Petroleum Engineering: Formation Damage

Operations Integrity Management System
Document Tittle: Formation Damage Module

Private & Confidential 1
Document Code : OS-HPST- D010
Issue No: 01 Revision Date:
Page 1 of 1
Revision No: 01 20st Oct 2015
Formation Damage
Prepared by: Husam Helou Reviewed by: Suriya Lertpun Approved by: Martin McCaffrey
th
Rev No: 01 Issued date: 15 Oct 2015 Controlled copy online
Formation Damage Characterization
• Fines Migration • Induced Particles

• Swelling Clays – Solids
• Scale Deposits – LCM/Kill Fluids
• Organic Deposits – Precipitates
– Paraffins • Oil Based Mud
– Asphaltenes • Emulsion Block
• Mixed Deposits • Wettability Changes
• Bacteria • Water Block
Rev No: 01 Issued date: 15th Oct 2015 Controlled copy online
Silt and Clays = Fines Private & Confidential 3
• Origins
– Drilling fluid invasion
– Destabilized clays & silica fines existing in the formation
– High production rate entrains particles and causes
bridging & pore pluging
– Clay swelling
• Potential problems
– Permeability Reduction
• Indicators of particle migration
– Produced water may be turbid
– Production decline increases with increasing flow rate.
– Clays and silica fines are insoluble in HCl.
Migrating Clays: Kaolinite
Swelling Clays: Smectite
Fines Migration
fines: V
Scales
Inorganic
organic
Diagnostics
Inorganic oilfield scales
ROCK SALT NaCl
CARBONATES CaCO3
FeCO3
BaCO3 RaCO3
PbCO3 Pb3(OH)2(CO3)2
SULPHATES CaSO4 CaSO4.2H2O
SrSO4
BaSO4 RaSO4
PbSO4
SULPHIDES Sx
FeSx
ZnS
PbS
OXIDES etc. Fe2O3 FeOOH Fe3O4
SiO2
OTHERS CaF2
CaSiO3, LiSiO3
Pb Pb(OH)Cl
FePO4
Ca-phosphonate
Mixtures of the above, and probably many more…

Scale Formation
• Super Saturation of Minerals
 Solubility (PVT) Change
 All scales solubility increases with increasing pressure
 NaCl & BaSO4 increases with increasing temperature
 Calcium scales decreases with increasing temperature
 Evaporation
 Induced by increasing GLR near wellbore
 pH Change
 CO2 loss increases water pH (Carbonate, Sulfides,
Hydroxides)
 H2S induces Iron Sulfides
• Mixing of incompatible Waters
 Multi-Zone Commingled production
 Injection water breakthrough
The Scaling Process
Dissolution
Mineral matter
dissolves in water
Transportation
Produced water carries
minerals through formation
wellbore and tubing
Deposition
Changes in water causes
super-saturation and precipitation.
Scale adheres and grows
Solubility of Various Minerals in water Private & Confidential 18
Scale Solubility mg/liter

Sodium Chloride 318,300.0
Calcium Sulfate 2,080.0
Calcium Carbonate 53.0
Barium Sulfate 2.3
(in Distilled Water)
Iron Scales Private & Confidential 19
• Types
– Iron Carbonate (compact brown or black, soluble in HCl)
– Iron Sulfide (Compact black, soluble with HCL with H2S)
– Iron Oxide (Compact brown, soluble in hot HCl)
• Precipitation mechanism
– Aeration (oxidation)
– pH, pressure or temperature change
– Corrosion products
Sources of Dissolved Iron Private & Confidential 20
• Iron scales
• Formation minerals
• Acid corrosion of steel
• Contaminated acid
Contaminated Acid Private & Confidential 24
• Fe levels in contaminated acid can exceed 3000ppm

• Acid delivered by service companies generally contains < 180 ppm
• Contamination occurs when acid is transferred to dirty storage tanks.
General Private & Confidential 25
• Most recovered spent acid is greenish; not a problem as this is the color of
the soluble Fe2+ species
• If recovered spent acid is reddish, indicative of downhole problem
• Note: greenish samples will turn red & or precipitates will form upon
standing due to oxidation at surface
Iron Precipitation Private & Confidential 26
• Fe+3 precipitates as Fe(OH)3 at pH » 2

• Fe+2 precipitates as Fe(OH)2 at pH » 7
• Normal pH of spent acid » 5
Paraffins Private & Confidential 28
• Linear or branched-chain saturated aliphatic

hydrocarbons
– C20H42 to C60H122
• Cloud point: temperature at which first fraction

precipitates
• Pour point: temperature at which fluid gels
Paraffin Related Production Loss Private & Confidential 29
• Temperature
• Ratio of solvent to solute
• Pressure exerted on the
solution
• Amount of gas in solution
• Presence of water, sand and
other organic compounds
• Action of resins and
asphaltenes
• Surface roughness
Asphalt Tars Private & Confidential 30
• Aggregate of condensed polycycllic aromatic ring
• Molecular weight
– 6 to 20 aromatic rings
– Specific gravity = 1.2
• Black, sticky to hard solid
• Colloidally dispersed in crude oils
• Burns with black sooty flame
Asphaltene
Micelle
Factors Governing Asphaltene Deposition Private & Confidential 31
• Solubility and deposition

• Low molecular-weight
solvents
• Low surface tension organic
liquids
• Iron contamination
• pH effects
• Pressure
• Addition of paraffinic crudes
acid • Injection of cold fluids or hot
oiling
• Flow through porous media
Characteristics of Organic Deposits Private & Confidential 32
• Organic deposits are precipitated heavy hydrocarbons.
• Paraffins
– Precipitate upon cooling and pressure reduction.
– Waxy, may be tacky or brittle.
– Burn with a clean flame
– Soluble in aromatic solvents (Xylene, Toluene).
• Asphaltenes
– Destabilized by drastic temperature changes, low pH or
high pH fluids and Ferric ions.
– Black sticky-to-hard solid or slushy mass.
– Burn with a black, sooty flame.
– Soluble in aromatic solvents (Xylene, Toluene).
Drilling Damage Private & Confidential 34
• Filter cake should prevent
extensive damage to formation
during drilling
Filter cake Formation
• Low permeability (~ 0.001md)
filter cake may be damaging
during production
– formation permeability may
be impaired
– potential plugging of screen/
gravel pack
• Openhole completions do not
have perforations or fractures to
bypass any damage
• Filter cake removal maybe a RDF (STARDRILL) Filter Cake
necessity!
Drilling
• Drilling Mud Solids • Oil Based Muds
– Particle Size vs. Pore
Size/Fissures – High Solids Oil
– Filtration
– Invasion/Relative
– Poor Mud Cake
– Overbalance Permeability
• Drilling Mud Filtrate – Cationic Emulsifiers
– Formation Sensitivity (pH,
salinity, scale)
– High Penetration
Capillarity
– Fines Dispersion
– Additive Residues
– Cooling
Cementing Private & Confidential 36
• Washes & spacers

– Destroy mud cake
– Dispersants
– Filtrate invasion inches
• Cement slurries
– High pH
– Precipitation CaCO3
– Free H2O water block
• Squeeze
– Formation breakdown
(limited invasion due to time and fluid composition effects)
Perforations Private & Confidential 37
• Debris
• Compacted Zone
Radial Distance (mm)
Completion/Workover Fluids
• Suspended Solids • Fluid Loss Control
– Polymer Residue
– Formation Sensitivity
– Clays
– Wettability
– Scales
Bacteria/Slime Private & Confidential 39
• Water injection wells
• Enhanced downhole growth
• EOR
• Fracturing with polysaccharide gels w/o bacteriacides
Stimulation
• Wellbore cleanup/invasion • Emulsions
• Poor iron control • Deconsolidation
• Surfactant effects • Secondary precipitation
• Sludges • Clay dispersion
Injection
Flow Back
Emulsion Private & Confidential 41
• A stable dispersion of two immiscible fluids.

• Formed by invasion of filtrates into all zones or co-
mixing of oil-based filtrates with formation brines.
• Stabilized by fines and surfactants
• Treatment: Mutual Solvents
Wettability Private & Confidential 42
• Completion or workover fluids.

water wet oil wet
Water Block Private & Confidential 43
• A reduction in effective or
relative permeability to oil
1 1
due to increased water
Water Wet
saturation in the near Oil Wet
wellbore region. Kro
Kro Krw
• Favored by pore-lining Krw
clay minerals (Illite)

• Treatment Þ Reduction of
interfacial tension using
0
surfactants/alcohol's in
0 Swc 1-Sor 1
acid carrier Sw
Production Private & Confidential 44
• Fines Migration/Bridging
High
Drawdown
• Precipitation Scale, Paraffins..
• Increased Effective Stress
• In Situ Distillation/Wettability Changes
Damage Removal and Prevention
Treatment Objectives Private & Confidential 46
• Clean production equipment and tubing.
• Remove near wellbore scale and organic deposits.
• Create high conductivity dissolution channels.
Wax/Asphaltene Deposit Removal Private & Confidential 47
• Mechanical
– Pigs
– Scrapers
• Chemical solvent soaks
– Aromatics
• Xylene S291, Toluene S290
Tubing Scale Removal: Solutions Private & Confidential 48
• Chemical wash or jetting
– Soluble deposits only. Simple and
Milling of scale
effective on CaCO3 scale and paraffin; with a PDM and
ineffective on inert scale (BaSO4). specialty mill
• Water jetting Process hard on mills

and does not allow
– Soft scale or fill only. Not effective on for various ID’s and
medium hard or hard scale. jewelry.
• Milling and impact drills

– Effective on medium hard scale,
cement and bridges. Mills can Often no effective
damage tubing. treatment for scales.
Pulling completion is
• Replacing completion result.
– Requires workover rig. Tubulars
cleaned through Ultra HP Jetting
(20,000 psi) in special shops.
Calcium Carbonate Private & Confidential 49
• Treatment design for removal of Calcium Carbonate Scale

– HCl is the best fluid to dissolve calcium carbonate scale
Calcium Sulfate Private & Confidential 50
• Chelation Treatment
• A proposed treatment could be as follows
1. Aromatic Solvent (Xylene) to remove organic deposits and
expose scale to treatment
2. EDTA S261 (lab testing required): High temperature, long
soaking time, replenishment
3. HCl to remove residuals
Barium or Strontium Sulfate Private & Confidential 51
• Try Chelating Agents: Hot and long soak time
• Possibly Drilling is the best option
Iron Scale Removal
HCl + Surfactant+ S261 (Chelating) + S265 (Reducing
agent)
 Magnetite
Fe3O4 + 8HCl 2FeCl3 + FeCl2 + 4H2O
343 gal HCL 15% dissolves one ft3
 Hermatite
Fe2O3 + 6HCl 2FeCl3 + 3H2O
399 gal HCl 15% dissolves one ft3
 Iron Sulfide (must also control corrosion and H2S)
FeS + 2HCl FeCl3 + H2S
180 gal HCL 15% dissolves one ft3
Use S320 H2S scavenger and S265 Reducing Iron
Control
Tubing Pickling
- Small volume of Acid is displaced down the tubing and then
reversed out (10-20 bbl)
- Don’t squeeze tubing pickle in formation
- Acid should contain S261 chelating Agent , S265 (reducing
Agent) and S320 (H2S scavenger)
Performance of Various IC Agents
9
mg/L Fe in Solution x
8
7
6
Erythorbic Acid (S265)
1,000
5
2,400 mg/L
4
3
2 Citric Acid
4,800 mg/L
1
Tetrasodium EDTA (S261)
0
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450
Temperature (°F)
54
OiLSERV Products Private & Confidential 55
• Summary of OiLSERV Products for Scale Removal

– HCl
– Acetic Acids S212
– Formic Acid S211
– Chelating Agents S260, S265
Emulsion Breaking & Removal Private & Confidential 56
Water Outside Phase Oil Outside Phase
Mutual Solvent S282

Methanol Mutual Solvent S282
Mix of Aromatic and

Mutual Solvenet
Wettability Modification Private & Confidential 57
• Mutual solvents – S282

• Surfactant S281
Water Block Private & Confidential 58
• Treat with Alcohols and Mutual Solvents

– Methanol
– S282 Mutual Solvent
– Combination
• Non Aqueous Acetic Acid can be used as Acetic acid will absorb the water
and reduce the block
Drilling Mud and Polymer Damage Removal
• Treatment fluids to target filter cake

– HCL to dissolve calcium carbonate
– HCL to break polymers (Starch and XC)
• Low corrosive chemicals
– Long contact times will ensure uniform dissolution:
• Oxidizers
• Acetic Acid S212
• Chelating Agents S261
• Enzyme (for low temperatures below 200 deg F)
• Use Coiled Tubing and Rotating jetting tool when
possible
Formation Damage Summary Private & Confidential 60
• Identify formation damage type
– Source
– Location
• Develop a treatment strategy
– Wellbore cleaning
• Mechanical
• Chemical soak
– Damage removal (matrix)
– Damage bypass (fracturing)
• Design treatment
– Optimize volume
– Use appropriate placement techniques
– Allow sufficient contact time
QUIZ Private & Confidential 61
1- What are the main types of Damage?
A: Fines, emulsion, organic deposits, scales, mud
damage, Perforation damage, Cement,
completion fluid, wettability, water block
2- What are the main types of organic deposits,
treatment?
A: Paraffin, Asphaltines. Aromatic Solvents
3- How to dissolve Calcium Carbonate scale
A: Calcium carbonate is soluble in HCl

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Operations Integrity Management System

Document Tittle: Formation Damage Module

• Fines Migration • Induced Particles

Mixtures of the above, and probably many more…

Scale Solubility mg/liter

(in Distilled Water)

• Fe levels in contaminated acid can exceed 3000ppm

• Fe+3 precipitates as Fe(OH)3 at pH » 2

• Linear or branched-chain saturated aliphatic

• Cloud point: temperature at which first fraction

• Solubility and deposition

• Washes & spacers

Radial Distance (mm)

• A stable dispersion of two immiscible fluids.

• Completion or workover fluids.

clay minerals (Illite)

• Increased Effective Stress

• In Situ Distillation/Wettability Changes

• Water jetting Process hard on mills

• Milling and impact drills

• Treatment design for removal of Calcium Carbonate Scale

• Try Chelating Agents: Hot and long soak time

• Possibly Drilling is the best option

• Summary of OiLSERV Products for Scale Removal

Water Outside Phase Oil Outside Phase

Mutual Solvent S282

Mix of Aromatic and

• Mutual solvents – S282

• Treat with Alcohols and Mutual Solvents

• Treatment fluids to target filter cake

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