The application of streamline reservoir simulation calculations to the management of oilfield scale

Inorganic scales precipitate in oilfield systems - downhole in the reservoir, in the production flow tubing, and in surface facilities - because of thermodynamic changes that affect the flowing brines. These changes may be induced by temperature or pressure changes, or by mixing of incompatible brines. While much work has been performed to study the effect of thermodynamic changes such as pressure decrease or temperature increase on scale precipitation, it is only recently that a body of work has been developed on the impact that the dynamics of brine mixing in the reservoir has on scale precipitation in situ. Much of this work has been conducted using finite difference simulators, which are handicapped with regard to these calculations in that numerical dispersion effects can be orders of magnitude greater than physical dispersion. The introduction of chemical reaction calculations into streamline simulation models presents a very significant opportunity for improving the accuracy of such calculations. While numerical dispersion effects for immiscible calculations (eg water displacing oil) can be countered by pseudoisation of the relative permeability functions, in finite difference models it is difficult to control numerical dispersion for miscible displacements - eg seawater (with a Sulphate concentration) displacing formation water (with a barium or strontium concentration), which may lead to scaling in the reservoir (BaS04 or SrS04 precipitation). Streamline simulation reduces the numerical errors for both miscible and immiscible displacement - so making the scaling calculations much more accurate. The objective of this paper is to study the application of a streamline simulator that has the appropriate chemistry modelling capabilities to realistic reservoir scenarios. The calculations performed demonstrate where, and under what conditions, scale precipitation takes place in situ in the reservoir, and what the resulting impact on the chemical composition of the produced brine will be. This information is key in the planning of management of oilfield scale, especially in developments where options for scale mitigation may be limited. Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers.