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Reservoir Stimulation PDF
Reservoir Stimulation PDF
What is fracturing?
What is acidizing?
WHAT IS A PROBLEM WELL?
A problem well can be identified by the following indicators:
Low oil and gas production
High Gas-Oil-Ratio(GOR)
High water-cut
Low reservoir permeability
Limited production rate
Low reservoir pressure
Sand production
High Viscosity oil
Mechanical problems
Etc…
LIMITED PRODUCING RATE
Limited producing rate may be the result of:
1. Low reservoir permeability
2. Low reservoir pressure for depth
3. Formation Damage
4. Wellbore or tubing plugging
5. High viscosity oil
6. Excessive back pressure on formation
LOW RESERVOIR PERMEABILITY
Low reservoir permeability may be an overall reservoir characteristic, or it
may be limited to a specific area.
If low permeability has been proved as a cause of limited production, the
problem should be considered along with other possible causes of low
production.
Characteristically, in a low permeability reservoir, well productivity
declines rapidly as fluids near the wellbore are produced.
When available geologic and reservoir data do not readily prove low
reservoir permeability, production tests and buildup tests may aid in
differentiating between low permeability and formation damage.
For a pressure buildup and drawdown test to be valid as a diagnostic
tool, it is usually nessecary to determine whether all layered, porous zones
selected for production are actually in communication with this wellbore.
FORMATION DAMAGE
Formation damage can be defined as
any impairement of well productivity or
injectivity due to plugging within the
wellbore, or in fractures communicating
with the wellbore.
Formation damage is caused by the
invasion of foreign fluids and/or solids into
the exposed section adjacent to the
wellbore. Generally the drilling mud is the
main source of such contaminants. Fluids
used in stimulation treatment (acidizing,
hydraulic fracturing, etc…)may also have
some undesirable effects.
One of the fonctions of the drilling mud is
to control subsurface formation pressure,
to achieve that function, the mud column
in the well must exert a pressure greater
than the formation pressure which will
force mud filtrate to enter the surrounding
formation.
FORMATION DAMAGE
The consequence of liquid invasion can
include:
- Clay swelling
- Permeability impairement,
- Emulsification with formation fluids,
resulting in highly viscous mixtures,
cappilary blocking,
- Pecipitation with solids,
- Reduction of the relative
permeability to gas due to the
presence of a third immiscible fluid
- Reduction of relative permeability to
oil due to an increased irreducible
water saturation
FORMATION DAMAGE
Solid invasion can also be a source of
formation damage with the following
consequences:
- Plugging of internal pores by solid
particles
- Reduction of effective pore radius
with consequent increase in
intersticial water content and
reduction in effective permeability
to oil or gas,
FORMATION DAMAGE
Formation damage can be defined as any impairement of well productivity
or injectivity due to plugging within the wellbore, or in fractures
communicating with the wellbore.
= , ( − + , ) ---- eq 1
∅ ²
Where = , ---- eq 2
Where p1hr is the value of pws at shut in time ∆t of 1 hour on the middle time line of
its extrapolation.
The interpretation of a given numerical value of the skin factor can be
summarized as follows:
- A positive skin factor indicates a flow restriction; the larger the skin factor, the
more severe the restriction.
- A negative skin factor indicates stimulation; the larger the absolute value the
skin factor, the more effective the skin factor.
EXERCICE 1– SKIN FACTOR
An oil well was tested during a 96hr drawdown, given the data below calculate
the permeability and skin effect. What can you conclude?
qo = 33 STB/d, = , , Bo = 1,05 res bbl/STB, h = 62 ft, rw = 6 in, ct = 6x10-5 psi-1,
Ø = 0,31, pi = 1255 psi, p1hr = 1151 psi, slope of the correct straight line = 10
psi/cycle
4400
pws in psi
4100
4000
3900
3800
3700
3600
100 000 10 000 1 000 100
(tp + ∆t)/∆t
PLUGGING OF TUBING, WELLBORE AND PERFORATIONS
Tubing plugging may be caused by:
- gravel pack,
- fines,
- mud,
- paraffin,
- asphalt scale,
- gun debris,
- or other junks and
- collapsed tubing or casing
HIGH VISCOSITY OIL
High viscosity oil may be normal for a particular reservoir. If the reservoir is
being produced by disolved gas drive, oil viscosity will increase somewhat as
gas is released from the oil.
If well producing problems are due to high viscosity water-in-oil
emulsions in or near the wellbore, it may be economical to either break or
invert the emulsion with surfactants to lower viscosity of produced fluid.
EXERCICE 2– RESERVOIR DRAWDOWN TEST
T(hr) Pwf(psi)
0,5 1245
A reservoir was tested during a 96 hr drawdown
0,75 1240
test. Measured bottomhole pressures are listed
in the table to the right and relevant reservoir 1 1235,5
and well data are given below. 1,5 1228
2 1221
3 1207
qo = 33 STB/d, = , , Bo = 1,05 res bbl/STB, h
= 62 ft, rw = 6 in, ct = 6x10-5 psi-1, Ø = 0,31, pi = 4 1197,5
1255 psi 5 1169
7 1173
10 1159
12 1153
18 1145
24 1142
36 1136
48 1135
72 1133
96 1132
EXERCICE 2 CTND – RESERVOIR DRAWDOWN TEST
EXERCICE 2 CTND – RESERVOIR DRAWDOWN TEST
Instructions
1. Plot on a semilog paper the Bottom Hole Flowing Presssure(pwf) against
time in hours.
2. Indentify the straight line portion of the graph
3. Determine the slope of the correct straight line portion of the graph in
psi/cycle
4. Calculate the permeability of the reservoir in md using equation 1 defined
earlier
5. Extrapolate the straight line portion of the graph and determine pwf at 1hr
6. Calculate the skin factor using equation 2
7. Is there damage or enhancement?
HOMEWORK #2 – FORMATION DAMAGE
List 8 pactical preventive measures which can be taken to prevent formation
damage
EXERCICE 2 – AVERAGE PERMEABILITY
Using this equation, =
1. Nitro-shooting
2. Acidizing
3. Hydraulic Fracturing
These methods are also known as large area penetrators because their
effects extends an appreciable distance from the well.
EXERCICE
Given the data below, predict production rates at steady states for theses
ranges of permeabilities(0,01; 0,1; 1; 10) and for skin effects equal to 0 and 10.
Comment on whether the well for these cases is a candidate for fracturing or
acidizing.
= , , B = 1,1 res bbl/STB, h = 50 ft, rw = 0,328 ft,, pe = 3000 psi, k= 10md,
pwf = 1000 psi, re = 745 ft
Let’s ease our analysis by putting our results into a table
10 454 1041
1 45 104
Etching: chemical disolution of the formation rock by the action of the acid
A pad of fluid is injected into the formation at a rate higher than that
which the formation matrix will accept. When the pressure exceeds the
compressive earth stress and the rock’s tensile strength, the rock fails by
fracturing. The fracture length and width increase with continued fluid
injection. In order for the treatment to be successful, the widened fracture
must remain open after the pressure is reduced and the well is placed back
on production.
= 3σ − σ − + with σy ≥ σx
Cross-sectional view of a
propagating fracture
HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
The fracturing fluid cracks or fractures the formation and then holds it
open until the pressure is reduced. The two walls or faces of the
fracture will close or “heal” as the pressure is reduced unless the
fracture contains some particulate matter such as
rocks, sand, or other type of proppant.
PROPPING AGENTS FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
1. Strength,
2. High permeability retention of the proppant pack under
loading,
3. Cohesiveness,
4. Low cost, and
5. Chemical stability over a long period of time.
The major problem with sand, which has been the most popular
type of proppant in fracturing treatments, is that it is brittle and
tends to crush under high loads. Fines broken off the sand can plug
the newly-created fractures and damage surface equipment as the
fluids are produced back.
Dirty formations or those subject to significant fines migration are poor candidates for
large-size sand proppant packs. The fines from the formation, over time, tend to
invade the sand proppant pack causing partial plugging and rapid reduction in fluid
permeability. In these cases, a smaller-sized sand proppant pack which can resist
the invasion of
PROPPING AGENTS FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Dirty formations or those subject to significant fines migration are poor
candidates for large-size sand proppant packs. The fines from the formation, over
time, tend to invade the sand proppant pack causing partial plugging and rapid
reduction in fluid permeability. In these cases, a smaller-sized sand proppant pack
which can resist the invasion of fines from the formation would be a better
choice.
PROPPING AGENTS FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURING
Factors that affect the proppant transport are:
1. Fluid velocity,
2. Fluid viscosity,
3. Fluid specific weight ,
4. Proppant size,
5. Proppant specific gravity.
Heavy proppants are more difficult to suspend and transport in the fracture.
Although high-density and viscous fluids may transport the proppant in the
wellbore, they may have difficulty in moving the proppant through the fractures
where fluid movement is slow.
The selection of proppant will thus govern the type of fracturing fluid (and its
additives) that can be used to carry the proppant.
NUCLEAR FRACTURING
As acid reacts with the damage, the skin effect is reduced. Using the
data of exercice 4 , show the allowable increase in injection rate as
the skin effect is reduced from 20 to 15 to 10 to 5 to 0.
- Applied Drilling
Engineering by Jr Adam T
Bourgoyne, Keith K.
Millheim, Martin
REFERENCES
- Reservoir Engineering
Handbook by Tarek
Amed
REFERENCES
- Advanced Reservoir
Engineering, by Tarek
Amed
REFERENCES
- Production Operations I,
Well Completion,
Workover and Stimulation
by Thomas O. Allen &
Alan P. Roberts
REFERENCES
- Petroleum Engineering –
Drilling and Well
Completion by Carl
Gatlin
REFERENCES