05.06.2022
The Paris climate agreement has been in place for more than six years. It was signed by 192 countries, ratified by 113, including Russia. The agreement was concluded due to the fears of the world community associated with an increase in the level of environmental pollution and negative changes in the climate.
Geonaft shares these concerns and therefore has been developing software for years to safely and efficiently implement a number of existing environmentally friendly technologies that help reduce our carbon footprint. On the day of environmental protection, we would like to talk about one of them: the technology of reinjecting drill cuttings into the reservoir, and how the GeoTensor software helps to implement the technology in practice.
Traditionally, drilling wastes are placed in sludge storage pits, which requires the removal of large land areas and constant environmental monitoring in the territory in order to prevent soil and groundwater pollution. Cutting Re-Injection (CRI) technology is currently considered the most environmentally friendly and safe method of waste disposal and is suitable even where the most stringent zero discharge requirements apply, such as on offshore drilling platforms.
The technology of the method is as follows: slurry pulp, prepared from crushed drill cuttings with the addition of liquid and chemical reagents, is pumped into the selected underground horizon, with the formation of a hydraulic fracture, in accordance with a pre-approved work program.
This technology was first used on offshore oil platforms in Alaska in 1990. Over the years, it has been improved and widely used, but it is still a labor-intensive process that requires the use of specialized software to conduct a geological analysis of the area of work, build a geomechanical model of the section, select a reservoir suitable for cuttings disposal, calculate injection parameters and identify signs of abnormal pressure that may interfere with the procedure safely.
The GeoTensor software package allows you to conduct a comprehensive 3D geomechanical modeling of the field, select the target reservoir, determine the safe technological parameters of injection, prevent risks of changes in stress in the reservoir and in barriers in time and take the necessary measures to eliminate risks during injection, which minimizes the risks of accidents, temporary losses and financial costs.
Nowdays, the technique has proven itself from the best side, solves the problem of environmental pollution after drilling and solves logistics costs, since it allows drilling waste to be disposed of directly at the field.