The submillidarcy permeability of the heterogeneous, naturally fractured carbonate formation had prevented conventional wireline formation testers from collecting the necessary PVT samples for analysis, much less conducting interval pressure transient testing (IPTT). Two new wells had been drilled in the formation to ~7,700 m, and they posed the same daunting conditions for collecting representative gas condensate samples: miscible contamination, bottomhole temperature of >175 degC [338 degF], 20,000-psi pressure, and <0.1-mD permeability.
The Ora platform integrates efficient dual-flowline fluid acquisition with superior metrology to confirm fluid purity for sample collection, all digitally enabled with intelligent planning and contextual insights in a collaborative cloud environment. The ability of the Ora platform’s flow manager to pump at rates as low as 0.1 cm3/s facilitates controlled flow from the tightest conventional formations.
Two sampling stations, one each at the top and bottom of the hydrocarbon-bearing interval in the wells, were efficiently performed—despite permeability lower than 0.03 mD, as confirmed by core analysis and a drillstem test (DST), and 182-degC [360-degF] bottomhole temperature—to collect gas condensate samples of sufficient representative quality for PVT analysis and conduct IPTT. This reliable information enabled Pemex to confirm reserves estimates early and expedite designing the completion strategy.
