Mayabeque, Cuba: In the Boca de Jaruco field, located in Mayabeque, the first horizontal well in flow mode launched by the Russian state company Zarubezhneft JSC started successfully to operate.
According to Cubadebate, the initial oil flow is 52 tons / day and the uniqueness of the project is associated with the complexity of the production of extra viscous oil (35 thousand mPa * s).
Boca de Jaruco is one of Zarubezhneft’s most high-tech projects. It has been implemented in conjunction with the Cuban company Cupet since 2011, and since then it has made progress in crude oil production.
Thanks to the oil enhancement technology developed jointly with the Kazan Federal University, Zarubezhneft was able to reduce the ratio of injected steam to produced oil by almost half, less than 3 th / t. This is compared to other similar projects that are being implemented in other countries.
The technology of use of catalytic aquathermolysis for in situ oil refining is protected by patent number 2717849. The results of its use appeared repeatedly in the main Russian and foreign magazines, including publications recognized as Fuel and Processes, in 2018-2020.
Sergey Kudryashov, General Director of Zarubezhneft JSC told the press that “the Boca de Jaruco project in the Republic of Cuba is an important element of the company’s strategy to maintain technological leadership in the industry, which implies the creation and development of of innovative approaches to oil production”.
“This year we have started a new stage of field operations with the launch of the first horizontal well. We continue to improve the production processes of extra viscous oil and we are focused on achieving even greater results in the future to outline new developments and technical solutions from national manufacturers, as well as equipment capable of operating in an aggressive environment and at high temperatures”, Kudryashov said.
In October 2019, the then Prime Minister of Russia Dmitri Medvedev, inaugurated the drilling work of this horizontal extraction well for the recovery of heavy crude oil that has this deposit in Boca de Jaruco, north of the province of Mayabeque.