Brines Fluids and Filtration PDF

Brines and Other Workover Fluids
• Purposes
• Selection
• Filtration needs
• Placement
• Fluid Loss Control
• Cleanup and Displacement of Muds
• Limitations
• Alternatives
George E. King Engineering

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Purposes of Brines
1. Mud displacement prior to cementing,
2. Debris removal,
3. Controlling formation pressures during completion
and intervention operations,
4. Enabling repair operations as a circulating or kill
fluid medium,
5. As packer fluids,

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Purposes of Brines (cont.)
6. In some stimulations as base fluids;

7. Enable cleanup of the zone prior to running screens;
8. Reduce friction while running screens & equipment;
9. Avoid damaging the well after completion,
stimulation, or repair;
10. Allow other well operations to be conducted.

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Will Circulating a Well Really Clean It Out?
• Not necessarily.
• Clean-out efficiency depends on:
– Ability to remove the solids from returning fluids,
– Fluid hydraulics - the flow rates in every section,
– Ability to disperse, then lift solids out of the well,
– Ability to effectively remove the dope, mud cake,
residues, etc., from the pipe walls.

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Returns from a cleanout scraper run – dope, wireline grease,
rust, mud, etc., are common components.

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Selection of the Brine
• Must Satisfy:
1. Well control at every phase of the operation.
2. Must be able to filter the brine to 5 to 10 microns with
beta of 1000.
3. Compatibility with the formation, well equipment and all
operations and fluids.
4. Corrosion and scale dropout must be controllable.
5. Cleanup requirements from the formation
6. Cleanup and disposal requirements at the surface
7. Cost and availability to fit the well.

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Brine Types and Respective Density Ranges
Brine Type Brine Formula Density Range (ppg)
Chloride Salt NaCl 8.4 - 10.0
Chloride Salt KCl 8.4 - 9.7
Chloride Salt NH4Cl 8.4 - 8.9
Bromide Salt NaBr 8.4 - 12.7
Mix NaCl/NaBr 8.4 - 12.5
Formate Salt NaHCO2 8.4 - 11.1
Formate Salt KHCO2 8.4 - 13.3
Formate Salt CsHCO2 13.0 - 20.0
Formate Salt KHCO2/CsHCO2 13.0 - 20.0
Formate Salt NaHCO2/KHCO2 8.4 - 13.1
Chloride Salt CaCl2 8.4 - 11.3
Bromide Salt CaBr2 8.4 - 15.3
Mix CaCl2/CaBr2 8.4 - 15.1
World Oil, Modern Sand
Bromide Salt ZnBr2 12.0 - 21.0 Face Completion, 2003
Mix ZnBr2/CaBr2
12.0 - 19.2
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Mix GEKEngineering.com
ZnBr2/CaBr2/CaCl2 12.0 - 19.1
Lower Density Fluids
Nitrogen gas 0.1 to 2.6 lb/gal
water foam 3.5 to 8.3 lb/gal
kerosene and diesel 6.7 to 7.1 lb/gal
20o crude 7.8 lb/gal
30o crude 7.3 lb/gal
Most low density fluids are not be usable because of

migration, flash point, or stability issues.

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Displacement and Pill Design
• The displacement must be designed to obtain
effective mud removal (dispersement and lift)
& water wetting of casing.
• Keys:
– disperse and thin the drilling fluid
– compatibility with the following fluids (brine, acid, cement,
etc.
– lift out debris and junk
– water wet pipe
– remove pipe dope effectively
– displace the mud
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Brines for Displacement
1. A thinning base fluid flush.

2. An effective brine transition system must further thin and strip the mud
and create wellbore displacement.
3. A carrier spacer must sweep out the solids and clean any coating from the
pipe or rock that could cause damage problems.
4. A separation spacer must do the final cleaning and separate the residual
mud from the brine.
5. The brine must sweep the spacer out. At this point the well should be
clean.

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Cleaning and Transition Spacers
Spacer Type Function Minimum WBM OBM
Annulus
Coverage
Base Fluid Thin & mud 250 to 500 ft Water, and Base oil
condition – start some brines (composition
dispersement varies)
Transition Mud to spacer, 500 to 1000’ Viscous pill Viscous Pill
cuttings removal
Wash Clean pipe 500 to 1500’ Water+ WBM Oil + OBM
surfactant surfactant
Separation Separate wash 500 to 1000’ Viscous pill Surfactant gel?
from completion Some water
brine gels if compat.
Completion Completion fluid Fill Completion Completion
Fluid Fluid Fluid
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Brine Flush Contact Times
9-5/8” casing in 12-1/4” hole, annular area = 0.3 ft2
Pump Rate, Annular Barrels Column Contact

bpm Velocity, Pumped Length, ft Time,
ft/min minutes on
one foot.
8 150 200 3743 25
10 187 400 7486 40
12 225 400 7486 33

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Flow profile in a well with decentralized pipe. Note That most
of the flow comes along the top of the pipe. This affects
cleanup and residence time of the fluid on the wellbore. The
lower section of the wellbore may remain buried in cuttings
and never have contact with any of the circulated fluids.
Major flow area

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Displacement of the annulus to displace fluids and mud cake depends partly on velocity.
The annulus changes as casing replaces the drill string. As the annular space decreases –
velocity for any rate increases in the smaller area and the back pressure on the bottom hole may
also increase.
Circulating down the casing and up the small annulus

can produce very high friction pressure and raised
BHP.

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Displacement Considerations
• Well control is key consideration in selection of
the pill sequence.
• In many cases, it is only possible to get thin, light
fluids into turbulence
• Pumping fluids to displace oil based fluids
without suitable surfactant/solvent packages to
disperse the mud can result in sludges that are
insoluble except in aggressive solvents
• For deepwater wells, low temperatures can
impact surfactant effectiveness

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Carrying Capacity
• Pills in turbulence lose carrying capacity if

the annular velocity drops below that
required for turbulence (e.g. entering
larger diameter pipe such as a riser)
• In high mud weight, the risk of inducing
barite sag needs to be considered if mud
is thinned (displacement pills thin the mud
to the point it can no longer support barite)

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LEARNING
• As depth and hole angle increase, the minimum pill
volume (based on largest annular hole length)
should increase to allow for contamination, e.g.:
– If MD < twice TVD, annular fill length > 80 m (260 ft),
– If MD > twice TVD, annular fill length > 125 m (410 ft),
• Contact time (the time that critical points in the well
are exposed to the pill) depends on reaction of
surfactant/solvent to mud. For surfactant pills, plan
for contact times of greater than 4 minutes for best
results.

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BEST PRACTICES AND
DESIGN CRITERIA
• Good mud thinning fluid is continuous phase of the mud:
– for water based mud pumping 50 bbl (8m3) of water
as the first displacement pill will effectively thin mud,
– 50 bbl (8m3) of the mud base fluid can be pumped in
the case of oil based muds. (check oil compatibility)
• Before any displacement, the compatibly of the spacers
with the mud and the ability to water wet steel surfaces
should be checked at ambient and bottom hole temp to
confirm compatibility.
• In deep water, tests at lower temperature will be needed
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BEST PRACTICES AND DESIGN
CRITERIA
• All tests should be done on field mud samples to
ensure mud is effectively sheared and has
representative particles/cuttings
• Water wetting surfactants are generally effective
>3% vol/vol concentration, little additional benefit
is obtained above 10%.
• Solvents and mechanical or hydraulic agitation
are required to remove sludges and pipe dope

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Displacement
• Displacement of mud from an annulus is
complex. The main driving forces:
– time of contact
– flow rate and frictional forces
– density
– mechanical agitation
– pipe centralization

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RISKS AND ISSUES
• Fluid Interface area increases w/ hole angle

• In deviated wells the eccentricity of the
displacement string may reduce displacement.
Pipe rotation and/or reciprocation is needed.
• At low temperature (<40oC/104oF), OBM is very
viscous ( synthetic based muds are worst),
circulating to warm the annular contents
reduces the problem.

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RISKS AND ISSUES
• High circulation rates may be better (even in laminar
flow), they reduce the boundary layer thickness on the
casing wall. (Watch wash-out potential of soft sands)
• Turbulence is best, flow rate must be calculated allowing
for pipe eccentricity. A complete wellbore hydraulics
check is necessary.
• High rates (300 ft/min?) may reduce the fluff (80% of the
outer layer of the filter cake that does not contribute to
fluid loss control); sharply reducing the amount of solids
in the well without reducing fluid loss control.

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BEST PRACTICES AND DESIGN
CRITERIA
• High flow rates will always be better even if turbulence
cannot be achieved
• Pipe movement will improve displacement efficiency.
• Multi-function circulating subs should be used, currently
the best tools open by setting weight down, incorporating
a clutch mechanism to allow rotation.
• Do not stop displacement once pills enter the annulus
• Circulate to warm mud and fine up shakers (increase
screen mesh number) to reduce particles in the fluid
when possible, condition mud (reduce rheology).
• Use reverse circulation if possible when displacing with
lighter fluids.

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Muds, Cakes, Breakers and Particles
• Drilling mud is the best known particulate based fluid
loss control system.
• Particles are sized to bridge on the face of the
formation. Carbonate and salt are most common.
• Breakers are acid, oxidizers and enzymes.
• Filter cakes very effective in preventing losses as long
as over-balance pressure is maintained.
• Cakes are very sensitive to swabbing, but are never
completely removed..
• Tool systems sensitive to plugging by particulates.
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Particles – Damage?
• “Dirty” particles, unsized particles, debris and pipe

dope are severe formation damage problems.
• Protecting the perforations with the right particles
during a workover improves chances of well
improvement afterwards.
• The type of carrier fluid and the gels are v. important
Clear (no particles) brines are not always best solution

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Particulate Pill Displacement
• A spacer or displacement pill for displacing a
polymer system carring sized particulates
should be 0.2 to 0.25 ppg heavier and about
three times the low shear rate viscosity (at
0.06 sec-1) of the fluid being displaced.

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Data from a set of Alaska wells where the perforations were
not protected during a workover. No protection shows
significant long term damage.
PI Change, Perfs Not Protected
40 PI of Wells
0.3 0.5 1.1 2.1 3.1 6 18.9
20
% Change in PI
0
1
11
13
15
-20 Short Term PI Change
Long Term PI Change
-40
-60
-80
-100
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SPE 26042 27
When perfs were protected, that was little risk of long term damage.
PI Change After Workover - Perfs Protected
50
PI of wells
40
0.3 1.2 3.1 4.6 8.4
30
% Change in PI
20
10 Short Term PI Change
0 Long Term PI Change
-10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
-20
-30
SPE 26042
-40
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Sized particulates, particularly those that can be removed, are much less damaging than most
polymers.
Kill Pills: Summary of Overall Effectiveness in

Non Fractured Wells
Sized Borate Salts
(4)
10
Cellulose
5 Fibers (3) HEC Pills No Pills
% Change in PI
0
Sized Sodium No Near Perf
-5 1 2 3
Chloride (12)
4 5 6
Milling (8)
7
-10 No Near Perf Milling

(6)
-15
Near Perf Milling or
-20 Scraping (3)
Near Perf Milling
-25 or Scraping (10)
SPE 26042

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Formation Damage by Gels
• Gels
– Linear gels not recommended for high
overbalance or high permeability formations – too
much depth of damage.
– HEC is not always clean breaking.
– Breaker selection is critical to removing the
damage from a linear gel.

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Linear HEC Pill needed per ft of zone, 80 lb/1000
gal or 3.36 ppb
3
Pill Vol. Required, bbl per ft of zone
2.5
2
1 Darcy
500 md
1.5
250 md
1 100 md
0.5
0
World Oil, Modern
1000 750 500 250 Sandface Completion
Overbalance Pressure, psi Practices, 2003
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Fluid Loss Rate vs. Pressure Differential for
Various Permeabilities
6 1 cp fluid,
s = +5
Loss Rate, bbl / hr / ft of zone height
4
500 md
250 md
3
100 md
50md
2
Modified from World

0
Oil, Modern Sandface
0 100 200 300 400 500 Completion Practices,
2003
Overbalance Pressure,
George psi
E. King Engineering
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Breaker
• Breaker must stay with the part of the gel that
causes the damage
– penetrate to the distance that gel penetrates, or
– stop at the wall – with the gel wall cake.
• Breakers:
– Acid, internal breaker, or enzyme
– Many breakers adsorb or spend in the formation,
before they work.

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Brine Stability
• The stability of the brines at high salt loadings can be
very “touchy” with temperature drops causing salt
precipitation.
• Increases in temperature decreases brine density
and may leave the brine under-saturated to salt.
• Additions of gas, alcohol, some surfactants, shear
and reduction in temperature can lead to salt
precipitation.
• Salt may affect the way polymers hydrate or disperse.

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NaCl Brine Density Variance with
Temperature
20oC 100o C The reduction of brine density
17 as it comes to equilibrium in
16.8 the well may explain why a well
can go from a no-flow
16.6 condition to flow within a few
Brine Density (lb/gal)
16.4 hours after being killed.
16.2
16
15.8
15.6
15.4
15.2
15
60 110 160 210 260 310 360
GeorgeTemperature
E. King Engineering (F)
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SPE 12490
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Temperature Changes
GOM Seafloor Temperature
Sea Floor Temperature, F

35 40 45 50 55 60
0
2000
Water Depth, ft
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
14000
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GEKEngineering.comComposite data from DTC
Temperatures in the Well?
Circulating or High Rate Injection?
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
0 0
Tubing Undisturbed
Tbg Fluid Tbg Fluid

2000 2000
Casing 1 Tubing
Undisturbed Casing 1
4000 4000
6000 6000
8000 8000
10000 10000
12000
BHST= 122*F BHST= 125*F
12000
14000 14000
BHCT= 98*F BHTT= 86*F

16000 16000
Circulation pump rate = 8-BPM George E. King EngineeringFrac job pump rate = 35-BPM
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18000 GEKEngineering.com
18000
Salt-Out or “Freezing” Temperature of a Brine
Adding salt lowers

freezing point of water
until the point at which
additional salt precipitates
Crystallization Temp
Eutectic Point
Salt Content

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Composition Determines TCT (true
crystallization temperature)
Density CaCl2 CaBr2 TCT

(ppg)* (wt %) (wt %) (OF / OC)
12.5 34.40 10.80 60/ 15.5
12.5 32.20 13.13 44/ 6.7
12.5 22.84 20.55 15/ - 2.8
12.5 00.00 41.55 - 33/ - 36
*1.50 SG

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Density Change with Temp Change
DDH = DS (1 + 0.000252 (TS - TDH))
What is downhole density (DDH) of a 16.4 lb/gal

surface density (Ds) brine (60oF) when downhole
temperature increases to 230oF?
DDH = (16.4) (1 + 0.000252 (60-230)
DDH = 15.7 lb/gal

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There is a slight increase in density with applied pressure, usually about 0.1 ppg.
Brine Density Change with Pressure
2.4
2.2 ZnBr2/CaBr2 (19%

Brine Density (g/cc)
/wt)
2
ZnBr2/CaBr2/CaCl2
(37% /wt)
1.8
CaBr2 (45% /wt)
1.6
NaBr (54% /wt)
1.4
CaCl2 (65% /wt)
1.2
1 NaCl (70% /wt)

Typical change was 0.0015 g/cc
0 1000 2000 3000
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George E. King Engineering SPE 12490 41
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Temperature and Pressure Effects on Completion Fluids
Temp Expansion of Fluids Pressure Effect on Fluids

Expansion Coef. Compression Coef.
o 4 o o 6
Fluid System Density, ppg vol/vol/ Fx10 lb/gal/100 F vol/vol/ Fx10 lb/gal/1000 psi
Diesel 7 3.8
NaCl 9.49 2.54 0.24 1.98 0.019
CaCl2 11.45 2.39 0.27 1.5 0.017
NaBr 12.48 2.67 0.33 1.67 0.021
CaBr2 14.3 2.33 0.33 1.53 0.022
ZnBr2/CaBr2/CaCl2 16.01 2.27 0.36 1.39 0.022
ZnBr2/CaBr2 19.27 2.54 0.48 1.64 0.031
At 12,000 psi from 76F to 345F At 198F from 2,000 to 12,000 psi
World Oil, Modern

Sand Face Completion,
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2003 42
Brine Selection – Circulating
Density
• Match density needs on both static (ESD) needs,
and circulating density (ECD) needs. Consider
friction effects on BH press while circulating.
• Remember – brine must exert pressures in a
window between controlling pore pressure or shale
heaving and fracturing the formation.
• Brine density changes with temperature (can drop
by >1 lb/gal) and a small increase with pressure
(0.1 lb/gal).
• Carried solids add density to the brine – easily by
0.5 to 2+ lb/gal.
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Brines have small density changes due to temperature, pressure, and contamination; and larger
density changes due to suspended solids.
CaCl2 Brine in a 14,000 ft

Hydrostatic Pressure at TVD
Wellbore in 8,000 ft Water
ESD - (lb/gal) BH Pre ssure - (psi)

0 5000 10000
11.35 11.40 11.45 11.50
0
Note: Fluid 0
Density is
2000
Greater at the 2000
Mud line than

4000
at the Surface 4000
True Vertical Depth - (ft)

True Vertical Depth - (ft)
6000 6000
8000 8000
10000 10000
12000 12000
14000 14000
16000 16000
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Courtesy of MI-LLC 44
ESD GEKEngineering.com Pres s ure
Adding solids to any fluid, either at the surface or
downhole increases it density. 0.5 to 2+ lb of solids
are common in cleanout with circulated fluids.

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Completion Fluid - Checklist
• Is the formation liquid sensitive to liquid relative permeability effects?
• Compatibility with formation? (clay and minerals)
• Compatibility with formation fluid? (emulsion, sludge, foam, froth)
• Tanks and surface equipment clean?(pumps, lines, hoses, blenders)
• Are polymers breakable? How is breaker added?
• Polymers, hydrated, sheared and filtered? Filter level? Beta rating?
• Minimize the pipe dope?
• Corrosion reactions understood?
• Erosion potential understood?

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Special Case - Horizontal Wells
• Hole circulated to a large volume of fluid to stop
losses.
• Minimum amount of solids can be used where
internal tool sticking is a possibility
• Suspension of solids beyond 60o deviation is difficult.
• Penetration to furthest reaches of the well is
required – buckling considerations?
• Very sensitive to swabbing.

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Filtration and Cleaning
• Brine and ? (tanks, lines, pumps, etc.)
• Pickle the tubulars?
• NTU or particle count as a measure? How clean is
clean? = Avg pore throat x 0.2?
• Beta rating and micron rating important
• Tank arrangement when filtering (from dirty tank to
clean, not in a loop)
• Filter type
– DE or Cartridge (no resin coated cartridges)

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Filtration Ratings
• NTU - a turbidity indicator - can be mislead by natural color of
water. An NTU of 20 to 30 is generally clean.
• Nominal filter rating - estimate of the size of particle removed
- don’t trust it. Filtration efficiency improves with bed build-up
• Absolute filter rating - size of the holes in the filter. Filtration
efficiency improves with bed build-up
• Beta rating - a ratio of particles before filtration to after. A
good measure of filter efficiency.
• Suggestion – use a 5 to 10 micron rating with a beta rating of
1000 for most clear brine applications.

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Beta Rating
• Beta = number of filter rating and larger size
particles in dirty fluid divided by number of
those particles in clean fluid.
• Beta = 1000/1 = 1000 or 99.99% clean

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Filtration Considerations
• Very clean fluids have high leakoff rates
• Fluids with properly blended fluid loss control
materials added after filtration have a better
chance of cleanup than with the initial
particles in the fluid. Particles must be sized
to stop at the face of the formation.
• All gelled fluids should be sheared and filtered
– even the liquid polymer fluids.

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Microgels or “fisheyes”
Solid polymer after straining
lumps or “Fisheyes” andamicrogels
liquid HECfiltered
dispersion
fromthrough a 200
liquid HEC mesh screen in a
polymer.
shear and filter operation for gravel pack fluid preparation.

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Scrapers and Brushes – Physically
Cleaning the Well
• Available tools
• Damage potential

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One very detrimental action was running a scraper prior to packer setting. The
scraping and surging drives debris into unprotected perfs.
Effect of Scraping or Milling Adjacent to Open

Perforations
20 Perfs not protected by

10 LCM prior to scraping
0
% Change in PI
1 Perfs protected
2 by
-10
LCM
-20
-30
Short Term PI Change
-40
Long Term PI Change
-50
-60 SPE 26042
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Casing Scraper – Designed to knock off
perforation burrs, lips in tubing pins,
cement and mud sheaths, scale, etc.
It cleans the pipe before setting a
packer or plug.
The debris it turns loose from the pipe
may damage the formation unless the
pay is protected by a LCM or plug.

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Placement Methods
• Circulating – preferred – watch effective circulation density
(friction pressures)
• Spotting – watch density induced drift – 0.05 lb/gal difference
can start density migration.
• Bullheading - next to last resort.
• Lubricating - last resort.
• Consider coiled tubing for most accurate spotting
and ability to circulate fluids into place with
minimum contamination.
• Remember that fluid density differences of even 0.05
lb/gal will start density segregation.
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Fluid Loss Control
• Methods: viscosity, particulates, mechanical
• Best method? – depends on application and options
afterward.
– Viscosity based methods often leave polymer debris
– Particulates must be sized with small, medium and large
particles to build a tight cake at the surface. Don’t use
them in cased and perforated completions???
– Mechanical methods preferred, but not always practical.

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Fluid Loss Control Systems
fluid (pumped) mechanical
gels (linear and x-link) downhole valves
bridging particulates plugs
micron particles flappers (watch the throat

size)
resin particles ball checks
larger mixed particles
Removal methods? Removal methods?

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In the Formation / At the
Formation Face (Not in Perf)
• Gels – high vis. limits the
fluid loss by pressure
drop.
– May not work in high perm
(>0.5 darcy).
– Temperature greatly affects
performance.
– Cleanup is a problem.
• Particulates bridge at the
formation face.
Particulates are very effective in controlling fluid loss, but are also very sensitive to
swabbing, dissolving in carrier fluids
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George must
E. King be sized for the formation pores
Engineering
62 and
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natural fractures.
Particulate Systems
• Sized carbonates and salts are most common.
Penetration depth = 0.125” (3mm)
• Do not use in most perforated completions unless
the perforations have been packed with gravel.
• Gravel pack tools and tools with close clearances
should not be exposed to particulate laden fluids.
• Gel carriers for particulates still require breakers.

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Considerations for Fluid loss
Control Selection
BHT Formation sensitivity Onshore / Offshore /
to treatment fluids Deepwater
BHP Treatment/completion Rig cost per day
fluid types
Overbalance or Frequency and amount Rig equip available -
underbalance of surge/swab loads pumps, tanks, lines,
Vertical and horizontal Formation sand All tubular sizes in the
permeability variations strength flow path
Formation sand size Sand production and Mobilization time
and pore throat size presence of cavity available
Production rate Producer or injector Regulations on use and
disposal
Produced fluid types Wellbore deviation Natural or hydraulic
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SPE 54323
Areas for Fluid Loss Control
• In formation matrix • Inside the screen
• At the formation face • Above the screen or in
• Inside the perf tunnel the BHA
• On the fracture pack • Inside the tubing
• Inside the casing (on • At the surface
the perforation)
• On a sand-back plug
Each location requires different plug
• In the gravel construction methods and removal
considerations.

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Cleanup
• Gel break and damage issues
• Fluid imbibition effects
• Other fluid unloading issues

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Cleanup
• How to remove from the reservoir (through the
fractures or the matrix). Is a surface/interfacial
reduction surfactant needed? Is gas needed? Is the
formation initially undersaturated to water (yes, it
can and does happen).
• From the wellbore – effective unloading is plagued
by well deviation and low flow rates from small
coiled tubing and other non rotating strings.

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Problems - unwanted foams during
backflow
• Foam is an emulsion where gas is the internal phase
(mist is an emulsion with gas as external phase).
Foams are used to unload brines – BUT the forms
may cause a problem at the surface.
• Foaming conditions
– some oils (ppm conc. of C6-C9organic acids and alcohols)
– diesel - (particularly bad and varies from lot to lot)
– some acid additives (emulsifiers, salts, inhibitors)
– XCD polymers (and others)
• Look for and destroy the stabilizer to break the foam.

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Brine Tankage Required
1. Volume of prod. Casing – annulus & below packer?
2. Displacement volume of work string
3. Displacement volume of producing string including packers
4. Volume of manifolds, lines, hoses and pumps
5. Volume of transport tankage (usable)
6. Volume of filtering system (all tanks, lines and pods)
7. Volume of pill tank
8. Pickle flush volume
9. Spare volume for safe operation

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Special Topics
• Alternatives to a clear brine
• Gravel pack brines
• Brine handling and preparation
• Solids free gels
• Corrosion
• Hydrates
• Best Practice Learnings
• Toxicity

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Alternatives to a Clear Brine
• Emulsions, Foams, Muds
– Will it be stable?
– What will stop fluid loss?
– What will clean up or degrade?
– What will damage least?
– Can an oil be ever be used in a gas zone??

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Is mud a viable kill fluid for high
temp and high pressure wells?
• How much perm damage does it cause?
– Against the formation?
– In the perforations?
– In a naturally fractured formation?
– Against a gravel pack or screen?
• Is the damage reversible?
– If you have high wellbore pressures, some of the
mud damage is reversible - SOME!

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Fluids for Gravel/Frac Pack
• Water - low viscosity brines, low molecular
weight salts
• HEC - high molecular weight, water soluble
polymer, straight chain
• Xanvis - high molecular wt bio polymer, water
soluble. Branched chain, lower damage than
HEC?

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Water
• Advantages - no mixing, no breakers, high
leakoff, easier to get turbulence
• Disadvantages - low gravel carrying capacity

(+/- 2 ppg), more fluid lost, compatibility
problems?

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HEC
• Advantages: mixes easily??? (still must shear
and filter), easy to break??? (we’ve had
problems here), commonly available
• Disadvantages: lower leakoff rates, lower sand

carrying capacity than bio-polymers

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XC
• Advantages: shear thinning, higher leakoff,
good carrying capacity
• Disadvantages: said to wet some formations

(anionic), x-links with calcium and iron (water
composition more critical), harder to mix,
breaks rapidly above 125oF ?

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Brine Handling and Preparation
Brines HEC XC
Min Filter Req 5 to 10 mu 10 mu 10mu
Beta rating B=1000 B=10-100 B=10-100
Shear Req? N/A 2 bpm/1200 psi 2 bpm/600
Gravel Conc. 1-5 ppg 1-15 ppg 1-15 ppg
Breaker N/A acid, enz, ox oxidizers
Brine Compat? N/A <15.5 ppg KCl & NH4Cl
Leakoff excellent fair good

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Solids Free Gels
• Surfactant gel
• Requires clay control (early problems)
• Breaks with oil
• Not perfect, but generally better than gels.

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Breakers for HEC-Gelled Brines
Breaker BHT
HCl 130 to 200F
Ammonium hypochlorite 130 to 200F
Enzymes below 130 F
No Breaker Required? Above 200 F?

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Corrosivity
• In oxygen free environment, CaCl2/CaBr brines
exhibit very low corrosion rates if the pH is kept
between 7 and 10.
• Lime and magnesium oxide are used to increase the
pH of the brines.
• Use of sulfite oxygen scavengers in large
concentrations can potentially cause CaSO4 precip.
Use other methods.
• Biocide may not be needed in more concentrated
brines.

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Corrosion From Brines –example from Materials,
Corrosion and Inspection: http://upstream.bpweb.bp.com/mci/default.asp
Material General Pitting/Crevice SSC CL SCC Relative

Corrosion Corrosion Failure Risk
Low Alloy Steel Y Y Low
13 Chrome Y Y Y Low/Med
Super Cr 13, etc. Y Y Y Y High
Alloy 450 Y Y Y Med
17-4PH Y Y Y High
Duplex Stainless Y Y Y High
Austenitic Y Y High
Super Austenitic Y Y Low
Ni Alloys Y Y Low

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HPHT Production Operations, March 16, 2005, EPTG, BP
11
Hydrates and “Freezing”
• Sea floor temperatures
• Gas expansion cooling
• Is the brine naturally hydrate formation

resistant?
• Is it tolerant of antifreeze?

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Dense Brines Inhibit Hydrates
Hydrate inhibition by CaCl2 Brine
120.0
100.0 Hydrate equilibrium

pressure for pure water
calculated using
80.0
Hydrate Formation Temp °F
CSMHYD, VK 917 gas
60.0 15 kpsi
10 kpsi
5 kpsi
40.0
2.5 kpsi
20.0
Solvent Needed Maybe Safe
0.0
8.3 8.5 8.7 8.9 9.1 9.3 9.5 9.7 9.9 10.1 10.3 10.5 10.7 10.9 11.1 11.3 11.5 11.7
-20.0
-40.0
Brine Density lb/gal
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LEARNINGS
• Proper disposal required for all chemicals.

• Mixed displacement pills and mud have to be
separated from the mud and packer fluid for disposal
(zero discharge issues)
• Brine/Water/Acid pumped without
surfactants/solvents to displace oil muds (e.g. for an
inflow test) prior to clean up can form sludges, these
will not be broken down by subsequent clean up
pills
• Clean up pills containing surfactants can foam
during mixing (particularly when put through a
hopper) and during flowback.

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Viscosifier Learnings
• XCD/ biozan are preferred for mixing viscous pills

but do not work in calcium brines,
• HEC will not support solids.
• Polymers should be checked for suitability at the
anticipated temperature (thermal thinning an issue
particularly >135oC/275oF).

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LEARNING
• The use of a circulating sub to allow high flow rates is

recommended.
• As steel surfaces water wet, pipe rotation may not be
possible due to friction and displacement of solids
becomes much more difficult.
• Displacement must exceed solids settling rate and (e.g.
0.18 ft/sec for 40/60 mesh sand in water) not stop once
pills are in the annulus.
• Displacement optimized for smallest production casing
ID can leave bypassed mud in larger OD’s for tapered
casing strings.
• Reverse circulation is most effective if packer fluid is
lighter than mud (watch bridging potential)
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Many Brines are Sensitive to
Temperature When Viscosified
• Brine type sensitive – NaCl to ZnCl
• Temperature sensitivity is also affected by
concentration
• Liquid vs. dry polymer makes a difference.

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Stability of Dry HEC in Socium Chloride
260
Precipitation, Separation or Lost Viscosity
240
Transition Zone
Temperature, F
220
200
HEC Active and Soluble
180
160
140
8.6 8.8 9 9.2 9.4 9.6 9.8 10 10.2
Sodium Chloride
George E. Density, ppg
King Engineering SPE 58728
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Liquid HEC in Zinc Based Brines
260
240
220
Transition Zone
Temperature, F
200
180
HEC Active and Soluble
160
140
120
100
15 16 17 18 19 20
3/14/2009 Zinc
George Brine Density, ppg
E. King Engineering
SPE 58728 89
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Brief toxicity data for standard test organisms. SPE 27143
Species Acute Toxic Threshold Concentration (mg/l)

Zinc Cesium Potassium Sodium
bromide formate formate formate
Algae 0.32 1600 3700 2000
Invertibrates 1.6 340 300 3900
Fish ? 260 1700 6100

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Brines and Other Workover Fluids

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

6. In some stimulations as base fluids;

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

Most low density fluids are not be usable because of

George E. King Engineering

1. A thinning base fluid flush.

George E. King Engineering

Pump Rate, Annular Barrels Column Contact

10 187 400 7486 40

12 225 400 7486 33

George E. King Engineering

Major flow area

George E. King Engineering

Circulating down the casing and up the small annulus

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

• Pills in turbulence lose carrying capacity if

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

• Fluid Interface area increases w/ hole angle

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

• “Dirty” particles, unsized particles, debris and pipe

Clear (no particles) brines are not always best solution

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

PI Change After Workover - Perfs Protected

Kill Pills: Summary of Overall Effectiveness in

-10 No Near Perf Milling

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

Modified from World

George E. King Engineering

George E. King Engineering

16.4 hours after being killed.

Sea Floor Temperature, F

Tbg Fluid Tbg Fluid

BHCT= 98*F BHTT= 86*F

Adding salt lowers

George E. King Engineering

Density CaCl2 CaBr2 TCT

George E. King Engineering

What is downhole density (DDH) of a 16.4 lb/gal

DDH = 15.7 lb/gal

George E. King Engineering

Brine Density Change with Pressure

2.2 ZnBr2/CaBr2 (19%

1 NaCl (70% /wt)

Temp Expansion of Fluids Pressure Effect on Fluids

World Oil, Modern

CaCl2 Brine in a 14,000 ft

ESD - (lb/gal) BH Pre ssure - (psi)

Mud line than

True Vertical Depth - (ft)

George E. King Engineering

BHCT= 98F BHTT= 86F