Wietze Laboratory

Based on three main faunal and floral groups, microfossils, calcareous nannofossils and palynomorphs, our biostratigraphic services cover a wide range of depositional environments from terrestrial to deep water:

Typical solutions:

• Geological age dating including on-site support for, e.g., drilling activities

• Refined biostratigraphic zonation and correlation linked to sequence stratigraphy

• Interpretation of paleoenvironment

In addition, we identify kerogen types and their thermal maturation.

Our Sedimentology group offers a broad range of analytical services at nano-, micro- and macroscale. This includes optical inspection of rocks, grains and pore space as well as decomposition of mineralogy and chemical elements.

Petrophysical routine core analysis supports the sedimentological interpretation to be utilised in further subsurface studies as calibration data for geophysical logs and input data for reservoir modelling. With respect to SCAL measurements, we cooperate with qualified partner labs.

Typical solutions:

• Identification of depositional environment and sediment source areas

• Interpretation of extension, geometry and structural set-up of sedimentary complexes

• Litho stratigraphic, chemo stratigraphic, sequence stratigraphic and core/log correlations

• Description of diagenetic alterations of sediment complexes through space and time

• Mapping of Gross Depositional Environments (GDE) and Common Risk Segments (CRS)

Our geologists and technicians assist in core sampling and treatment, either on-site or in our core archive. Upon request any core stored in our archive can be laid out for our customers within a short notice period. This allows quick access to the cores with competent scientists available on-site for technical support and discussion. Alternatively, any core can be inspected by our lab staff upon request and on short notice.

A multitude of chemistry related aspects specific for the production of oil and gas is addressed by this group. One of the three main areas of activity is the quality control and optimisation of the oil, gas and water treatment processes, the selection and optimised application of oil field chemicals and also control of bacteria. The second area is the prevention and mitigation of near-wellbore damage in wells including all types of well stimulation. The third area is flow assurance with regard to scale, waxes, emulsions, hydrates and bacteria.

A thorough knowledge of PVT issues, scale and corrosion potential is underpinned with dedicated theoretical and empirical software tools, which are deployed to find the optimal solutions and to prevent problems before they occur.

Our drilling fluid and cement lab provides the basis for cost-effective selection of appropriate third party products, root cause analysis of drilling problems as well as quality control of formulations and procedures, e.g., by

• Verifying the quality of drilling fluids and their additives as well as their compatibility with formations under HPHT conditions,

• Measuring chemical and mechanical properties of cement slurries and kinetics of hardening cement,

• Optimising cement spacers.

Corrosion is a wide-spread phenomenon in E&P hampering smooth operations and causing high costs for equipment, maintenance and inspection. Our corrosion lab is equipped with a variety of characterisation and testing methods. These apply to detailed root-cause corrosion and failure analyses as well as material and inhibitor testing.

References from material and corrosion science as well as synergies with chemistry ensure cost-effective and customized solutions for corrosion mitigation. These include measures for corrosion protection and monitoring, design and service recommendations as well as material, inhibitor and biocide selection. Over and above, technical support in negotiations and claims to third parties is provided.

The Wietze Lab has a long tradition of chemical EOR projects, dating back into the 1980s. Based on these references, we investigate the technical and economic feasibility of EOR applications within our production. Particular focus is on polymer flooding and chemical water shut-off.

A typical work program for screening an EOR application comprises, e.g.,

• compilation of the relevant reservoir key data,

• characterisation of reservoir fluids,

• verification of rheological parameters and surface tension of chemicals at reservoir conditions,

• evaluation of long-term and aging effects, and

• core flood tests under ambient and reservoir temperature to quantify adsorption and permeability effects.

These results are compiled into relevant parameters for production enhancement, reserve increase and economic evaluation.

Flood experiments for different purposes are carried out as well.