &
entire Southeaat lobe and a segment of the
Northeaat lobe (Fig. 4 ) was s:: u~h~
mid-1990. The objective
aimulati.on study waa to evaluate the
short-term performance of the pilot tegt
started in the Southeaat lobe in late 1990
and predicted ultimate oil recovery in fihe
Southeaat lobe for varioue injection
acenarioa. The reaulta of the model ●tudy
indicate that the gaa injection project
will increaae the field ultimate oil
recovery from 17% to 23%.4
Injection Facilities
A single well, pilot gaa injection project
was begun in early 1989 with one
reciprocating compraasor installed at the
wellsite. This project eatabliahed
injection preaaurea and ratea aa well am
piping and mechanical design parameters.
With the feasibility proven, thie portable
compreaaor was replaced with 5 permanent
compreseora which were conanisaionedin May
1990. These reciprocating machines had a
combined capacity of 65 MMSCFD at 4500
peig. The injection capacity waa boosted
to about 90 MMSCFD by installing two
additional machinea in mid 1991.
Gaa injection rate at Safah field haa now
been
4-F.P-.and
A-----------
with
-----
thn
----
iq~~~~laeian
-.
Of E

underaaturated with a bubble point of 1900 gas turbine driven centrifugal compressor.
paia, initial solution gaa oil ratio of The new machine came on line at the end of
500 SCF/STB, and formation volume factor December 1993. This unit hae a nominal
of 1.34 RB/STB. design capacity of 50 MMSCFD and haa
increaeed the maximum injection rate to
140 MMSCFD.
Reservoir Simulation
A generalized flow achemati.cof the oil
A sector model with an array of 25 x 30 and gaa flow at Safah ia shown on Figure
areal grie bieeks aild ~~ &ay-x.u
*------ ~r, ~$,= !5.
ml.;
AS8AU
. .mh-.*;
ubL8usumb*ti
_ .
.=*WSthat
- 1’ fer the most
lfortheaatlobe gaa cap area waa aet up to part the gaa ia compressed and injected
●valuate the ●ffect of reinfecting after it haa been dehydrated and the
produced gaa into the gaa cap on the natural gaa liquids have been extracted.
ultimate recovery in mid-1989 (Fig. 3). Figure 6 however, ahowa a newly added
----—-a aboi3e
-riiamodei Gover?3u One-*i&l :
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wwpaAaL&uaa 6- 4- f~~ “ha
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Northeast lobe. The study indicated that dehydrated but does not go through the NGL
the predicted ultimate recovery from recovery process. Becau8e an amount of
natural depletion would be 9.3%, if no intermediate preseure gaa ia available,
further wells were drilled after 1989. this aavea an additional preesure boost
Reinfecting all produced gas into the gaa and the attendant capital investment in
cap increaaee the oil recovery factor to additional compreasorm. Aleo of the total
14.5%.2 gas production, 12 MMSCFD from the highest
preaaure aourcea is dehydrated and
In early 1990, the Northeaat lobe eector distributed to 27 welle for gaa lift.
model wae used to investigate Southeaet
lobe (oil leg) recovery by removing the Figure 6 ahowa the various preanure levels
gas cap and ●ubetituting Southeaat lobe of incoming gas at the separators. After
oil properties. The study ehowa that oil separation, proceaaing and fuel
recovery can be significantly increaaed by requirements the residual gaa i.a
injecting gaa into the oil zone in compressed to 4300 paig and reinfected
addition to the gaa cap.; into the reservoir.
A three dimensional model (47 x 24 areal
grid blocks and 11 layera) covered the
.
SPE 29805
Injection,Rat-s ●nd Voidage Replacement
A plot of the monthly average ga~
injection ia mhown in Fig. 7. The field
iiijaeeieiiX=ks “ti&siac=ees%ti f=cm 34.5
NNCFPp to about 37.2 MMCFPD in June 1991.
Tho injection rate was increased to 63.1
.MCFPD in August 1991. The rate waa
further increased to 78.9 MNCFPD in
-.-..__.i992 Ud SGs maAAsba&Aa=U
danuury --t-k.a..aa at the
level until January 1994. Then, the
injection rate waa increased to 93.7
MNMCFPD in January 1994 and wam further
increamed to 130.1 NMCFPD in September
1994.
The injection rate in the Southeaet lobe
has been maintained at the maximum
injection capacity of the injection wella.
The purpose is to evaluate the effect of
the gaa injection in the Southeaat Lobe
oil leg in a short time frame. The
injection rate in the Southea8t lobe
ranged 12 - 16.5 MNCFPD between February
i59i and Feb~ary i992. Th hj~CtiG13
CatO was maintained at 19 - 20 MNCFPD
between March 1992 and April 1994. Since
khen the ~~iec*iQn
----- rake gangatd 23.6 - 25.0
MNCFPD when a shut-in producer near the
oil water contact wan converted to gas
injection in March 1994. The remaining
injection gas was then injected to the gas
cap areas in the Northeast lobe.
A plot of the voidage replacement for the
Northeast and the Southeast lobes is shown
in Fig. S. The voidage replacement in the
Southeast lobe reached a maximum of 145%
in July 1991. With drilling horizontal
producers in 1991 and 1992, the voidage
replacement has gradually decreased to
about 80% in October 1993. The voidage
replacement waa later increased to about
100% in May 1994 as a new gas injector was
added in the Southeast lobe. The voidage
replacement in the Northeast lobe has been
relatively constant since December 1991 at
75*.
Respoase of 0ss Iajectioa
9aa caD Iniection In TM Northeast Lob
An oil rate increase has been observed in
20 wells. The well locations are shown in
Fig. 9. The typical response of the
producer prior to gas breakthrough, shown
in Fig. 10, is an increase in the oil rate
with reducing GOR (decrease in the gas
rate). The gas injected into S-24/s-39/S-
41 has broken through in 4 wells. The
well locations are shown in Fig. 9.
337
H. K. CHBN 3
oil Lea Gas Iniection In The Southern
Wfil,-+--m
.--------w1lE.
-----, which ~ffs-t the injectors
s-32 and s-68, indicate an increase in oil
rates. The gas injected into S-32 and S-
68 has broken through in six wellc. The
well locations are shown in Fig. 9. Two
~=P= of p=~~=$iem F-----—----
mrfnrmanem weg~ no~ed
after gas breakthrough. See Fig. 11. For
the worst case (so far only one well), the
oil rate decreases sharply with rapid
increase of GOR. The ●arly gas
breakthrough and rapid increaso in GOR is
probably due to the producer being near a
conductive fault. For the typical case,
the oil rate decreases gradually with slow
increase in GOR.
An increase in water production from seven
wells was observed. This ia due to an
increase of pressure in the bottom aquifer
resulted from the gas injection.
Iacrrnatal Oil Production
The gas injection in the Safah field was
responsible for an additional 13% of the
field production in September 1994. See
Fig. 12. The gas iI@SCtiOIi Wiii TiOt Oniy
increase the oil rate but also increase
the ultimate recovery of the Safah field.
Fig. 13 shows the cumulative incremental
oil versus time for the NE and SE lobes.
Fig. 14 shows the cumulative incremental
oil versus cumulative gas injection for
the NE and SE lobe. Fig . 15 shows the
incremental oil rate versus time for the
Northeast and Southeast lobes. These
plots indicate that (1) the response is
faster for gas injection into the oil leg,
and (2) the benefit of gas injection in
the oil leg of the Southeast lobe is
greater than that of the gas injected into
the gas cap in the Northeast lobe.
The cumulative incremental oils at the end
of September 1994 were 1.31 and 3.08
million barrels for the NE and SE lobe
respectively. The cumulative gas
injections for the NE and SE lobe at the
end of September 1994 were 86.7 and 23.4
BCF. The ratios of the cumulative
incremental oil to cumulative gas
injection for the NE and SE at the end of
September 1994 were 15.1 B/NMSCF and 131.3
B/MMSCF. The lower ratio of the
cumulative incremental oil to the
cumulative gas injection in the NB lobe is
due to a high percentage of gas recycling
in the gas cap area (about 60 percent) and
lower voidage replacement in the Northeast
lobe. The direct ccxmnunicationbetween
the gas cap and the producers (vertical
and horizontal wells) under the gas cap
4 GA81NJECTI( WI NTHESAFM?FIEID, amu SPE 29805

ham resulted in a high percentage of gas Acknowledgements

recycling. The direct coaanunicationi.a
probably caused by worm holes generated The author thanks the Ministry of
from the matrix acid stimulation on the Petroleum & Minerals, the Sultanate of
vertical wells and the conductive faults Oman and the Management of Occidental and
or fracturetaintercepted by the horizontal Neste for permission to publich this
wells. paper. The author also would like to
thank Charlie Hearn for conducting
reservoir simulation mtudiem and Dick
Change of Injection Philosophy in the Birmingham for his contribution to the
Hortheast Lobe injection facilities.
The first two injectors (S-24 and S-39) References
were completed in the gaa cap only due to
concerns of early gas breakthrough from 1. Vadgama, U., Ellison R. E. and
gas injection into the oil zone under the Gustav, S. H. .“Safah Field: A Ca8e
gas cap. A8 encouraging results were seen Historyof P’ieldDevelopment,” Paper
in the Southeast lobe oil leg gas SPE 21355 presented at the SPE
injection, the new gas injectorta were Middle East oil Show held Ln
completed in both gas cap and oil zones Bahrain, 16 -19 November 1991.
under the gas cap. Faster increase in the
oil rate has been noted in the wells which 2. Hearn, C. L., “North East Lobe
offset the new gas injectors. Therefore, Sector Model Safah Field, Oman,”
it is planned to convert low rate company Report, October 1989.
producers outside the gas cap area to gas
injection in order to improve the ultimate 3. Hearn, C. L., ‘Proposal For A Pilot
recovery. Gas Injection Test In The South East
Lobe, Safah Field,” Company Report,
March 1990.
Conclusions
4. Hearn, C. L., “South East Lobe Model
The results of the Safah gas injection are Safah Field, Oman,” company Report?
sunnnarizedas follows: May 1991.
1. Gas injection ham increased oil
production in the Safah field and is
~=pe~~~~ ~Q ~~~=~=g~ ~~~ tu~~~~=~~
recovery.
2. The response is faster for gas
injection into the oil leg.
3. The benefit of gas injection in the
oil leg ia greater than that of the
gaa injected into the gae cap.
4. The response of gas injection
reveala the heterogeneity of the
reservoir.
5. The direct communication between the
gas cap and producers under the gae
cap through worm holes or conductive
faults/fracturea haa caueed a high
percentage of gas cycling in the
gas cap area.

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Fig: 2 Safeh field Top Shueibe Reservoir

Fig: 1 Location of Safah field

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Fig: 3 Safah sactor moded grid Fig: 4 Safah SE”Ioba 47 x 24 araa grid
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Fig: 5 Schematic of Oil & Gas flow at Safah Fig: 6 Gas handling Safah

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Fig: 7 Safahges injection rate

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Fig: 9Sefahfield
30.
Wells responding to gas injection
w.

40.

34
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1 a s 7S$*! a 5? Ottt a o ? Ollt a s 7

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Fig: 8 Safah Voidageraplacemant

340
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FW 11 Safah 93 & 106 Daily Production

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Flfk 12 Safah gaa injection performance

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