West Hackberry Tertiary Project. Quarterly technical progress report, March 3, 1995--June 2, 1995

The goal of the West Hackberry Tertiary Project is to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of combining air injection with the Double Displacement Process for tertiary oil recovery. The Double Displacement Process is the gas displacement of a water invaded oil column for the purpose of recovering oil through gravity drainage. The novel aspect of this project is the use of air as the injection fluid. The target reservoir for the project is the Camerina C-1,2,3 Sand located on the West Flank of West Hackberry Field in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. If successful, this project will demonstrate that the use of air injection in the Double Displacement Process can economically recover oil in reservoirs where tertiary oil recovery is presently uneconomic. Air injection was initiated on November 17, 1994. During this quarter, the West Hackberry Tertiary Project completed the first six months of air injection operations. The following events are reviewed in this quarter`s technical progress report: (1) early nitrogen breakthrough seen in the Gulf Land D No. 56; (2) corrosion downhole in the air injectors and at the wellsite injection skid; (3) fill in the Watkins No. 16 air injection well; (4) temperature logs run in air injectors(after 24 hours of shut-in); (5) substantial air compressor down time; and (6) official startup ceremony and technology transfer activities