Integrated waterflooding management system based on optimizing well operation through underground reservoirs
The article addresses the problem of water-cut management in the producing well stock of the Astrakhan gas condensate field (AGCF) under conditions of increasing water and gas factor (WGF), limited capacity for handling produced water, and the need to maintain commercial production of gas and condensate from complicated reservoir zones. Based on the analysis of actual field data, it is shown that the average annual WGF across the field in 2025 amounted to 15.41 cm³/m³, which is 10.8% lower than the 2024 level of 17.28 cm³/m³. However, the decrease in the overall indicator is mainly due to technological limitations on the intake of water by the Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant, a 39.9% reduction in associated water production, a 32% reduction in gas separation production, technical diagnostics, industrial safety assessments, repairs to wellhead heaters, replacement and repair of fountain fittings, major repairs to individual wells, as well as changes in operating modes and the transfer of some water-rich wells to the inactive fund. An approach is proposed for developing an integrated water-cut management system, including WGF monitoring, classification of the well stock by degree of water production, diagnosis of water inflow causes, forecasting of water inflow dynamics, selection of the optimal operating mode, and the use of underground storage caverns as a technological element for operating wells with a high water-gas ratio. It is proved that the introduction of an operation scheme through special technological wells (hereinafter referred to as underground tanks) can ensure the maintenance of problematic wells, involve additional gas and condensate reserves in the development, reduce the load on ground-based water preparation and utilization systems, and increase the sustainability of AGCF development.