Oil and Gas Production

Commercial oil production in the Republic of Belarus was first started in 1965. For now, about 122 mln.t of Belarusian Polesie subsoil oil resources have already been extracted, with large-scale discoveries way behind and productive rates reduction being only logical.
In Belarus, annual oil production rates amount to about 1.7 mln.t, with associated gas production making up over 200 mln.cub.m a year.
The maximum annual oil production rate of 7,953,600 tons was achieved by Belorusneft in 1975, major quantities coming from its biggest fields, such as Rechitskoye, Ostashkovichskoye, Vishanskoye, Yuzhno-Sosnovskoye and Yuzhno-Ostashkovichskoye. Since 1976 oil production rates had been decreasing, in 1997 stabilizing at the rate of 1,822,000t. In 2011, the planned oil production made up 1,681,470t.
Such a reduction was mainly due to oil reserves deterioration, as major fields entered its final development stage, while the resource base was for the most part replenished with small-scale discoveries of stranded reserves.

Oil Production Stabilization

It is ensured by means as follows:
– extensive implementation of workover programs for the existing well stock (waterproofing works, well stimulation, horizontal hole drilling, hydrofracturing, acid fracturing, enhancing pump units performance, introduction of production enhancement methods);
– bringing into development abandoned deposits, with special attention paid to providing for all-year-round development of high-viscosity oil deposits;
– building up a well stock (recovery of previously abandoned wells by sidetracking, drilling new wells);
– application of upgraded, innovative production equipment;
– setting up and launching reservoir pressure maintenance (RPM) systems at small-size deposits with low permeability reservoirs and application of modular group pumping stations.
In Belarus, oil production is ensured by Rechitsaneft Oil and Gas Production Department (Rechitsaneft OGPD).

As of the beginning of March 2012, there were 51 fields under development, with major fields being at their final development stage and yielding a high water cut production.
By early March 2012, the production stock comprised 729 wells, 73 of those being flush type, while the rest 656 – operated by the pumping method. The injection stock included 267 wells.
It has become more difficult to operate the stock of pumping wells due to a number of factors, which require constant search for new technologies and equipment to enhance oil production. Those factors are concerned with improving reliability of both bottom-hole and surface equipment. Due to the above, in 1997, a programme to increase cycles to failure times of subsurface equipment at pumping wells was adopted. Implementation of the programme has made it possible to increase the cycles to failure times by the end of 2011 by 1,767 days for bottom-hole pump units and by 1,818 for Electrical Submersible Pumping (ESP) Systems.
In 1997, a programme aiming at teleautomation of oil production facilities was commenced. The oil wells equipped with bottom-hole pump units (BHPU) are monitored and controlled via a telemechanics system based on System 60 controllers. The above system provides for local and remote monitoring, the latter using tracking radiocommunication channels, of bottom-hole pumping and surface equipment operating parameters, plotting of pump operation dynamometer charts and recording of other technical parameters for automatic calculation diagnostics of well production capacities, simultaneously ensuring equipment protection based on preset operating restraints.
The system ensures BHPU remote monitoring and control, enhancing operation of periodic wells, cutting back on transport expenses, energy saving, reduced well idle periods and enhanced safety of equipment.
Those wells which are fitted out with electric-centrifugal pump units (ECPU) are monitored and controlled by a telemetry system comprising submersible SKAD-3003 SCS equipment of own manufacture. The system records basic operating parameters of the submersible equipment, while the Moscad controller transmits data via a radiocommunication channel to the central station. The system provides for remote on-line monitoring of ECPU operating parameters, simultaneously ensuring automatic unit protection based on preset operating restraints.

Major oil production facilities (group metering station – GMS, packaged and modular group pumping stations – PGPS, MGPS, RPM wells and etc.) are also equipped with telemetry systems, which has provided for a significant reduction of servicing costs, prompt response to emergencies and a higher quality of production metering.
The company is introducing advanced equipment and technologies, enabling to produce oil in stranded conditions, such as multiphase ESPU, 2A and 3 dimension ESPU, simultaneous separate operation of wells from different horizons, use of composite materials for prevention of scale formation at subsurface equipment, frequency regulation for oil production enhancement.