Spe 178083 Ms

SPE-178083-MS
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ASP Flood Pilot Test at Tertiary Stage in Kalol Field – A Case History
Ankit Hanotia, B. P Singh, and Supriyo Samanta, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.
Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers
This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Oil and Gas India Conference and Exhibition held in Mumbai, India, 24 –26 November 2015.
This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
of the paper have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect
any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper without the written
consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words; illustrations may
not be copied. The abstract must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of SPE copyright.
Abstract
ASP process is the current worldwide focus of research and field trial in chemical enhanced oil recovery.
The process has potential to enhance tertiary oil recovery by reducing the residual oil saturation left after
prolonged water flooding in depletion type of reservoir.
The present paper presents the results of the pilot test in K-XII sand of Kalol field in Ahmedabad Asset
of ONGC. Kalol field is a multi-layered reservoir having 11 hydrocarbon pay zones. It is a depletion drive
type reservoir and was put on production put on production in 1966. Since 1972, central line drive
injection pattern was in operation for pressure maintenance and improvement in oil recovery. K-XII
reservoir has produced about 30% of OIIP with the help of water injection. It is a light oil reservoir having
viscosity of about 0.38 –1.87 cP at reservoir temperature of 82°C and permeability varying from 20 –700
mD. The acidic component is 0.10 mg of KOH/gm of oil.
After extensive laboratory and simulation studies, a small pilot consisting of 1 injector and 2 producers
in line drive pattern and 1 offset well was selected for pilot testing. Single Well Chemical Tracer (SWCT)
test was conducted to know the current saturation in the pilot area and was found to be 26%, which was
coinciding with the laboratory determined ROS value. This indicates that pilot is almost flooded and
saturation is close to residual oil. Injection commenced with injection of 20% of Ammonium Thiocyanate
tracer in Oct. 2013 to monitor the front movement. ASP injection started in Feb. 2014.
ASP solution consisting of 0.30 Pore Volume (Alkali ⫺3.0 Wt.%, Surfactant-2000 ppm, Polymer – 300
ppm) has been injected and injection of 0.20 PV of mobility buffer (300 ppm) started in May 2015, which
will be followed by chase water. The results of last 15 months of the pilot are encouraging and incremental
oil produced is about 3876 m3 (June 2015), which is about 68% of the envisaged oil through simulation.
Average Water cut reduction is about 10 –15 %, however, significant water cut reduction was observed
in one offset well, from 87% to 40 %.The effectiveness of the pilot is also reflected in the production of
oil in form of emulsion which was generated in-situ by reaction of oil with alkali and surfactant.
This paper discusses the details of the laboratory studies, simulation study, pilot design, injection
schedule, monitoring of injection fluid quality, production performance and lessons learnt. The success of
this pilot leads to expansion and application of this CEOR process to other major reservoirs of Kalol field.
2 SPE-178083-MS
Introduction
Kalol structure was discovered in March 1961. It is a main producing field of Ahmedabad Asset. It is a
multi-layered reservoir having 11 hydrocarbon bearing pay zones namely K-II to XII. The K-XII pay zone
is mainly developed in northern part of the field. Structurally K-XII pay is doubly plunging anticline
structure. Kalol-XII pay is the bottom most layer of Kalol field. Average depth of the pay is 1470 meters
(msl). Lithologically the pay is consisting of medium to fine grained sandstone and siltstone and it shale
out in the north, east and south. The sand in northern and eastern side is compact and non-calcareous.. The
field is producing under depletion drive. Water injection was started in 1972 for pressure maintenance.
The water injection scheme for pressure maintenance was reviewed periodically. Till Sept, 2014, a total
10.1 MMm3 cumulative water has been injected. The cumulative recovery is about 30 % OIIP. To further
enhance the ultimate recovery, detailed laboratory studies were carried out for application of AS/ASP
flooding. The pilot projects of ASP flood in Viraj1,2 and Jhalora3 fields of ONGC has shown the potential
for increasing the ultimate recovery. Therefore, it was decided to test the pilot for ASP flooding in Kalol
field. Recent literature review of chemical EOR process indicates that ASP is an area of chemical flooding
that shows both technical and economic promise4.
This paper describes the sequence of steps undertaken from laboratory studies to simulation and then
pilot implementation and performance evaluation.
Reservoir and fluid properties
The brief details of the reservoir and fluid properties are given in Table-1. The initial reservoir pressure
of 241 kg/cm2 has declined to 100 –114 kg/cm2. Average thickness of the K-XII pay is around 4.6 meters.
Average porosity is 16 –20 % and permeability varies from 20 mD to 700 mD.The gravity of the oil is
41°API with a viscosity variation ranging from 0.38 –1.87 cP at reservoir conditions. The nature of the
crude is acidic with an acid number 0.10 mg of KOH/gm of crude oil.
Table 1—Reservoir and Fluid Properties

RESERVOIR
Lithology Sandstone
Avg. Depth, m 1470 (MSL)
Avg. Pay thickness, m 4.6
Temperature, °C 82
Porosity, % 16–20
Permeability Range, Darcy 20–700
Initial Reservoir Pressure, Kg/cm2 241
Current Reservoir Pressure, Kg/cm2 100–114
Drive Mechanism Depletion drive
OIL
Oil viscosity at reservoir temperature, cP 0.38 – 1.87

Oil Gravity, °API 41
Acid Number, mg KOH/gm of oil 0.1
Ashphaltene, % 0.05
Wax, % 11.5
TUBEWELL WATER
pH 7.97
Bicarbonate, mg/L 549
Chloride, mg/L 568
Sulphate, mg/L 50
Calcium, mg/L 100
Magnesium, mg/L 41
Sodium, mg/L 407
Salinity as NaCl, mg/L 936
SPE-178083-MS 3
Laboratory and Simulation Studies

Detailed laboratory studies5 were conducted by the IRS (Institute of Reservoir Studies), the R&D institute
of ONGC. During the initial screening studies, commercially available chemicals were tested for their
solubility, thermal stability in process water at reservoir temperature. IFT and CMC values were
determined for the surfactant samples for optimization of surfactant concentration. Emulsion formulation
studies and compatibility studies for different chemicals were also carried out. After getting encouraging
results of the screening studies, a series of displacement experiments were carried out for ASP and AS
flood studies. ASP slug of 0.30 PV, consisting of Alkali⫺3.0 Wt. %, Surfactant-2000 ppm and
Polymer-300 ppm followed by 0.20 PV mobility buffer of polymer of 300 ppm was recommend for field
pilot implementation. The experimental data of the study was considered as an input to the simulation
exercise. An attempt was made to match the 1-D simulation core flood experimental data by using CMG’s
STARS simulator and after that these data were upscaled to full field simulation model.
ASP Pilot Details

Pilot Design
Based on the encouraging laboratory and simulation studies, a line drive pilot consisting of one injector
(KL#A) and two producers (KL#B and C) was implemented. Another well KL#D was selected as an offset
well. The pilot schematic is given in Figure-1. Total pore volume of the selected pilot is 137140 m3. The
distance between injector (KL#A) and producers KL#B and KL#C is 400m and 280m respectively. The
simulation study envisaged incremental oil gain of about 5703 m3 (7.4% of pilot OIIP of 76748 m3) over
water flood recovery. The expected life of pilot is 57 months.
Figure 1—Schematic Map of Kalol-XII ASP Pilot area (KL#A is the ASP Injector)
Before implementing the ASP pilot, the residual Oil Saturation in Pilot area was estimated by Single
Well Chemical Tracer Test (SWCTT). The value of residual oil saturation (Sor) in well KL#C was
estimated in the range 25–26% by SWCTT method.
Injection Schedule
For the ASP pilot test, the fluid injection sequence was: 1. ASP Slug, 2. Mobility Buffer, 3. Chase water.
The injection schedule prepared is given in Table-2. This schedule is subject to review based on the pilot
response.The details of the fluid injection schedule is discussed below:
4 SPE-178083-MS
Table 2—Injection Schedule

INJECTION FLUID INJECTION (PV) TIME (DAYS) INJ RATE (M3/D) INJECTION VOLUME(M3)
ASP Slug 0.30 411 100 41142

Mobility Buffer (Polymer-300 ppm) 0.20 274 100 27428
Chase Water 0.50 685 100 68570
Total 1.0 1371 100 137140
1. ASP Slug: After detailed laboratory studies, a 0.30 PV of ASP slug was considered to be optimum for
pilot test in the field. The ASP slug consisted of 3.0 Wt.% of Sodium Carbonate, 2000 ppm(100%
active) Petroleum Sulfonate and 300 ppm of PHPA polymer dissolved in softened tubewell water.
2. Mobility Buffer: The mobility buffer is to be injected after completion of ASP slug. Suitable
biocide may be added to the polymer buffer to avoid chemical degradation. It provides high
viscosity buffer and low mobility to avoid fingering of subsequently injected low viscosity fluid
into the ASP slug. The mobility buffer consists of 0.20 PV of 300 ppm PHPA polymer dissolved
in softened tubewell water.
3. Chase Water: The mobility buffer is to be followed by chase water. Softened tubewell water will be
used for this. It is expected that 0.50 PV of chase water would be needed for the pilot completion.
Pilot Implementation
Inter-well tracer programme
Inter-well Tracer programme was designed for injection in Injector KL#A. A total quantity of 2900 kg of
20% Ammonium Thiocyanate tracer was injected in Oct. 2013. Concentration of salinity and SCN- is
monitored in wells K#C, K#B and K #D. The wells are being monitored for observing any preferential
movement of tracer. After injecting tracer, softened water of 7,870 m3 of was injected before injection of
ASP slug, which started on 4 Feb. 2014.
Monitoring Methodology
To carefully monitor the performance of the pilot, a thorough monitoring strategy was framed. The
Monitoring process of the ASP pilot included three major activities: 1. Monitoring of injection fluid
quality/quantity, 2. Monitoring of produced fluid, 3. Production performance of ASP pilot.
Injection Fluid Quality The parameters of the injection fluid quality like concentration of Alkali,
Surfactant and Polymer in ASP slug and concentration of polymer in mobility buffer, turbidity, pH,
salinity, iron content etc. are selected for monitoring the injection fluid quality. The details are given in
Table-3.
Table 3—Monitoring Parameters

PARAMETERS ASP SLUG MOBILITY BUFFER CHASE WATER
Concentration 3.0 ⫾0.1 300⫾25

Alkali(Wt. %) 2000 ⫾100
Surfactant (ppm) 300 ⫾ 25
Polymer(ppm)
Turbidity, NTU ⬍ 10 ⬍ 10 ⬍ 2.0
Dissolved Oxygen, ppm 0–1 0–1 0–1
Iron, ppm 0 – 0.1 0 – 0.1 0 – 0.1
Salinity, gm/L 2800 – 3200 1000–1500 1000–1500
pH 10.5 – 12.0 8 – 9.5 7.5 ⫺9
Concentration of Alkali, Surfactant and Polymer The concentrations of chemicals in ASP slug was
monitored through samples collected from ASP tank, after pump and injector well head KL#A.Variation
SPE-178083-MS 5
in the concentration from 2.7 wt.% to 3.3 wt. % for alkali, 1600 to 2400 ppm for surfactant and 270 to
325 ppm for polymer samples was found.
Dissolved Oxygen(DO), pH, Turbidity and Salinity Dissolved Oxygen(D.O) of the samples were
found a bit on the higher side ranging from 0.8 to 4.0 ppm. Higher value of Dissolved Oxygen was due
to operational constraints. The values of pH, Turbidity and salinity of the slug were found within the
desired range.
Produced Fluid Analysis The samples from two pilot producers and one offset well were regularly
collected for monitoring the breakthrough of tracer and different chemicals. Salinity of the collected
samples was also determined and samples were also analysed for bacterial presence. From the collected
samples it was observed that there was breakthrough of tracer in all the producer wells (including offset
well). In wells KL#B and C, tracer breakthrough was observed in traces form in Nov. 2013 and in well
KL#D, in Dec. 2013. The well KL#D is located at about 800m from the injector KL#A, which shows that
there is some preferential movement of fluid towards KL#D. This may be due to some permeability
variation in the area. The injected ASP slug also travelled preferentially in this direction, as salinity of the
produced fluid was similar to that of ASP slug. The in-situ generation of the surfactant by reaction of
alkali with oil and synthetic surfactant used in ASP slug formed good emulsion by solubilization of oil.
Among chemicals, only alkali presence was observed in all three producer wells. No surfactant and
polymer presence was observed. The presence of alkali in producer wells is shown graphically in Figure-2.
During ASP injection, salinity decline was observed in KL#B and KL#C. However, in well KL#D, low
salinity value of less than 3000 ppm was observed since starting which indicates some high permeability
streak in this direction.Salinity data is shown graphically in Figure-3.
Figure 2—Alkali concentration in pilot producer wells

6 SPE-178083-MS
Figure 3—Salinity of pilot producer wells
Production Performance For performance evaluation, monthly production testing of all the pilot
producers and offset well was carried out. As all the three wells are operating under artificial lift,
therefore, samples were collected weekly for water cut analysis. Base rates for all the producers were fixed
with respect to oil and liquid production and water cut and gain is calculated based on initial rates.
KL#B The performance of KL#B is shown in Figure-4. This well has produced cumulative oil of
83484 m3 upto July, 2015 and currently operating under gas lift. Decrease in water cut and improvement
in oil rate was observed after three months injection of ASP slug.Currently water cut has decreased from
93 % to 83%. Subsequently, good oil improvement was observed from 1.5 m3/d to 8.7 m3/d.
Figure 4 —Performance plot of KL#B

SPE-178083-MS 7
KL#C The performance of KL#C is shown in Figure-5. This well has produced a cumulative oil of
195348 m3 upto July, 2015 and currently operating under gas lift. Decrease in water cut and improvement
in oil rate was observed after two months injection of ASP slug. The oil improvement was observed upto
Sept. 2014. During this period, water cut reduced from 97% to 70%. After that, well could not produce
desired liquid production and declined sharply due to gas lift problem. After May 2015, some improve-
ment in liquid production was observed after lift optimization.Currently, well is producing with improved
oil rate of 3.5 m3/d against envisaged 1.9 m3/d and water is about 77%.
Figure 5—Performance plot of KL#C
KL#D The performance of KL#D is shown in Figure-6. This well has produced sufficient cumulative
oil of 178221 m3 upto June, 2015 and currently operating on SRP. Decrease in water cut and improvement
in oil rate was observed after two months injection of ASP slug. Marked improvement in performance has
been observed in this well after ASP injection. Continuous decline in water cut was observed and currently
water cut is 40% from initial 87%. Oil improvement is consistent, and as on July 2015, it has improved
from 1.8 m3/d to 5.9 m3/d.
8 SPE-178083-MS
Figure 6 —Performance plot of KL#D
Emulsion formation in KL#D The effectiveness of the ASP process was also confirmed by formation
of emulsion in offset producer KL#D. In this well, preferential movement of the injected fluid was
noticed, even though it is farthest, about 800 m, from the injector. Regularly well head samples were
collected and analysed for water content and also the properties of the oil produced. No free water was
observed and the viscosity of the emulsion formed was measured. A picture of sample of emulsion
collected is shown in Figure-7. The variation in viscosity was measured with varying shear rates, as seen
in Figure-8. It indicates that the emulsion behaved like a pseudo-plastic fluid, just like polymer. Due to
this nature, emulsion formed is able to block the high permeability channels and diverts the flow to low
permeability areas. Thus, it increases the contact efficiency of the process, resulting in more oil
production. Increase in dead oil viscosity of KL#D was observed, and found about 26 cP from 8 cP at a
shear rate of 73s⫺1. This improvement in the viscosity helped in improving the volumetric sweep
efficiency. This also confirms the main mechanism of the ASP process, as good emulsion formation is due
to solubilization of oil by reduction of intefacial tension between residual oil and injected fluid.
SPE-178083-MS 9
Figure 7—Sample showing emulsion formation in well KL#D
Figure 8 —KL#D emulsion viscosity vs. shear rate
Overall Performance of the Pilot The overall performance of the pilot is given in Figure-9. Incremental
oil gain is 3876 m3, which is 5.0 % of pilot OIIP (76748 m3), after 0.35 PV injection, till June 2015,
against expected total oil gain of 5703 m3 (7.4% of Pilot OIIP), after 1 PV injection. The ASP pilot is
effective as decrease in water cut is observed in pilot producer wells, from an average of 91% to 80 %
(June 2015). Good emulsion formation since last 9 months in produced effluent sample has been observed
in KL#D. During ASP injection, rise in injection pressure was noted, which also justify the efficacy of the
process, as shown in Figure-10.
SPE-178083-MS
Figure 9 —Combined performance of Kalol XII ASP pilot
Figure 10 —ASP Injection pressure profile

10
SPE-178083-MS 11
Conclusions
● A total ASP slug of 0.30 PV (41142 m3) was successfully injected and injection of mobility buffer
of 0.20 PV of polymer is being injected. Till June, 2015, 0.05 PV (6857 m3) of mobility buffer has
been injected.
● The performance of ASP pilot in terms of incremental oil gain is encouraging. Total incremental
oil gain is 3876 m3, which 5.0 % of pilot OIIP, 76748 m3, after 0.35 PV injection, till June 2015,
against expected oil gain of 5703 m3, which is 7.4% OIIP, after 1 PV injection
● ASP process is promising as good reduction in water cut, from an average of 91% to 80 % has been
observed. Moreover, in well KL#D, maximum reduction of 47% in water cut was observed.
● Formation of good emulsion and change in rheological properties of the produced oil clearly
indicates that ASP process is effective in mobilizing the residual oil to a great extent, at tertiary
stage.
● Increase in injection pressure during ASP injection also validates the efficiency of the ASP
process.
● No breakthrough of Surfactant and Polymer has been observed in the pilot producers and off set
wells.However good presence of alkali has been observed in all the producers.
Lessons Learnt
● ASP process is effective in the reservoir of large spacing (⬎ 300 m) and in flooded area having
oil saturation as low as 26% PV.
● No major problems were observed during injection of ASP slug. However, during mobility
buffer/polymer injection, rise in injection pressure was observed. The reason for increase in
pressure is under analysis.
● Most of the time the turbidity value was found within desired range. However, it increases due to
malfunctioning of the softening plant.
● Dissolved oxygen was sometimes high due to improper dosing of Sodium Sulfite.
● Breakthrough of Surfactant and Polymer was not observed in any of the producers. This may be
due to adsorption on the rocks, or consumption of surfactant in emulsion formulation by
solubilization of oil.
Acknowledgements
The authors express their thanks to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC) for permission to
publish this paper. Thanks are due to the authors of various research reports referred during creation of
this paper. It is also stated that the views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not
necessarily suggest the views of ONGC.
Nomenclature
ASP Alkali Surfactant Polymer
OIIP Oil Initially in Place
CMC Critical Micelle Concentration
PHPA Partially Hydrolyzed Poly Acrylamide
D.O Dissolved Oxygen
EOR Enhance oil recovery
CEOR Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery
IFT Interfacial tension
SRP Sucker Rod Pump
MSL Mean sea level
12 SPE-178083-MS
m Metre
Kg/cm2 Kilogram per square centimeter
MMm3 Million Metric cubic metres
mg Milligram
IRS Institute of Reservoir Studies
ppm Parts per million
Wt. % Percent weight
NTU Nephelometric Turbidity Units
cP Centipoise
References
1. Pratap,M. and Gauma, M.S. 2004. Field Implementation of Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer(ASP)
Flooding: A maiden effort in India. Presented at SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Natural Gas Conference
and Exhibition,Perth, Australia, 18 –20 October. SPE 88455
2. Singh, B.P and Kumar, A. 2011.Initial Six Month Results of First Chemical EOR(ASP) Pilot Test
in Viraj Field in India: A field experience. Presented at India Oil & Gas Review Summit, Mumbai,
8 –9 September.
3. Jain, A.K. Dhawan, A.K. Misra, T.R. 2012. ASP Flood Pilot in Jhalora(K-IV) – A Case Study.
Presented at SPE Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Mumbai, India, 28 –30 March. SPE
153667
4. Sheng, J.J. 2013. A Comprehensive Review of Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer(ASP) Flooding.
Presented at SPE Western Regional & AAPG Pacific Section Meeting, Monterey, California,
19 –25 April. SPE 165358
5. Singh,B.P, Saxena M.K, Kumar, Anil, ⬙Laboratory Evaluation for Applicability of ASP/AS Flood
Process for Kalol Horizons K-IX⫹X & XII⬙, Research Report, IRS, ONGC, 1999

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SPE-178083-MS

Copyright 2015, Society of Petroleum Engineers

Table 1—Reservoir and Fluid Properties

Oil viscosity at reservoir temperature, cP 0.38 – 1.87

Laboratory and Simulation Studies

ASP Pilot Details

Table 2—Injection Schedule

ASP Slug 0.30 411 100 41142

Table 3—Monitoring Parameters

Concentration 3.0 ⫾0.1 300⫾25

Figure 2—Alkali concentration in pilot producer wells

Figure 4 —Performance plot of KL#B

Figure 5—Performance plot of KL#C

Figure 8 —KL#D emulsion viscosity vs. shear rate

Figure 9 —Combined performance of Kalol XII ASP pilot

Figure 10 —ASP Injection pressure profile

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