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Nearly 80 per cent of all wells in Western Canada have some reported water production during the life of the well.
That means that 150,785 out of the 189,759 wells currently on production have some water to manage at some point. Some of this water can be captured and utilized for hydraulic frac treatments or EOR operations, including water and CO2 flooding. However, a large portion of this produced water is destined for a disposal well, and with only ~3,000 disposal wells across the basin, finding disposal locations and transporting water to those locations can be a challenge.
Some of the highest water cut oil wells can produce over 89,000 barrels of water over their lifetime, which requires significant logistics effort dedicated to managing trucking, treatment, pipelines and facilities.
A single very high-capacity water disposal well can store over 500,000 bbls over its lifetime. However, the distance to these disposal wells can be significant. This logistical challenge is also exacerbated by available supply, as demand for access to the disposal capacity of these wells can exceed available volumes and rates.
Visualizing the landscape of water production and disposal wells alongside roads, facilities and pipelines is the first step in planning the complex management required for water treatment and disposal. Fluid analysis reports and fracturing fluid chemistry can all help plan the requirements within the context of the infrastructure, the operational challenges, and needs for specific areas and operators.
Rhonda Gravel is a Senior Technical Advisor, Drilling and Completions at geoLOGIC systems ltd.
