Reducing water cut to improve oil production in Ecuador

A mature onshore sandstone well in Ecuador was experiencing persistently high water cut, limiting hydrocarbon production and increasing operating costs. By isolating the high water producing zone and executing a targeted hydraulic fracturing treatment in a low water saturation interval, SLB enabled a significant reduction in water production while increasing oil output and restoring well profitability.

The operator aimed to reduce excessive water production that was impacting well economics and limiting the reservoir’s oil potential. The well was producing from an interval with consistently high water cut, resulting in inefficient surface handling, higher lifting and treatment costs, and reduced oil recovery.

Production data showed that the main contributing zone was largely water-producing, with minimal oil contribution. This imbalance reduced overall well performance and limited the value of the asset. Previous approaches failed to shift the production profile or effectively access more favorable intervals.

The challenge was therefore to isolate the high water-producing zone while enabling production from a lower water‑saturation interval, without compromising completion integrity or increasing intervention risk.