IPTC 13645

Case Study: Successful Application of a Novel Conformance Treatment in

an Extended Reach Horizontal Well in the Al Shaheen Field, Offshore Qatar

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M.H. Pedersen, M. Lechner, Z.A. Pon, D. Brink, I. Abbasy (Maersk Oil Qatar AS) and M.R. Jaafar (Qatar
Petroleum)

Copyright 2009, International Petroleum Technology Conference

This paper was prepared for presentation at the International Petroleum Technology Conference held in Doha, Qatar, 7–9 December 2009.

This paper was selected for presentation by an IPTC Programme Committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the International Petroleum Technology Conference and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily
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Abstract
The thin and laterally extensive Al Shaheen reservoirs are developed with extended reach horizontal wells and large-scale
water injection, which over the last decade has proved to be a proficient and environmentally favorable recovery scheme.
This paper describes how injection water short circuiting between two horizontal wells in excess of 20,000 ft was eliminated
with a conformance treatment without the necessity of a costly and operationally risky well intervention. Traditionally,
reservoir management in terms of injection or production profile modification has been achieved with rig-based work-over
operations applying mechanical solutions such as cement or isolation straddles. Work-over operations utilizing drilling rigs
are, however, expensive, pose inherent operational risks and delay the implementation of the ongoing development plans.
When water injection was recently commenced in a well taking part of an existing line drive pattern, an immediate pressure
and watercut response was observed in the adjacent producer. Attempts were made to mitigate the effect of the
communication, but water injection eventually had to be ceased to allow sustainable flow from the production well. The very
pronounced response in the producer suggested that short circuiting was occurring through a fracture providing conductivity
several orders of magnitude higher than the prevailing matrix conductivity.
A comprehensive multi-disciplinary review of static and dynamic data lead to the assessment that the fracture communication
could be eliminated utilizing a conformance treatment and following laboratory testing and design, a crystalline
superabsorbent copolymer was pumped from a stimulation vessel as part of an intervention- and rig-less operation.
After the conformance treatment, injection was resumed with no adverse effects on the performance of the adjacent producer.
The treatment is estimated to have recovered lost oil reserves of some 3 MMstb and to have reduced cost with more than USD
8 million compared to a conventional rig-based work-over operation.

Introduction
Maersk Oil Qatar is the operator of the Al Shaheen Field located on the central axis of the Qatar Arch some 70 kilometers
north-east of the Qatar peninsula (Figure 1). The main reservoir targets include the Lower Cretaceous Kharaib B and Shuaiba
carbonate formations and the Nahr Umr sandstone (Figure 2).
The Kharaib reservoir is a laterally uniform carbonate platform with a full thickness of 80 ft and a reservoir target of some 10
ft. The reservoir comprises tight carbonates with inter and intra granular porosity and local natural fracture networks. The
Shuaiba reservoir is a transitional marginal carbonate platform with a full thickness of approximately 200 ft thick and a
reservoir target of some 20 ft. The reservoir comprises tight carbonates with inter and intra granular porosity and local natural
fracture networks. The Nahr Umr reservoir comprises laterally extensive marginal marine sands with a target thickness of
some 5 to 10 ft of unconsolidated, high permeable sand.
The Al Shaheen Field is under development with long horizontal wells under the appliance of extensive water injection to
accommodate the large areal extent of the hydrocarbon accumulation and relatively poor vertical well productivity,
particularly of the tight carbonates. The length of the horizontal development wells has been gradually increased and in 2008
the limit was extended beyond 40,000 ft when a Kharaib B production well was drilled to a world-record depth of 40,320 ft
MDRT. As the result of the consistent implementation of horizontal wells, Al Shaheen is at present developed from only nine
platform locations; for comparison in excess of 40 locations would have been necessary for a development scheme comprising
wells with a horizontal reservoir section of 5,000 ft. The realized reduction of platform locations and development wells has
2 IPTC 13645

led to a substantial reduction of 1) the usage of steel for topsides and pipelines and 2) the disposal of drill cuttings and
chemicals to the sea, both accentuating the environmental attractiveness of the applied development scheme.
Development patterns are primarily radial and parallel line drives with alternating producers and water injectors while well
spacing varies from below 600 ft in the tighter carbonate reservoirs to more than 5,000 ft in the permeable sandstones. The
development of particularly the carbonates is prone to conformance related challenges caused by undesired direct connections
between injectors and producers via natural or induced fractures. Such direct connections inherently reduce the efficiency of
the secondary recovery scheme and elimination of short circuiting to re-establish effective water injection is therefore of
paramount importance.

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Remediation of Inter-Well Short Circuiting
In theory the preferred remedial action in the event of injection water short circuiting would be in- or outflow profile
modification through manipulation of existing mechanical completion zones, controllable either from surface or through coiled
tubing intervention. Because of technical limits (Figure 3), the horizontal well bore is, however, typically divided into two or
three long sections, each covering thousands of feet of reservoir. Profile modification through operation of a completion zone
therefore often isolates a section of the well substantially longer than necessary which, of course, is sub-optimal from a
recovery efficiency point of view. In acceptance of the current inability to control in- or outflow from adequately confined
segments of the reservoir, the majority of the development wells are completed barefoot to maintain maximum flexibility
while reducing capital expenditure.
Three alternative means of in- or outflow modification, hence elimination of short circuiting in a injector-producer well
pattern, exist:

x Perform a work-over to identify and mechanically eradicate the communication, e.g. installation of a straddle, a liner
or execution of a squeeze job after locating the communication path(s). This option was considered to be technically
superior and to provide the highest chance of successful remediation, however, it was rendered infeasible at present
because it requires intervention from a rig which inherently 1) delays the implementation of the ongoing development
plan and therefore accumulation of oil production potential and 2) increases cost significantly.

x Place a conformance treatment through the existing completion in a rig-less operation using coiled tubing. This
option would allow logging to pinpoint the location(s) of communication and subsequent precise placement of a
conformance treatment, however, due to limitations on coiled tubing reach (Figure 3) only if the communication path
existed in the inner part of the wellbore. Furthermore, simultaneous coiled tubing and rig operations are normally not
viable, hence a delay of the development plan would most likely be incurred.

x Bullheading a conformance treatment through the existing completion. This option was evaluated to 1) cost less than
1% of a conventional rig-based work-over and 2) be fully viable simultaneously to ongoing drilling activities. Due to
the inherently reduced control on treatment placement compared to intervention-type operations, the bullhead
solution was, however, only considered to have adequate chance of success for patterns adhering to a set of carefully
defined criteria.

Due to the present conveyance limitations and the significant financial upside, the ability to successfully remediate water
injection short circuiting by bullheading conformance chemicals constitutes a huge business opportunity for Maersk Oil Qatar.
This paper describes the thorough candidate selection process, the practical aspects of the treatment and the in-depth analysis
of the effectiveness of the treatment from a reservoir engineering perspective.

Selection of Candidate Pattern for a Bullhead Conformance Treatment

The initial screening of candidates was performed by reviewing a list of existing patterns displaying sub-optimal water
injection response and short-listing based on four criteria which were considered of paramount importance for the technical
and financial justification of any bullhead conformance treatment:

x Exhibition of particular pronounced level of short circuiting

x Current incapability to sustain concurrent injection and production
x Understanding of the mechanism(s) responsible for the short circuiting
x Occurrence in a prolific area with high in-place hydrocarbon volume, hence reserves at risk

Based on these prevailing criteria, a Kharaib B line drive pattern was identified comprising “Well A” and adjacent “Well B”.
Injection Well A was drilled to a total depth of 22,678 ft MDRT with the 9-5/8” casing shoe placed at 4,559 ft MDRT in May
2007 while Production Well B was drilled to 23,858 ft MDRT some two months later. Both wells were completed "open-hole"
with the exception of inclusion of a short tailpipe below the permanent production packer to mitigate the potential for debris
production. The applicability of the pattern, vis-à-vis the listed criteria, is discussed in details below.
IPTC 13645 3

Criterion 1: Exhibition of particular pronounced level of short circuiting

Figure 4 displays the impact on Well B production performance following the onset of water injection in Well A. The
occurrence of increased oil production at dT = 40 days was interpreted as “flush” production from oil-to-water displacement of
the fracture constituting the root cause for the short circuiting. Hence, immediately after the oil peak, injection water breaks
through in Well B constituting a rapid drop in oil rate and an associated incline in watercut. The subsequent attempt to resume
water injection at dT = 65 days resulted in an even more pronounced reduction of oil production and upon further trials it was
rendered impossible to inject into Well A and produce Well B simultaneous. The instantaneous and complete restoration of
Well B upon ceasing water injection provided further evidence of the very direct nature of the short circuiting.

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Criterion 2: Current incapability to sustain concurrent injection and production
See Criterion 1.
Criterion 3: Understanding of the mechanism(s) responsible for the short circuiting
During drilling of Well A instantaneous total losses was experienced at a depth of 18,837 ft MDRT. Attempts to cure the
losses were only partially successful suggesting “injection” into a fracture system with substantial associated volume and
conductivity. When well B was drilled two months later, only normal dynamic losses were observed indicating that although
the fracture connection most likely existed, it was non-conductive in the vicinity of Well B. It is envisaged that the initial water
injection, although performed at low pressure, induced conductivity along the entire fracture between the two wells.
With the exception of the observed fracture, the area developed by Well A and Well B had exhibited a pronounced level of
homogeneity and the likelihood of effective water flood was therefore interpreted as high, in the event of remediation of the
fracture communication.
Criterion 4: Occurrence in a prolific area with high in-place hydrocarbon volume, hence reserves at risk
Well A and B take part of a line drive targeting a generally homogeneously behaving area with low oil viscosity. The
developed area has an estimated STOIIP of 75 MMstb and high expected recovery, largely due to a favorable mobility ratio.
To facilitate improved understanding of pre- and post treatment conditions, a high-resolution reservoir model was built and
history matched indicating that continuous deficiency of water injection in Well A would lead to a loss of reserves of
approximately 22 MMstb.

As the selected pattern fulfilled all requirements constituting a high probability of successfully eliminating inter-well short
circuiting with a bullhead conformance treatment, detailed design and planning was initiated.

Selection of Conformance Treatment Material

A series of different conformance treatment materials were considered as part of the initial screening process. These are
summarized in Table 1. Considering the inherent inability to place the treatment material directly at the point of short
circuiting, particular attention was placed on addressing the potential for the material to 1) accumulate in the injection well, 2)
short circuit to the production well and permanently damage productivity and 3) interfere and impair the production facilities if
produced to surface.
Based on the comparison in the table and in further consideration of the discussed issues, the Crystalline Super-absorbent
Copolymer conformance system was identified as the most suitable and it was consequently recommended to try this product
for remediation of the communication between Well A and Well B.
Crystalline Super-absorbent Copolymer Conformance Solution
The crystalline super-absorbent copolymer (CP) conformance material has a three dimensional network-like molecular
structure. The polymer chains are formed by joining millions of acrylic acid monomers substantially neutralized with sodium
hydroxide. Cross-linking chemicals ties the chains together to form the three dimensional network structures which enable the
copolymer to absorb water or water-based solutions into the pore spaces of the molecular network. This forms a gel-type
solution and locks the liquid in suspension. Effectively, the crystals swell as they absorb 10 to 800 times their own weight of
water. This property makes them suitable for creating a blockage in an inter-well communication system2. Due to the large
particle size (available in 1 mm, 2 mm, and 4 mm), CP will not invade the reservoir matrix. It is resistant to CO2 and H2S
environments as well as hydrochloric acid. It is removable by utilizing oxidizers or bleaching compounds.

Treatment Design, Planning and Execution

In-depth planning of the job was performed by a multi-disciplinary team comprising both sub-surface and surface engineers to
ensure that all fundamental aspects were catered for. The main aspects that were addressed in the design and planning phase
and the data from the actual execution are discussed below.
Method of Pumping
The conformance job was planned from a stimulation vessel to ease transportation and storage of chemicals and to enable
mixing and pumping the treatment on-the-fly. The alternative use of temporary batch tanks and mixers located on the platform
was logistically more complex, particularly due to a simultaneous rig operation, and therefore rendered impractical.
4 IPTC 13645

Application Well
The CP was planned to be pumped into injection Well A rather than into production Well B to diminish the risk of swollen CP
particles entering the production process system. Additionally, placement of the chemical in the direction of water injection
was envisaged to improve the ability of the swollen particles to effectively block the communication path.
Carrier Fluid and Laboratory Testing
As the communication path was expected at 18,837 ft MDRT, the CP had to be transported a substantial distance along the
horizontal wellbore prior to entering the fracture. With an approximate density of 0.75 sg, the pure CP grains are lighter than
water which introduces a risk of under-ride if seawater was used as carrier fluid. To mitigate the risk, a seawater based gel

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with a viscosity of 30 cP was used as carrier fluid. Laboratory swelling tests with the viscosified seawater suggested an
approximate swelling time of 100 minutes (Figure 5).
Phased Approach
It was decided to take a phased approach to the application of CP, hence commence with the implementation of a limited
quantity and proceed to larger volumes based on evaluation of the results. The primary reason for the approach was to reduce
the risk of impairing the producer, the injector or the production facilities in the event of significantly different behavior of the
treatment than anticipated. For the initial trial, 1,000 lb of one mm grain size CP was utilized equivalent to approximately 200
bbl of fully swollen CP. For comparison the total open-hole volume of injection Well A was estimated at some 1,300 bbl while
the volume to the fracture was estimated at 1,000 bbl.
Treatment Execution
The treatment took place ultimo December 2008 and was performed according to the treatment schedule depicted in Table 2
and the treatment plots depicted in Figure 6. Based on results from the initial injection test, a pump rate of 5-10 bbl/min was
applied during the main treatment to balance necessities to 1) manage the bottom hole pressure hence the risk of undesired
formation breakdown and 2) minimize swelling prior to the arrival at the fracture. Following a fairly rapid pressure increase
when the CP entered the open-hole, a constant surface pressure of approximately 1,000 psi was observed during the remaining
stages. Considering that prior to the treatment Well A was short circuiting water with no pressure at surface at a rate of 6-8
bbl/min, the observed pressure during displacement at a similar rate strongly suggested that access to the fracture had been
eliminated. Upon completion of the treatment, Well A was placed on low-rate injection to ensure that pressure was
consistently applied during the period of swelling. Producer Well B initially remained shut-in to minimize the pressure
differential between the two wells during swelling before normal production was resumed some 12 hours later.

Discussion of Post Treatment Results

Figure 7 displays the performance of Well A and Well B after the execution of the CP treatment. The ability to sustain
injection into Well A with no adverse effects on the performance of Well B in terms of oil rate and watercut confirmed that the
conformance treatment had successfully eliminated access to the direct communication path between the two wells.
Regrettably, the achievable injection rate in Well A was significantly lower than that of comparable wells in the same line
drive development. Attempts to improve injectivity, initially through cycling and subsequently through sustained injection
proved unsuccessful and it was eventually concluded that the conformance treatment, in addition to successfully eliminating
access to the fracture, had also impaired injection into the matrix. It was therefore decided to temporarily cease injection while
acquiring an improved understanding of the damage mechanism.

Pressure Transient Analysis

The high-frequency pressure data collected during the imposed shut-down of Well A was analyzed using classic well test
interpretation techniques. Analysis of the fall-off data indicated horizontal well behavior, however in order to achieve a good
pressure match using typical values for permeability and skin, it was necessary to reduce the effective well length to some
2,000 ft equivalent to less than 10% of the total reservoir section. The resulting pressure match is depicted in Figure 8 and 9.
Attempts to match the pressure history with longer reservoir sections and higher skins/lower permeability were all
unsuccessful (Figure 10 and 11), essentially eliminating the possibility of near-wellbore damage along the majority of the
horizontal well caused by creation of a Ǝgel-cakeƎ or alternatively by unexpected penetration of the treatment material.
Considering that the volume of the open hole in Well A between the fracture (18,837 ft MDRT) and the interpreted depth of
the blockage (+- 6,500 ft MDRT) was substantially larger than the anticipated volume of the swollen CP material, it was
difficult to intuitively envisage and therefore understand the exact nature of the plugging mechanism; in acceptance of the
robustness of the interpretation it was, however, assumed that an immovable plug had, in fact, been formed 2,000 ft into the
open-hole section during the first four months of injection.

Reservoir Simulation
In the light of improved understanding of the sub-optimal outflow performance of Well A as provided by the pressure transient
analysis, the reservoir simulation model was used to estimate the reserves recuperated under the governing well configuration
with some 10% of the well active. The simulation model contained 14 vertical layers while a horizontal grid block geometry of
IPTC 13645 5

100x100 ft was selected to ascertain adequate resolution of the secondary recovery process. Besides Wells A and B, the model
contained an additional six wells, three producers and three injectors. The fracture zone between Well A and B was modeled
using permeability multipliers across the estimated fractured zone. The intersecting position at 18,837 ft MDRT in Well A was
determined from drilling data while azimuth and lateral extent was inferred from interpretation of petrophysical logs and
general knowledge about the dynamic behavior of the area. An overview of the model data is provided in Figure 12 and 13.
Production from wells within the area of interest commenced in 1998 and the model was firstly matched to historical
production, injection and pressure data with particular effort on accurately capturing the watercut behavior during water
injection into the short circuit between Well A and Well B (Figure 14). The post-treatment conditions was, as characterized by
the pressure transient analysis, modeled by reducing the effective length of Well A to the inner 10% of the reservoir section.

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The resulting match of the surface injection pressure in well A is displayed in Figure 15.
The model suggests that the conformance treatment has enabled recuperation of some 3 MMstb of oil. The significant deficit
compared to the initial estimate of recoverable reserves is, of course, induced by the unexpected occurrence of plugging of
Well A which practically prevented injection in more than 90% of the total well bore.

Plan Forward
Based on the substantiated, but unexpected indications of a restriction to flow 2,000 ft into the open hole section of Well A, it
was decided to plan an investigative coiled tubing operation including deployment of a memory-PLT. Due to estimated
shallow depth of the “plug” it was considered feasible to reach and remove the plug and acquire an outflow profile across the
logged interval. As of May 2009 the planned operation was awaiting final mobilization of equipment and a suitable operational
window. It is anticipated that the coiled tubing operation should be able to remove the induced plug in Well A enabling
achievement of expected injection rates and recuperation of the remaining lost reserves of 19 MMstb from the pattern.

Conclusion
x A bullheaded conformance treatment successfully eliminated access to a fracture responsible for short circuiting
injection water between injection Well A and production Well B.
x After the treatment, injection was resumed in Well A with no adverse effects in adjacent producer Well B.
x Based on results from a purpose-built reservoir model, the ability to sustain injection enabled recuperation of some 3
MMstb of reserves which would otherwise have been lost.
x The successful application was the result of proper candidate selection, material selection and thorough pre-job
planning and design including both sub-surface and surface engineering departments.
x The total cost of the treatment was less than USD 0.1 million, hence the reduction compared to a conventional rig
operation is conservatively estimated at USD 8 million.
x The vessel-conveyed operation did neither interfere with the drilling campaign nor the accumulation of oil production
potential.
x In addition to eliminating access to the short circuiting, the conformance treatment unfortunately also incurred partial
damage of the wellbore. A coiled tubing operation is planned to characterize and mitigate the effects of the damage.
x The coiled tubing operation is anticipated to provide recuperation of the majority of the remaining reserves of 19
MMstb.

Acknowledgements
The authors are collectively grateful to the Management of Qatar Petroleum and Maersk Oil Qatar AS for providing the
opportunity to publish the material contained within this paper.
6 IPTC 13645

References
1. Barry Ritchie, SPE, Imran Abbasy, SPE, Michael Pitts, SPE, Brendan White, SPE, Maersk Oil Qatar AS and M. Rushdan Jaafar,
SPE, Qatar Petroleum: "Challenges in Completing Long Horizontal Wells Selectively", SPE 116541; presented at the 2008 SPE
Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition held in Perth, Australia, 20–22 October 2008.
2. Rebecca Larkin, SPE, Kinder Morgan CO2, Prentice Creel, SPE, Kinder Morgan CO2: "Methodologies and Solutions to
Remediate Inter-Well Communication Problems on the SACROC CO2 EOR Project – A Case Study", SPE 113305; presented at
2008 SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA., 19-23 April 2008.
3. Earlougher, R.C., Jr.:”Advances in Well Test Analysis”, Society of Petroleum Engineers Monograph 5, Dallas TX,
(1977).

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IPTC 13645 7

Figures

AL SHAHEEN

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Figure 1 – The Al Shaheen Field, offshore Qatar Figure 2 – Stratigraphy of the Al-Shaheen Field

Al Shaheen Field Reach Limitations

Technology Reach (ft MDRT)

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000

Drilling

One-trip Liner

Perforating

Com pletion

Control Line

Coiled Tubing

Top Comp Zone Zone Zone

Figure 3 – Reach limitations in wells in the Al-Shaheen Field

8 IPTC 13645

Pattern Production and Injection Performance

1.00
normalised rate, watercut

0.80

0.60

0.40

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0.20

0.00
0 20 40 60 80 100
dT (days)

Well B oil rate Well B watercut Well A injection rate

Figure 4 – Pre-treatment performance of Well A and Well B Figure 5 – CP laboratory swelling test with viscosified SW

Figure 6 – CP treatment plot (stage 4-6)

Pattern Production and Injection Performance

1.00
normalised rate, watercut

0.80

0.60

0.40

0.20

0.00
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
dT (days)

Well B oil rate Well B watercut Well A injection rate

Figure 7 – Post-treatment performance of Well A and Well B

IPTC 13645 9

100

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Pressure [psi]

10

1
0.01 0.1 1 10 100

Time [hr]

Log-Log plot: p-p@dt=0 and derivative [psi] vs dt [hr]

Figure 8 – PTA (log-log plot): good pressure match with a 2,000 ft horizontal well (perm = 3 mD, skin = 0)

3700

3200
Pressure [psia]

2700

2200

1700

-2000
Liquid Rate [STB/D]

-4000

-6000
06-04-2009 11-04-2009 16-04-2009 21-04-2009 26-04-2009 01-05-2009

History plot (Pressure [psia], Liquid Rate [STB/D] vs Time [hr])

Figure 9 - PTA: good pressure match with a 2,000 ft horizontal well (perm = 3 mD, skin = 0)
10 IPTC 13645

3000
Skin = 0

2600

Pressure [psia]
2200
Skin = 1

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1800

Skin = 2
1400

-2000
Liquid Rate [STB/D]

-4000

-6000
06-04-2009 09-04-2009 12-04-2009 15-04-2009 18-04-2009 21-04-2009

History plot (Pressure [psia], Liquid Rate [STB/D] vs Time [hr])

Figure 10 - PTA: poor pressure match with 18,000 ft horizontal well – skin sensitivity

2800 k = 3 md

k = 2 md
k = 1 md
2600
Pressure [psia]

2400

2200

-2000
Liquid Rate [STB/D]

-4000

-6000
09-04-2009 12-04-2009 15-04-2009 18-04-2009 21-04-2009

History plot (Pressure [psia], Liquid Rate [STB/D] vs Time [hr])

Figure 11 – PTA: poor pressure match with 18,000 ft horizontal well – permeability sensitivity
IPTC 13645 11

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Figure 12 – Top view with wells and fracture zone Figure 13 – Perm distribution in layer 6 including the fracture zone

Figure 14 – Match of Well B pre and post treatment watercut

Figure 15 – Match of Well A post treatment tubing head presure

12
Tables
Conformance
Description
Material
Conventional
Conventional oilfield cement
cement
Conventional oilfield cement
Foamed cement
foamed with Nitrogen
Rigid setting fluid with
highly engineerable right
Magnesium based
angle setting properties
cement
(temperature and retarder
dependent)
Cr(III)-
carboxylate/acrylamide gel.
High molecular weight
Cross-linked Gel suitable for fracture
treatment. Low molecular
weight is suitable for matrix
treatment.
Water-swellable synthetic
polymer capable of
Crystallised
absorbing 30 to 400 times
copolymer super
its weight in water for
absorbent system
treatment of fracture
connections.
Table 1 - Summary of comparison between alternative conformance options
Stage No.
1 Injection Test
2 Pre-flush
3 CP
4 Post-Flush
5 Displacement
6 Over-displacement
TOTAL
Table 2 – CP treatment schedule (actually pumped)
Advantages
ĺ Simple
ĺ Cheap
ĺ Industry experience shows
that this can work for
remediating
injector/producer
communication – self
diversion and lighter weight
properties assist
Right angle time accurate
set assists in sealing off
ĺ ĺ
communication – avoid
slumping
Temperature activated set
ĺ assists process via contact
with formation
Industry experience shows
this has worked for
ĺ remediating
injector/producer
communication
Can be designed to not
ĺ ĺ environmentally friendly –
affect formation matrix
Some industry experience
shows it has been
ĺ successfully used to
remediate injector/producer
communication.
Will not damage formation
ĺ matrix – crystals too large to ĺ
enter formation.
Very simple to pump –
ĺ
single component system.
Description Fluid System
Seawater
Seawater
0.25lb/gal CP in
Seawater
Fresh water
Seawater
IPTC 13645
Recommend
Disadvantages
(Yes/No)
Risky to bullhead through
ĺ
completion
ĺ Likely to impair formation
No
Low probability of
ĺ successfully treating
communication
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ĺ Operationally complex
Risky to bullhead through
ĺ
completion
No
Risk associated with
ĺ
pumping nitrified cement
ĺ Likely to impair formation
Risky to bullhead through
completion
ĺ Likely to impair formation
No
Low temperature contrast
between reservoir and
ĺ
surface makes mixing slurry
problematic
ĺ Expensive
Requires precise chemistry
to ensure cross-linking
commences at correct point
ĺ in wellbore – difficult if
communication path is
uncertain – accurate
placement is preferred. No
Cr(III) cross-linker not
approval can be difficult
ĺ Operationally complex.
ĺ Effect often short lived.
Some potential for
impairment in wellbore if
material swells up and
ĺ blocks part of
wellbore/completion tubing
– can be removed with
oxidizing material.
Yes
Longevity of treatment is
uncertain.
Volume (gal)
2,100
400
4,000
400
15,000
51,000
72,900