Rejuvenating a Development Strategy for Low-Resistivity Pay Formation in UAE Onshore Oil Field: Restoring Performance and Improving Reservoir Health

Abstract Redevelopment of mature oil fields is crucial as operators face declining production, pressure depletion, and sweep inefficiencies. Traditional recovery methods often fall short, prompting the need for innovative, cost-effective solutions to extend field life and unlock bypassed reserves. Field redevelopment enhances reservoir management and supports long-term recovery without major infrastructure changes. This work focuses on redeveloping Reservoir-X, a mature onshore oil field in the UAE, aiming to restore production, improve sweep efficiency, and address pressure sink zones. The redevelopment strategy integrated advanced reservoir characterization, dynamic simulation, and performance diagnostics to identify pressure sink zones and areas of poor sweep efficiency. New-generation logging tools for low-resistivity pay formations enhanced reservoir description and improved pay zone identification. A pattern-based water injection system was developed to optimize injector producer alignment and spacing, validated through simulation modeling accounting for reservoir heterogeneities. Digital dashboards and real-time monitoring systems were implemented to track well performance and injection efficiency, enabling proactive management and continuous optimization. Additionally, future deployment of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques, including miscible WAG and Disperse Particle Gel (DPG) technologies, was investigated. The shift from peripheral to pattern-based water injection delivered measurable improvements in reservoir performance. Both areal and vertical sweep efficiencies showed significant enhancement, resulting in more uniform fluid displacement and reduced bypassed oil. Pressure support was effectively restored across previously depleted and underperforming areas, revitalizing overall reservoir energy. Dynamic simulation results demonstrated a substantial uplift in recovery factors, attributed to improved volumetric sweep and a more balanced reservoir pressure profile. These advancements enabled the field to meet its production targets, while simultaneously extending the productive life of the asset. Reservoir health was restored and estimated ultimate oil recovery increased by more than 10%, optimizing long-term field performance. Additionally, the strategic optimization of existing infrastructure minimized capital and operational expenditures, making the redevelopment approach both technically robust and economically attractive. Future Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) opportunities were evaluated, including Miscible Gas Injection and Disperse Particle Gel (DPG) technologies, with the goal of increasing the recovery factor by an additional 5%, sustaining the production plateau, and achieving a positive net present value (NPV). This redevelopment of Reservoir-X presents a novel application of pattern-based injection in a mature, low-resistivity reservoir, using existing infrastructure to improve VRR, sweep efficiency and reservoir health. The integration of advanced logging tools and digital monitoring systems enabled precise reservoir management without major infrastructure expansion. This cost-effective, scalable approach sets a practical model for similar mature field redevelopment efforts.