Conceptual illustration of Pragma’s Downhole Steam Injection Valve
Pragma has
been given the green light by Pharis Energy and OGTC to progress with the manufacture
and prototype testing of their Downhole Steam Injection Valve (‘DSIV’)
following a successful feasibility study.
Using advanced
materials, detailed fluid design and innovative engineering features to
maximise reliability for extreme downhole conditions, the surface controlled DSIV
will be the first steam injection valve available on the market to meet UK
safety regulations. The valve will be rated to withstand the extreme downhole
conditions required for continuous high-pressure steam injection, and will
operate at temperatures of up to 343 degrees Celsius.
Owing to Pragma’s
surface controlled design, the DSIV technology will also be able to be used in other
extreme high temperature developments around the world. These could include production
or geothermal wells, providing the DSIV with considerable applications and
advantages for a wider market. The production safety valve variant (the Extreme
Temperature Safety Valve (‘ETSV’) also incorporates ESP cable bypass capability
which will allow the installation of downhole pumps.
The DSIV is a key
enabling technology for the implementation of offshore steam-flood and Pharis
will use the DSIV valves to protect well integrity, as the company progresses a
steam assisted, phased development of the Pilot field, which lies in UKCS block
21/27a. This project will start with a steam-flood trial injecting up to 36,000
bcwe/day (barrels of cold water equivalent) of steam into the southern part of
the Pilot field. The full scale steam-flood is aiming for approximately 50% recovery
(over 120 mmbbls), about three times as much oil as would be expected to be
recovered using the standard cold water-flood techniques used in most North Sea
heavy oil projects to date.
Steve Brown, CEO of
Pharis, said: “We are delighted with the innovative and collaborative progress
being made in developing this new valve technology. Applying steam-flooding
technology in the UKCS has the potential to unlock an additional four billion
barrels of otherwise stranded reserves from the shallow heavy oil fields that have
already been discovered in the basin. Steam-flooding has the potential to transform
the economic prospects of a number of marginal fields, attract new investment
to the basin and stimulate exploration of previously neglected plays. The
creation of a thoroughly tested and appropriately rated safety valve is
critical to enable these operations to commence, and for steam-based recovery
techniques to make their contribution to maximising economic recovery from the
UKCS.”
Gary Smart, CEO of
Pragma, added: "The successful results of the feasibility study were very
much in line with our expectations and we are now looking forward to
progressing quickly with the prototyping phase. Our technology can withstand
extremes of temperatures because it uses premium corrosion
resistant materials and full metal to metal seals for reliable function over
the life of the well. This sets it apart as the only valve of its type on the
market with these capabilities.
“This innovative product reflects Pragma’s vision of delivering advanced
technology to enable increased production with lower uplift cost. The roll-out
possibilities of the technology for steam-flood, high temperature and indeed
many other types of production wells are incredibly exciting.”