A case study of building an integrated model of temporary underground gas storage at Verkhnechonskoye oil and gas field for gas injection control

UDK: 622.691.24

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2025-6-82-87

Key words: Verkhnechonskoye field, underground gas storage (UGS), carbonate reservoir, associated petroleum gas (APG), gas injection wells, gas compressor station (GCS), integrated model

Authors: A.N. Levanov (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center LLC, RF, Tyumen); A.S. Borger (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center LLC, RF, Tyumen); V.M. Brinster (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center LLC, RF, Tyumen); N.A. Ignatiev (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center LLC, RF, Tyumen); I.Sh. Fomenko (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center LLC, RF, Tyumen); A.T. Akhmadishin (Verkhnechonskneftegas JSC, RF, Irkutsk); E.R. Kotova (Verkhnechonskneftegas JSC, RF, Irkutsk); A.G. Zagurenko (Rosneft Oil Company, RF, Moscow)

The Verkhnechonskoye oil and gas condensate field is one of the largest fields in Eastern Siberia owned by Rosneft Oil Company. Complex logistics and significant distance from large industrial clusters regularly create complex engineering challenges to the project. One of such challenges was the task to ensure the utilization of at least 95 % of associated petroleum gas (APG) in the absence of developed gas transportation infrastructure in the region. Since the development of the main terrigenous reservoir Vch is complicated by the presence of a gas cap and, therefore, higher gas production, the most reasonable option of APG utilization was to arrange temporary underground gas storage (TUGS) in 2018 for subsequent gas extraction. This technology for injecting APG into a TUGS was used for the first time in Eastern Siberia. Further development of the project is accompanied by increasing gas production and requires expansion of the TUGS. The gas injection into the gas cap and water alternation gas generally complicate the TUGS control. As part of the TUGS project expansion, it became necessary to increase the capacity of the existing gas compressor station (GCS) and expand the network of high-pressure in-field gas pipelines. To ensure efficient management of gas injection (3 reservoirs), an integrated TUGS model was required. Integrated flow simulation models take into account all input data in a reservoir-well-surface infrastructure system and are widely used in gas production projects, but there is very little experience in building such complex models for gas injection.

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