Scale Control Overview

Scale Services
Overview
Reasons for Scale Control
Causes of Scale
Formation
Candidate Identification
Contents
Overview
Causes of Scale Formation

Initials
Impact of Scale
% of each factor on production
decline
44%
28%
20%
Scale
Initials
8%
Natural Decline
North Sea
Example
1996 - 130M
BOPD
Lift
Water Cut Rise
1997 - 65M BOPD
Scales
Hard inorganic crystals (~ 3 4 mhos)
Slightly less than steel (5 mhos)
Diamond, 9 mhos
Variable crystal size

Microns to centimeters
Produced form aqueous solutions

Soluble in specially formulated
solutions
Initials
Most Common Types

Calcite (CaCO3)
Formed due to the presence of calcium
ions and bicarbonate ions in the
produced water
Pressure changes may cause
precipitation
Barite (BaSO4)
Generally formed when there is coproduction of formation water (Ba2+)
and injection water (SO4-)

Barite
Anhydrite
Initials
Contents
Overview

Initials
Reason for Scale Control: Matrix

Damage
Scale deposition restricts flow
Scale reduces matrix
permeability
Complete scaling of pore throat

not likely; however,
Small quantity of scale large

loss in permeability
Large loss in permeability
Initials significant reduction in
productivity
Scale
Pore system - Flowpath
Hydrocarbon flow through

water-saturated matrix
Reason for Scale Control: Tubing

Damage
Tubing ID Restriction
Constrained production
Often layered with scale, wax,
asphaltene, etc.
Completion components
blocked with scale
Gas Lift Mandrels
SSSV
Nipples
Corrosion under scale

deposition
Bacterial / H2S
Pitting
Loss of steel integrity
8
Initials
Scale Deposition in Tubing

FeS - Layer
BaS04 Layer
Under-deposit Corrosion
Asphaltene layer
H2S Pitting Corrosion
CaC03 layer
Wax Layer
Note : Actual Scale may have all or just some of these
layers
Reason for Scale Control: Injector

Wells
Injection water
Typically caused by T-activated

autoscaling of the injected
water
Scale damage located in the
NWB region of the injection well
Reduction in Kf
Reduction in the effectiveness

of the waterflood strategy
Initials
SCALE DAMAGED ZONE
Reason for Scale Control: Surface

Process
Gas
Reduction in tubing ID
Under-deposit corrosion
Reduction in process
system volume/ residence
time
Increased oil-in-water
values
Blocking of water lines

Reduction in efficiency of
heat exchangers
Damage to valves/ valve

10 seats
Initials
Reduction in effectiveness
Oil
Oily
Water
Oil
Produced
Fluids
Water
Disposal
Injectio
n
Location for potential scale

deposition
Contents
Overview

11 Initials
Cause of Scale Formation:

Autoscaling
View of a perforation throat
Pressure drop over NWB matrix

4 feet
Precipitation
produces further
pressure drop,
leading to
further
precipitation
12 Initials
Ca2+ + 2HC03
CO2
Ca+
Pressure drop causes CO2 to break out of solution

causing precipitation of calcium carbonate scale
Solubility of Various Minerals

Solubility Comparison
Scale
Solubility in distilled
water (mg/l)
Sodium Chloride
318,300.0
Calcium Sulfate
2,080.0
Calcium Carbonate
53.0
Barium Sulfate
2.3
Exceed solubility mineral may precipitate
Below solubility potentially dissolve more

mineral
13 Initials
Mechanism of Scale Precipitation

Nucleation and Growth (two step process)
Ba2+ + SO42- = BaSO4
Super-saturation
Ba2+
SO4
Ion pairs
Clusters / Nuclei
Ba2+ SO4
Transient Stability
Ba2+ SO4
2
14
Further growth at sites of

Initials
crystal imperfections
Imperfect Crystallites
Cause of Scale Formation: Mixed

Water
BaSO occurs where mixing of
4
incompatible water co-mingle

CaCO3 occurs where Ca2+ and
HCO3- exceed the solubility
product
Increased by draw down and psi
drop
SW
Scale can occur

in the NWB matrix
4 feet - Skin zone
and/ or the production tubular
Injected Seawater
Scale
Scales from Mixing

SW
HCO3
SO4
Ca
CaCO3
CaS04
Ba
BaSO4
Sr
SrS04
FW
15 Initials
Formation Water
FW
Cause of Scale Formation:

Evaporation
Evaporation of water into an expanding gas, as
the gas bubble travels to surface
Salt precipitates from the solution
Major problem in HTHP gas wells
Serious problem with NaCl saturated formation
waters
Serious but uncommon source of scale

Inhibited by saturating the gas bubble with water
at the point of entry into the wellbore
16 Initials
Contents
Overview

17 Initials
Production & Treatment History
Production Histories
Treatment Histories
Diagnosing a Scale Problem

Log Responses (Production,
Caliper, Gamma ray)
Scale Samples
Water Samples
18 Initials
Diagnostics Production History
19 Initials
Log
Responses
Caliper
Run in production
tubing
Detects the presence
and position of scale
Measure changes in
tubing ID
Gamma Ray
Detects the presence
of barite Naturally
Occurring Radioactive
Material (NORM)
20 Initials
Water Analysis
Brine Composition of Two Different Waters
21 Initials
Ion Species
Formation Water
(ppm)
Injection Sea Water

(ppm)
Sodium
31,275
10,890
Potassium
654
460
Magnesium
379
1,368
Barium
269
Strontium
771
Sulfate
2,960
Chloride
60,412
19,766
Calcium
5,038
428
Summary of Required Data
Water analysis formation and injection

Carbonate and bicarbonate analysis
Density and pH of any fluid
BHT and BHP
Composition of any gas phase
Scale samples and scale source
Formation mineralogy
Production history
22 Initials

Scale Control Overview

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Scale Services

Causes of Scale Formation

Water Cut Rise

1997 - 65M BOPD

Variable crystal size

Produced form aqueous solutions

Most Common Types

and injection water (SO4-)

Causes of Scale Formation

Reason for Scale Control: Matrix

Complete scaling of pore throat

Small quantity of scale large

Pore system - Flowpath

Hydrocarbon flow through

Reason for Scale Control: Tubing

Corrosion under scale

Scale Deposition in Tubing

Reason for Scale Control: Injector

Typically caused by T-activated

Reduction in the effectiveness

SCALE DAMAGED ZONE

Reason for Scale Control: Surface

Blocking of water lines

Damage to valves/ valve

Location for potential scale

Causes of Scale Formation

Cause of Scale Formation:

Pressure drop over NWB matrix

Pressure drop causes CO2 to break out of solution

Solubility of Various Minerals

Exceed solubility mineral may precipitate

Below solubility potentially dissolve more

Mechanism of Scale Precipitation

Further growth at sites of

Cause of Scale Formation: Mixed

incompatible water co-mingle

Scale can occur

Scales from Mixing

Cause of Scale Formation:

Serious but uncommon source of scale

Causes of Scale Formation

Diagnosing a Scale Problem

Diagnostics Production History

Injection Sea Water

Summary of Required Data

Water analysis formation and injection

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