42 - Sandstone Fluid Selection

Sandstone Acidizing
Fluid Selection
Sandstone Acidizing Design
Retarded Mud Acids
Copyright 2009 NExT, All rights reserved

Sandstone Acidizing design
Any acid formulation design must take into account obviously the
type of rock and damage to tackle but as well:
• Corrosion of completion equipment: T°C & metallurgy
• The inherent presence of free iron in the borehole and the
necessity to complex it to avoid highly damaging precipitates
• The compatibility between the acid and the hydrocarbon: risk
of emulsions, sludges, or precipitates
• The accessibility of the rock by the acid: need for surface
active agents to water wet matrix
• The carrying capacity of fine particles during clean up
• …etc
2
Copyright 2009, NExT, All rights reserved
Introduction
Treatment design involves following requirements:
Selection of acid type & concentration

Selection of type & amount of additives
Volumes of preflush, main acid mixture and postflush
Injection rate schedules of preflush, main acid and postflush
Placement of acid
Treatment execution
Treatment monitoring
3
3
Composition of Sandstone Minerals
4
Fluid selection Outline
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrofluoric acid systems
• Mud Acid
• Retarded Mud Acid
Special treatments for special cases
5
Acid Selection
Based primarily on field experience

Perform laboratory tests of response of cores to different acid
systems for more careful selection of optimal acid
Standard treatment: 15 wt% HCl preflush followed with 3 wt%
HF, 12 wt% HCl mixture (called “Mud Acid”)
Recent trend toward lower concentration HF:
• Reduces damaging precipitates
• Lessens risk of unconsolidation of formation around wellbore
6
6
HCl Preflush
HCl Fluid Selection Guide for All Temperatures
>100 md 20-100 md <20 md
<10% silt and <10% clay 15X 10X 7.5X
all other combinations of

silt and clay composition 10X 7.5X 5X
4-6% chlorite/glauconite, use <20md Guidelines with 5% Acetic Acid

6-8% chlorite/glauconite, use 10% Acetic Acid preflush to Mud Acid + 5% Acetic Acid
>8% chlorite/glauconite, use 10% Acetic Acid and Organic Mud Acid
<2% Zeolite, use 10% Acetic Acid in all HCl systems
2-5% Zeolite, use 10% Acetic Acid preflush
>5% Zeolite, contact Regional Tech Center
7
Mud acid formulation
Old time: high HF concentrations used for all sandstone

Mid 80’s HF concentration was decreased for several
reasons (SLB- McLeod):
• High porosity
• Temperature increase
• Permeability increase: deconsolidation
• And latter type of clay
Mid 90’s
• Optimum ratio between HCl and HF (Hal: Gdanski)
• Organic Mud acid
8
Acid Selection: Main Guideline For Main Acid
McLeod (1984) guidelines
9
Updated Acid Selection Guidelines
10
Fluid Selection for Mud Acid Fluids
For temperature >200°F : perform long core flow test to acess treatment
11
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with < 2% Zeolites*
> 20 md < 20 md
< 10% Silt and <10% Clay 8% HCl/2% HF with 5% Acetic 6% HCl/1.5% HF with 5% Acetic
> 10% Silt and >10% Clay 9% HCl/1% HF with 5% Acetic 4.5% HCl/0.5% HF with 5% Acetic
Other 9% HCl/1.5% HF with 5% Acetic 6% HCl/1.5% HF with 5% Acetic
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 2 -5% Zeolites*

> 20 md < 20 md
Other 9% HCl/1.5% HF with 10% Acetic 6% HCl/1.5% HF with 10% Acetic
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with >5% Zeolites*

> 20 md < 20 md
< 10% Silt and <10% Clay 10% Citric/2% HF 10% Citric/1.5% HF
> 10% Silt and >10% Clay 10% Citric/1% HF 10% Citric/0.5% HF
Other 10% Citric/1.5% HF 10% Citric/1% HF
*10% Acetic Acid PF/OF
12
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with < 4% Chlorite/Glauconite
> 20 md < 20 md
< 10% Silt and <10% Clay 6% HCl/1.5% HF 6% HCl/1.5% HF
> 10% Silt and >10% Clay 4.5% HCl/0.5% HF 4.5% HCl/0.5% HF
Other 6% HCl/1% HF 6% HCl/1% HF
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 4 - 6% Chlorite/Glauconite

> 20 md < 20 md
Other 9% HCl/1.5% HF with 5% Acetic 6% HCl/1% HF with 5% Acetic
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 6% - 8% Chlorite/Glauconite*

> 20 md < 20 md
Other 9% HCl/1.5% HF with 10% Acetic 6% HCl/1% HF with 10% Acetic
Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with >8% Chlorite/Glauconite*

> 20 md < 20 md
< 10% Silt and <10% Clay 9% Formic Acid /1.5% HF 9% Formic Acid /1.5% HF
> 10% Silt and >10% Clay 9% Formic Acid/0.5% HF 9% Formic Acid/0.5% HF
Other 9% Formic Acid/1% HF 9% Formic Acid/1% HF
* 10% Acetic Acid PF/OF
13
Acid Volume Selection
Selection of optimal acid volume complicated by competing

factors:
• depends strongly on depth of damaged zone
• However, need larger amount to ensure acid contacts most of
formation, depending on acid placement technique
Design is very imprecise
Recommended approach is to select a target acid volume
based on model of acidizing process
Conduct treatment in such a manner than it can be optimized
“on the fly”
14
14
Laboratory Testing for Optimal Acid
Selection
ARC test
Particularly useful for new formation or when many wells will be
treated in a particular formation
• Short core
– Consists of flowing acid through a small core while monitoring
permeability response from pressure drop
– Compare plot of permeability of core as a function of acid
throughput in pore volumes (“acid response curve”)
Should only be used as guideline for field treatment
• Long core
– Experiments reflect more accurately field conditions (but
expensive and difficult)
15
15
Typical Acid Response Curve
Lower strength HF yields less damage in early stages

Conservative treatment would select the low concentration
16
16
Sandstone Acidizing
Methods to prepare Mud Acid

• Dissolving Ammonium Bifluoride in HCl solution:
NH4HF2 + (2+1) HCl 2 HF + HCl + NH4CI
to generate 1000 gallons (1 M3) 12-3 Mud acid :
15% HCL + 400 lbs (48 kg) NH4HF2
• Blending 20% HF solution to HCl
• Blending 25% HCl - 20% HF solution with Water or HCl
17
Acidizing stimulation techniques
Fluid Selection
Retarded Mud Acids

Volumes
For a 20% porosity Sandstone

OH 6″
• A penetration of 1 ft (33cm) needs 7.05 gal/ft (90 L/m)
OH 8″ ½
19
Typical HF acid treatment
Non acid preflush:

To break down the formation NON-ACID
HCl
PREFLUSH
WITH
or as a buffer with formation fluids PREFLUSH
ADDITIVES
(brine, oil)
Acid preflush: STEP #1 STEP #2
Physical barrier between HF and

HF ACID OVERFLUSH
formation fluid. WITH
ADDITIVES
WITH
SURFACTANT
HF treatment:
Treat the matrix STEP #3 STEP #4
Overflush:
RECOVER
Push away the treatment and any precipitate TREATING
FLUIDS
Flowback:
Should be accomplished as soon as possible
STEP #5 20
Treatment Sequences : 1 - Preflush
Objective : displace formation water or completion brine
avoid precipitates between HF with K+ Ca2+ Na+
Remove salt precipitates if any
Remove carbonates
Fluid used:
NH4Cl 3 to 5% brine
HCl 5 to 15 % + specific additives (Aromatic or mutual solvant)
Acetic acid + NH4Cl
Volume
50 to 75 % of main treatment
High clay = higher volume
21
HCl Preflush
Prevent precipitation of species by

• Dissolving carbonate minerals
• Displacing divalent cations from near-wellbore
• Lowering pH around wellbore
Preflush volume selected by assuming a distance to have all
carbonates removed
Common to remove carbonate 1 ft from wellbore
Conservative design as HCl in main acid will continue to
dissolve carbonates ahead of live HF
22
22
HCl Preflush Design
Preflush volumes as small as 25 gal/ft ensure live HF will not

contact regions of high pH (Hill et al. (1991))
Some HCl will be consumed by ion exchange with clays, so
appropriate to use excess volume of preflush above needed
for carbonate dissolution (Gdanski and Peavy (1986))
Sometimes injectivity cannot be established with HCl, hence
no preflush
Successful well responses without HCl preflush reported for
wells with very high skin effects which did not respond well to
conventional treatments using a preflush (Paccaloni and
Tambini (1990))
23
23
Treatment Sequences : 2 – Main treatment
Objective
increase pore throat and transport additives to
decrease the damage
Fluid used
Mud acid ; HF strength according to mineralogy,
temperature and clay content
Lab test to perform in a new formation
Be careful with the cut and paste method
24
Treatment Sequences: 2 - Main treatment
Volume : depth of damage and required treatment
Optimum volume :
acid placement simulator
field experience, rule of thumb and acid HF concentration
• 3% 100 gal/ft to 40 gal/ft - 1.2 to 0.5 m3/m

• 1.5% 150 gal/ft to 40 gal/ft - 1.8 m3/m
• 1% 200 gal/ft to 40 gal/ft- 2.5 m3/m
Can be as low as 40 gallons per foot for a perforation damage
Can be optimized afterwards from the job evaluation
25
Treatment Sequences: 3 - Overflush
To displace acid from tubing and wellbore
Moves precipitates farther from wellbore so less damaging
Displace treatment away from the well bore: at > 3ft
Keep near well bore pH acidic
Variety of fluids have been used: HCl, diesel, ammonium
chloride (NH4Cl) solutions,
Oil Wells: NH4CI / Weak HCl / Diesel + mutual solvent
Gas Wells: NH4CI / Weak HCl
26
Overflush design
Overflush composition
Surfactant / Mutual solvent
• Leave formation water-wet
• Facilitate flowback
Nitrogen
• promote flowback in low pressure wells
Volume 1 to 1.5 the main treatment volume
5% HCl + mutual solvent
Large volume overflush : combination HCl, diesel or NH4Cl

27
Treatment sequences: 4 - Flowback
Recommendations:
As soon as possible
Common Practice: energized Fluids
Water Injectors: do not flowback, start injection

immediately
Exception with some retarded acid (Clay acid)
28
Do not forget: Know the well fluid
It is very important to know the fluid produced as well as the

compatibility of the acid with these fluids: all fluids should be
tested for compatibility with live/spent acid in emulsion and
sludge tests
Completion fluids used could also be incompatible
It is important to know the well parameters: BHST, surface
and BH pressures, and type of completion. The type of fluid
and additives will depend on the BHST
Pressures and type of completion become important when
we consider acid placement and diversion
29
Do not forget : Acid Placement
If you are treating a long heterogeneous interval: perform some

diversion: mechanical (packer and balls) , viscous slugs,
foam, particles
Example
• Preflush
100 md x 10 ft
• Main treatment
• Overflush
20 md x 50 ft •Balls Sealers
• Preflush
• Main treatment
5 md x 200 ft • Overflush
30
Do not forget : Preparation
Always perform a pickling of the tubing prior the

treatment.
Bull heading in an old tubing without a circulation
tubing cleaning can be a disaster
Filtrate all the fluids which will be injected
Check the flow back circuit
Special equipment is required to prevent spent acid
spillage offshore
31
Example 3: Preflush Volume Design
Calculate the volume of 15 wt% HCl preflush needed to

dissolve all carbonate minerals to a distance of 1 ft beyond the
tip of a 6 in long, 0.25 in diameter perforation if there are 12
shots/ft. Well is cased in 7”. The density of acid solution is 1.07
g/cm3. The formation contains 5 vol% CaCO3 and no other HCl-
soluble minerals and has an initial porosity of 0.2. The density
of CaCO3 is 2.71 g/cm3.
32
32
Acidizing stimulation techniques
Fluid Selection
Retarded Mud Acids

Retarded Mud acid Formulations
• Retarded HCl:HF formulation using Fluoboric Acid

• Inhibits fines migration
• Act as a Clay stabilizer
• Limited HF available ==> deeper penetration
• Reduced probability of precipitation
• On the market
• BJ: Sandstone acid
• Schlumberger: Clay acid and XE 104
• Halliburton: Fines control Acid, Volcanic acid
34
Special Systems for Special Cases
• Drilling mud damage removal • Acid sensitive formations

systems • Water sensitive formations
• Alcohol based acids • Gas wells/tight formations
• Organic acids • High corrosion environments
• Non-acidic solvents • High sludge tendencies
• Sour well acids • Recovery of whole mud
35
Acid formulation design summary
Any acid formulation design must consider:

The type of rock and the damage to tackle
But as well:
corrosion of completion equipment: Temperature & metallurgy
the inherent presence of free iron in the borehole and the necessity
to complex it to avoid highly damaging precipitates
the compatibility between acid and hydrocarbon: risk of emulsions,
sludges, or precipitates
the accessibility of the rock by the acid: need for surface active
agents to water wet matrix
the carrying capacity of fine particles during clean up
…etc
36
Summary
Acid formulation selection

• Maximizes stimulation effect
• Minimizes collateral damage
• Optimizes cost
Neat acids and brines are used for pre- and over-flushes
Mud Acid is a mixture of HCl and HF optimized for the
Mineralogy, the Temperature and the Permeability
Retarded mud acids are very effective in removing
formation damage and stabilizing formation fines.
37

42 - Sandstone Fluid Selection

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

42 - Sandstone Fluid Selection

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sandstone Acidizing

Copyright 2009 NExT, All rights reserved

Treatment design involves following requirements:

Selection of acid type & concentration

Based primarily on field experience

>100 md 20-100 md <20 md

<10% silt and <10% clay 15X 10X 7.5X

all other combinations of

4-6% chlorite/glauconite, use <20md Guidelines with 5% Acetic Acid

Old time: high HF concentrations used for all sandstone

McLeod (1984) guidelines

Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 2 -5% Zeolites*

Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with >5% Zeolites*

*10% Acetic Acid PF/OF

Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 4 - 6% Chlorite/Glauconite

Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with 6% - 8% Chlorite/Glauconite*

Mud Acid Guidelines for Reservoirs with >8% Chlorite/Glauconite*

Selection of optimal acid volume complicated by competing

Lower strength HF yields less damage in early stages

Methods to prepare Mud Acid

Copyright 2009 NExT, All rights reserved

For a 20% porosity Sandstone

Non acid preflush:

Physical barrier between HF and

Prevent precipitation of species by

Preflush volumes as small as 25 gal/ft ensure live HF will not

field experience, rule of thumb and acid HF concentration

• 3% 100 gal/ft to 40 gal/ft - 1.2 to 0.5 m3/m

 Large volume overflush : combination HCl, diesel or NH4Cl

Common Practice: energized Fluids

Water Injectors: do not flowback, start injection

It is very important to know the fluid produced as well as the

If you are treating a long heterogeneous interval: perform some

Always perform a pickling of the tubing prior the

Calculate the volume of 15 wt% HCl preflush needed to

Copyright 2009 NExT, All rights reserved

• Retarded HCl:HF formulation using Fluoboric Acid

• Drilling mud damage removal • Acid sensitive formations

Any acid formulation design must consider:

Acid formulation selection

You might also like

Large volume overflush : combination HCl, diesel or NH4Cl