Publications

Located in Central Sumatra, Indonesia, the X-sand is the uppermost reservoir in Minas field. The typical characteristics of this sandstone reservoir are shallow and thinly laminated shaly-sand with an average porosity of 20%, thickness of 20 ft, permeability of <,15 mD, and resistivity of <,10 ohmm. Since this Xformation is tight, the fluid contribution is not adequate to justify completing either for single or commingled production. Given such marginal characteristics, X-sand had never been optimized since the prolific reservoirs underneath were more attractive for production. Conventional production enhancement treatments had been performed to overcome reservoir permeability restrictions and improve fluid productivity, but unfortunately the end results were not satisfactory.A new stimulation technique that is significantly less in cost than previous treatments has been successfully used to enhance X-sand productivity. This new method employs a propellant sleeve that simply slides over the perforating guns. By stimulating with propellant while perforating, fluid productivity has shown substantial increases. This propellant stimulation gives higher productivity by creating minor fractures and cleaner perforation tunnel. To ensure the success of this treatment, a good understanding of reservoir characteristics and existing completion is crucial. A computer simulation of dynamic pressure behavior is also important. Through comparison with other productivity enhancement approaches, the authors will demonstrate that this technique provides a cost-effective alternative stimulation method.Several stimulated well histories demonstrate that propellant stimulation has been successfully employed as a cost effective perforation and a near wellbore stimulation method. The resultant of this technique does not damage the formation or the mechanical integrity of the well. An incremental oil production of >100 BOPD per well has been attained, while sustained production has also been achieved for more than a year. Furthermore, the average pay out period for each job is less than a month.