yemen technology

Rugged terrain in the remote southern Rub al Khaliis made acquiring high quality seismic data difficult. High sand dunes, huge canyons 1,000 feet deep and rock-strewn deserts made processing and interpreting seismic data difficult. Low velocity surface layers, wide dispersal of seismic energy, poor signal-to-noise ratios generated from numerous canyon walls, and fault shadow velocity anomalies overlaying many of the tilted fault block culminations proved particularly challenging.

In 1996, Occidental geoscientists initiated state-of-the-art geo-cellular reserve modeling and ECLIPSE flow simulation studies in establishing development well locations. As a result, new intervals of sandstone reservoir were found and developed, and fractured basement rocks were also added to the area's producing horizons at Sunah. Once optimum well locations were determined, horizontal drilling techniques were used to produce 10 to 20 times more than normal vertical wells.

The additional challenge of efficiently handling large volumes of associated produced water, because of a strong regional acquifer, was overcome by using artificial lift from electronic submersible pumps and water separating mechanisms called hydro-cyclones. All of the produced water is re-injected, mostly into the Qishn S2 or S3 reservoirs, with a small volume of water injected into other producing reservoirs for pressure maintenance.

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