Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

The DAWI Project is an innovative initiative with the vision of improving the accuracy and reliability of well integrity assessment in the oil & gas as well as geothermal industries.The ultimate aim is to develop a comprehensive digital landscape of the well integrity from Xmas tree to the near wellbore rock. Here we want to also implement the data routinely collected for different well operations.

The current focus is however to overcome the limitations of traditional and special core analysis with a fast reliable digital anaylsis. This starts with a concept similar to 3D digital rock in reservoir engineering but it does not remain there(as our focus will be on cement and other barrier elements as well). The project involves the development of a comprehensive workflow for the measurement, estimation, and simulation of characteristics of cement and rock samples. This system utilizes advanced digital technologies (µCT & Nano CT) and analytical methods to provide a more accurate and efficient evaluation of petrophysical, geomechanical and mineralogical characteristics of not only rock but also cement samples.

Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

It is the production of energy that is responsible for almost 90% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, Fossil fuels including oil & gas are not only the primary source of world energy consumption now but also they are expected to remain the main source until 2030 and further on for a while.
Bring emissions down towards net zero simultaneously with meeting the energy demand, will be one of the world’s biggest challenges in the years ahead. CCS is the only technology that can effectively reduce CO2 emissions, while the technological components are all in use, they do not currently function together in the manner required for large-scale CCS. That is why developing a solution strategy addressing all the issues with large-scale CCS will be a great boost for this key industry.
This study will utilize data-driven approach to conduct a strategic and integrated analysis, reflected in a model. The resulting analysis will be used to offer consultancy to CCS project managers.
By addressing the uncertainties in CCS projects and applying the latest technological advances from research and laboratory scales, this study will enhance confidence in the pertaining projects. Not only will we calculate the success/failure probability of individual projects, but we will also recommend the necessary data for (1) Storage Risk Mitigation Strategy and (2) Increasing Project Success Chance.

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RoadMap

Association Diagram (V2)

Research Area: CO2

The increasing interest of our Partners in CCUS applications led the WIP-Team to the development of our Cement Testing Methodology to study the effects of supercritical CO2 on Wellbore cements. Two eries of experiments are conducted, with the first sequence consisting of micro-CT scans, mineralogical investigations and compressive strength testing. This series is correlated with the results of our in-situ test cell, which allows continuous monitoring of ongoing changes within the cement using CT-scans in regular intervals

Research Area: Digital Flow Loop

Development of setup to study the displacement ability and fluid flow characteristics of complex fluids using a non-invasive approach.

Scope:
The experimental setup aims to explore the displacement behavior of two fluids in a controlled flow loop. To allow the simulation of not only horizontal/vertical pipe sections, the whole test section pipe can be shifted from 0 to 90°.

By manipulating flow rates, eccentricity of annulus, angle of the whole test section pipe and fluid compositions, the influence of various parameters on the displacement patterns can be observed.

Observation of flow profile is carried out with a highspeed camera.

Industrial application:
Displacement flow of complex fluid in a confined geometry where one fluid pushes the other fluid in the flow direction occurs frequently in many natural and industrial systems. An understanding of the displacement ability and flow characteristics of these fluids is necessary to design and monitor the performance of the unit, process, and transportation operations.

This experimental setup can not only provide valuable insights for the oil industry, but also displacement efficiency is important for the chemical industry and various other fields in which displacement of fluids occurs.

Status:
Investigation of the flow during the displacement is done in two ways at the moment. High speed cameras capture the flow pattern from 3 different angles to ensure visibility of displacement front in different axes. Further, a differential pressure transducer is used to measure the differential pressure during the displacement. To check the flowrate during displacement test, flowmeters are installed before and after the test section pipe. The integration of different sensor types enables the correlation of visual observation and quantitative measurements.

Current Findings:
Displacement efficiency increases with increasing density and flow rate.

Displacement efficiency decreases with increasing eccentricity of the annulus.

Low-side displacement occurs at a higher density and low flow rate, which reduces the displacement efficiency.

Research Area: Geo-Energy

Hydrogen has the highest energy content per mass of any conventional fuel, hence it can be used as a very effective energy carrier or directly as a clean fuel. Regardless, the demand for large-scale underground hydrogen storage(UHS) is most important than ever, and therefore the call for the scale of its application is now industrial. While the oil & gas industry has considered hydrogen inert to cement/reservoir rock, there is a considerable knowledge gap in the area when talking about industrial-scale UHS, particularly in a combination with natural gas(methane). Since three years together with the industry, the chair of drilling and completion at Montanuniversität Leoben has developed projects to probe into the matter and to establish a non-destructive methodology for the cement/rock integrity assessment.

Research Area: H2

Hydrogen is nowadays commonly considered a promising way of storing energy from renewable energy sources, helping overcome capricious weather as well as seasonal variations, hence increasing the efficiency of renewable energy sources. Underground Hydrogen Storage (UGHS) promises great potential due to its vast storage capacities. However, to make UGHS a feasible process, fundamental research investigating not just the integrity of reservoir and cap rocks, but also downhole materials used in boreholes against hydrogen is essential. Especially the effect hydrogen might have on the mineralogical phase composition and subsequently on the physical and mechanical parameters of downhole cement is still very scarcely known. This research, which is part of a Ph.D. program of Montanuniversität Leoben on H2 production and storage, aims to contribute to a better fundamental understanding of this issue.

Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

There is no doubt of the complexity of drilling processes due to the enormous components and uncertainties engaged in the flow. It is evident that because of the cost associated with having sensors along the drilling string, most of the sensors are located on the surface. Thus few downhole measurements are available in real-time. Therefore, it causes a limited observation of the drilling process and leads to greater difficulty when applying standard control methods.

Furthermore, detecting the actual current state of the operation with sparse downhole information requires more effort and investigation. Consequently, achieving a fully autonomous drilling sequence has two main requirements. The first is a method to represent the states to control the operation. The second is that the technique must frequently update the plan based on the last activity and the current state.

The final objective of the drilling operation is to minimize the time needed to reach total section depth (TD), which directly reflects the cost. All this must be done while keeping the associate (short and long term) risk at an acceptable level. This goal needs to be fulfilled in different finite horizons, from the next few minutes of the operation, up to the whole drilling operation. This research will develop a solution for evolving an autonomous decision-making system considering the aforesaid concerns.

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation

Scope:
In cooperation with 22 business and academic partners, DPE is bringing forward a new generation of Wire-based Additive Manufacturing (WAM). The overall project’s goal is to produce high quality 3D alloy components, innovative methods and technologies using WAM. All this is to be done whilst simultaneously reducing the cost, environmental impact, and time taken. Metal Additive Manufacturing (MAM) is one of DPE’s many fields of studies, with the Chair of Drilling and Completion already having completed a series of research projects on this topic. While previous MAM projects at DPE focused on producing spare parts for the oil and gas industry, We3D tackles challenges in the wellbore, specifically in downhole operations. Thus, the technology has to be developed to withstand harsh environments and constrained positions.

Industrial application:
With this innovation, the industry will experience an alternative, rigless technology with the potential to revolutionize downhole operations. As the work could be done without larger and cost-intensive drilling rigs, significant cost reductions with smaller work-over units will be expected. Thus, bringing about an entire new way of applying additive manufacturing to solve complex challenges in the oil and gas industry.

Status:
A comprehensive review of existing research on hyperbaric welding and WAAM, highlighting the effect of high pressure, shielding gases, base metal chemistry, cooling rates and other variables on the material properties to achieve successful welds was prepared. The literature review explores the potential of metal, particularly steel, as a plugging material, discussing the limitations of cement and alternative options such as bismuth and thermite-based solutions.

In a preliminary step for the proof of concept of the hyperbaric WAAM process for downhole applications, two wire materials were studied at atmospheric conditions as a baseline for further experiments. The welding parameters of metal wires WM1 and WM2 were developed to be compared with the API grades J55 and L80. WM1 and WM2 were selected based on their chemical composition and mechanical properties. Additive manufactured structures were produced to machine specimens for material testing. The corrosion tests ran in the WM1 and WM2 specimens showed that the WM1 material (in its milled condition) exhibits a corrosion rate similar to the conventional manufactured L80 and J55 grades. While the corrosion rate of WM2 was found to be more comparable to C1020 steel. Therefore, WM1 is preferable in order to reduce risk of galvanic corrosion effects.

The information of 12 wells from 4 different O&G fields in Europe was analyzed to define the downhole conditions for the design of experiments, showing a range of temperature between 41.8 and 127.7 ⁰C and a range of pressure between 121 to 468 bars. The information from 5 different O&G fields in the Gulf of Mexico was analyzed to identify contaminants that can be potentially encountered in wellbores, for the design of experiments, especially for WAAM process development and material testing.

The commissioning of a hyperbaric WAAM facility to start the WAAM experiments at downhole conditions is an ongoing task which is planned to be finalized at the end of Q1/2024.

Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

Due to the recent increase in drilling operations complexity, the frequency of undesirable downhole events occurring while drilling a well is in ascend trend leading to substantial growth in nonproductive time(NPT). Consequently, overall drilling costs become sky-high, a moment in which earlier and precise detection of the downhole drilling problems becomes a crucial factor in cost reduction.
The ultimate objective of this project is to develop a arrangement and method for real time detecting and verifying the presences of the most common undesirable drilling events.

Research Area: Durability Station

Industrial Application:
Developing a function to predict the Triaxial Compressive Strength (TCS) of cement using its recipe and features including density and curing time alongside with ultrasonic velocity could have significant industrial applications, particularly related to cement integrity, which is crucial for wellbore integrity and environmental safety.

Objectives of this project showed potential applications pertinent to injection/production/monitoring wells for processes such as UGS, UHS, CCS - where cement integrity can be monitored by using permanent installation of ultrasonic sensors (case of monitoring wells) or using more traditional wireline ultrasonic logging (case of legacy wells). In both cases, this offered solution is not only cost-effective but also increases the chance of early detection of cement damages.

Scope:
The scope of this project is the creation of real time measurements of TCS, using ultrasonic travel times. In the first step non-destructive tests could replace the destructive tests, whereas in the second step laboratory tests could be replaced by the real time-measurements.

The main milestones in the project will be:

·       Assembling the laboratory equipment

·       Integration and coordination of all the laboratory equipment for the experiments

·       Creation of a manual from sample preparation to triaxial testing

·       Prototype testing

The project will cover several API standard tools as well as new methodologies and laboratory techniques. Several disciplines are involved like cementing and well integrity experts, rock mechanic specialists and manufacturers for the delicate assemblies. 

Current Status:
Currently the triaxial compressive test chamber is being installed and a configuration for the high pressure/ high temperature curing chamber is in the planning. The next step will be the determination of the curing conditions, which will be used in the experiments. These will then be applied in the ultrasonic cement analyzer, measuring the development of the sonic travel times over the curing period. These curing conditions are then copied and reapplied for the HPHT curing chamber, where cylindrical molds will be created. The travel times of these molds will then revalidated by Piezo elements and afterwards destroyed in the triaxial compression chamber.

Scope:
Permeability is a fundamental property of geological formations, impacting fluid flow and transport. For the emerging field of hydrogen energy, assessing core permeability to H2 is crucial for reservoir characterization and the feasibility of H2 injection and storage. Current methods for permeability estimation, such as nitrogen (N2) gas permeability tests, provide limited insights into H2 permeability, which may differ significantly due to differences in molecular size and behavior. Same could be told regarding CO2 permeability as CO2 may react with the matrix and hence affect the fluid paths.

To address these gaps in knowledge, the proposed research project will combine cutting-edge digital imaging and numerical simulations with experimental testing to provide a comprehensive understanding of sample (rock/cement) permeability to H2 and CO2. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) will be employed to capture high-resolution 3D images of rock and cement cores, and Pergeos software will be utilized for pore-throat network reconstruction. Permeability simulations will be carried out using advanced techniques and algorithms, which are essential for achieving accurate results.

The project will involve conducting standard permeability tests with N2 gas to establish a baseline for comparison. Subsequently, matrix permeation experiments with H2 & CO2 will be conducted to measure H2/CO2 permeability and validate the simulation results. The study will provide insights into the factors influencing H2/CO2 permeability, including pore structure and connectivity, and shed light on the potential for enhanced hydrogen storage and recovery from geological reservoirs as well as CCS process.

Objectives:

The original objective is to compare the traditional standard N2 permeability test with advanced digital simulations and experimental sample flooding tests to provide a comprehensive assessment of H2/CO2 permeability in geological formations. Another goal is to observe how the matrix structural change owing to ineraction wit hH2/ CO2 will affect the permeability during time.

Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

As justified by reported incidents, the role of wellbore cement being a competent barrier for up-hole hydrocarbon flow is questionable. In particular, it is not clear whether the integrity of the bond and seal between the cement and formation or cement and steel-casing is sustained throughout the lifecycle of well operations and beyond.

The cement/casing and cement/rock interface of a cemented annulus is a brittle material-composite. During well operations the bond is subject to static and dynamic stress loads. The risk of bond failure depends on the load frequency, its magnitude, and intrinsic properties of the bond between the cement and casing, as well as the cement and rock.

This research project proposes to apply a certain low number of stress cycles on a cement/casing and cement/rock annular composite to evaluate the low cycle fatigue strength of the bond. Hence, innovative laboratory fatigue testing concepts will be developed in parallel with cutting edge testing apparatus. This will allow the application of static and dynamic axial loads (compression/tension) on an annular cement/casing and cement/rock bond. The experimental results will be compared to finite element/finite differences modeling results for validation.

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation

The project is focused on the behavior of different settable fluids in the Experimental Casing Leak Setup and how well they perform in a simulation of a casing leak. The goal is to find ways to improve cement or find a settable fluid that is better than cement, which would be used for the remediation of the casing leaks.

For the experiment, pipe sizes of variable lengths are used, and different settable fluid is pumped with a variable flow rate. This data will be further analyzed, and the best solution will be presented.

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation

This project illustrates the effort to develop a customized polymer as cement alternative and/or cement additive to address challenges posed by conventional cement. Experimental studies are designed to evaluate the characteristics such as rheology, injectivity and mechanical properties of the customized polymer. Furthermore, the compatibility of these polymers with drilling fluids contamination and shrinkage behaviour upon cure are evaluated. Afterward, based on the results of measurements, the limitations of each different formulation are determined and the best formulation is optimized. In addition, the application of the polymer as an additive to conventional cement is studied to optimize some specific properties, such as mechanical properties and permeability

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation

Research Area: Digitalization & Automation

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation

Research Area: Well Integrity Evaluation & Remediation