September 2014 - Volume 9 Issue 7

AER: Stay in Zone

Reactionary

Programmer Spotlight

AER: Stay in Zone
Watch that Abandoned Well



That abandoned well nearby may stop you from injecting. Even if it’s not owned by you.

Reacting to recent steam leaks to surface, the AER has begun watching for injection containment problems in water floods, disposal wells, SAGD and CSS projects.

The AER now requires applicants of ER Schemes to assess abandoned wells in their area. They also require notification of abandoned well owners.

This is just one change from the new version of the AER’s Direction 065 released last month.

The concern with migration out of zone is three fold. The AER doesn’t want any contamination of ground water. They want injection contained in the intended formation. They don’t want any migration of injection fluid to surface.

The regulator has also become much more interested in operator’s opinions about potential steam and fluid leaks out of zone.

Although SAGD operators have been required to assess abandoned wells within their scheme for several years, the AER is reaching new levels of scrutiny. The regulator has recently started asking SAGD applicants to review subsurface faults and their potential impact on injection performance and steam containment.

To mitigate concerns about disposing out of zone, the AER has even changed their assignment conventions. They are changing the disposal scheme owner automatically when well licences are transferred. This way they hope to keep on top of disposal wells and keep accountability for well head injection pressures.

~Granger J. Low
MetroPetro


Click for larger image...

Company Spotlight
Programming


Gavin Low is an Engineer in Training at Proven Reserves, and an integral part of the company’s software development effort.

Gavin has recently earned his degree in engineering from BCIT, and also has a CIT certificate from Lethbridge College.

Gavin was born in High Level, Alberta, but was raised in Calgary.

He enjoys programming, drawing and other creative projects, gaming and video game collecting, and spending time with friends.

Here at Proven, Gavin is working on water flood optimization and AER applications as well as enhancing his computer programming skills, and wants to learn more about PLC, DCS, and micro-controller systems.

Thanks, Gavin!

Event
APEGA Calgary Branch Annual Golf Tournament
Calgary, AB
4 Sep 2014
apega.ca
Technical Luncheon
Maximization of the Net Present Value of In-Situ Oil Sands Projects
Calgary, AB
10 Sep 2014
spe.org
Technical Luncheon
Countdown to an Entrepreneur
Calgary, AB
10 Sep 2014
apega.ca