Customer Challenges
- Operator was collecting periodic bottomhole samples from onshore wells in Eastern Europe, to perform fluid characterization, develop reservoir models, and meet regulatory requirements
- Previously, samples were transferred directly from bottom hole sampling tools into transport bottles and shipped to the laboratory or storage facility
- Occasionally, the laboratory found the samples were invalid – either contamination from drilling activity, or samples had been collected from the wrong zone
- By the time samples were found to be invalid, the rig had moved on, and further samples could not be obtained
Expro Excellence
- Expro proposed to deploy the TurboPVT transfer system, providing onsite, real-time validation of sample quality during transfer from sampling tool to transport bottle
- Samples were restored to above reservoir pressure, to maintain their single-phase condition, and transferred via TurboPVT to transport bottles
- During transfer, fluid properties such as density, viscosity, and permittivity were monitored in the live samples, confirming volumes of gas, oil, and water in the samples
- Samples were confirmed as valid, and the operator could move on to the next well
Value to Client
- The operator was able to move on to subsequent operations, confident that they had obtained representative samples from the target zone
- Samples were transferred into lower cost transport bottles, saving on rental costs of openhole sampling tools
- Samples remained in single phase for the duration of transfer
- Initial PVT data, including pressurized density, was available onsite, allowing immediate characterization of the reservoir and reservoir fluids
- If samples had been found to be invalid, further sampling runs could be conducted with minimum delay
