Evolution of Conformance Improvement Efforts in a Major CO2 WAG Injection Project

Abstract

Abstract The Rangely Weber Sand Unit is giant oil field located in northwestern Colorado currently under miscible CO2 and water flooding operations. Field development has evolved through many stages, including infill drilling, waterflood expansions, and CO2 injection. Conformance improvement has become a major strategy as the CO2 project matures and production and oil cuts decline. The success of a conformance improvement effort requires development of links to the business objectives of the field's operating teams. The effort to improve conformance, although not new, has taken on significant strategic importance to insure continued strong economic performance and maximum oil reserves. A multi-disciplinary team was developed to focus on this issue. As with any effort attempting to change the focus of an operation, conformance improvement required a detailed study to scope the potential benefits, and to communicate those benefits to decision-makers. This paper summarizes the Rangely Conformance Improvement Team's efforts, including: Organizational approach to the effortStrategic alignment of conformance improvement with operating team prioritiesAssessment of the state of conformance and the tools developed for problem identification and opportunity rankingConformance improvement method selectionResults to dateFuture conformance improvement efforts and challenges.