ADVANCES IN FORMATION DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND

CONTROL STRATEGIES

J.O. AMAELULE D.G. KERSEY D.K. NORMAN P. M. SHANNON

this article begins on the next page F

PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO. 88-39-65 THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION ADVANCES IN FORMATION DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL STRATEGIES By Jude 0. Amaefule Core Laboratories David G. Kersey Core Laboratories David K. Norman Core Laboratories Canada Patti M. Shannon Core Laboratories Canada PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 39th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM HELD IN CALGARY, JUNE 12 - 16, 1988. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED.
SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN CIM JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. ABSnucr As reserves dwindle and exploration/development costs escalate particularly in frontier regions, the need for effective prevention and/or treatment of formation damage to maximize well productivity, has become apparent to prudent operators. This paper discusses wmomic implications, reviews various origins and forms, and provides method for recognition of formation damage.
Geological and enoneering tests for Proper assessment of the problem, and optimization schemes for effrctive solution are also describe. BACKGROUND Formation damage is a condition which occurs when barriers to flow develop in the near-wellbore region to give rise to a lower than expected production rate from or injection rate into a hydrocarbon bearing reservoir rock. This problem has been recognized for several decades as a major contributor to anomalous production and/or abnormal decline in productivity or injectivity in most hydrocarbon reservoirs. Many potential pay zones have been
misdiagonized as nonproductive, and payout on investment has been delayed because of formation damage. Understanding formation damage requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves such diverse specialty fields as inorganic/organic chemistry, physical chemistry, colloid and interfacial sciences, chemical kinetics, mineralogy, diagenesis and 65-1 fluid transport through porous media. Unfortunately, the primary interest of the various field groups involved in reservoir dermition and exploitation often seem to be in conflict. For instance, the driller is typically interested in reaching
the targeted depth quickly( increased ROP), and safely (overbalance pressure condition), while maintaining a gauged hole. Avoidance of formation damage then appears to be of secondary concern. However, if a project team is formed at the outset to include drillers, mud engineers, geologists, production and reservoir engineers, then proper objectives of a safe drilling program can be set to protect the formation and to casure that the reservoir will be exploited to its maximum productive capacity to generate a maximum return on investment. Once formation damage has occurred, proper
assessment and treatment WW require the cooperative effons of geologists and enpneers both in the field and in the laboratory. This synergistic approach is necessary to develop effcclive solutions to this expensive problem. Better understanding of the mechanism of formation damage is required in ordcr to develop effective preventive and mitigative procedures. With recent advances in technology, laboratory geological and engineering measurements can provide the many insights into the mechanism, prevention and cffcctive treatment of formation damage.
'. ',':

PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM PAPER NO_ 88-39-65

THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECTION

ADVANCES IN FORMATION
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND ~: ~ '.

CONTROL STRATEGIES

By
Jude O. Amaerule
CorB LaboralonBS
David G. Kersey
Cora LaboralorlBS
David K. Norman
Core Laboralones Canada
PaUi M. Shannon
Cora Laboralona9 Canada

PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED

THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 391h ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM
SOCIETY OF CIM HELD IN CALGARY, JUNE 12 - 16, 1988. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH
DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED ATTHE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION
IN CIM JOURNALS IF FILEO IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE
CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.

ABSTRACf
As reserves dwi.c.dlc and exploraticnJdevelopmecl COSIS es.c.alaLc
particularly in £rQnticr regions., the nced for effc.dive prevcnLioc
and/or treatment of formation damage 10 maximizc well
productiviry, bas become apparent to prudcD[ operalors. This
paper discusses economic implications, reviews various. origins and
Corms, and provides methods Cor recognition of CormaLioD damage.
Geological and engincering tests for proper assessmcnt of the
problem, and oplimi.zation schemes for effecLive solution Bre also
desC'ibcd.
,.
nuid trllD.Spart through porous mewa. UnCortunately, the primary ..' '.~
~ ..
interest of tbe various [jeld groups involved in reservoir defmition
and exploitation oftcn seem to be io conflict. For insIaccc, the
driller is typically interested in reaching the targeled depth
quickly( increased ROP), and safcly (overbalanee pressure
condition), while maintaining a gauged bole. Avoidance o£
formation damage Lhen appears to be oC secocdary concern.
However, iC a project Leam is formed at the outset 10 includ~
drillers, mud engineers, geologists, production and reservoir
:~.:
engineers, then proper objedives oC a .safe drilling program cae be
set to protecl the formaLion and to ensure that the reservoir wi.I.I be
exploited to its maximum productive capacity Lo generate a
maximum. return on investment.

Once. formalioD damage has occurred, proper assessmcnt aDd

BACKGROUND
Formation damage is a coowlioD whicb occurs when barriers to
flow develop ill the near-~Ubore region to give rise to a lower
than expccted production rale from or injection rate into a
hydrocarbon bearing reservoir rock. This problem has been
recognized for several decades as a major contributor Lo
anomalous product.ion and/or abnormal declice io produdMIY or
injeeLivity in most hydrocarbon reservoir.s. Many potential pay
zones have been misdiagonized as nonproductive, and payout 00
in...eslmenL has been delayed because or formation damage.
(reatmcDt will require the cooperative efforts of geologists and
engineers both in the field and in the laboratory. This synergistic
approach is necessary to develop eCCeclive solutions to this
ezpeosive problem. BeLLer ucdersland..iDg of the mechanism of
formation damage is required in order [0 develop errective
prevenLive BDd mitigative procedures. WiLh recent advanc.e.s in
technology, laboratory geological acd engineering measurements
can provide the ncu.ssary insights ioLO the mechanism, prevcntion
and effective. lIeaLmenL of formation damage.

Understanding formatioD damage requires a mulLidisciplicary

approaeh that involves such diversc specialty fields as
inorguic/organic chemistry, physical chcmisLry, colloid and
interfac:ia1 sciencc.s, cbemic.a.J meLics, mineralogy, diagenesis and

65-1

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF
FORMATION DAMAGE
Formation damage is a very expeos.i\'e beadach~ 10 lh~ oil and gas
ilJdusllj'. Before the drill bit penetrates lhe reservoir domain., the
reservoir rod: and its CDn.stilUcnt minerals and resident fluids ore
essentially in 8. Slate of ph}'5ico-chemical and thermodynamic
equilibrium. This equilibrium is disturbed during the drilliDg
proa:ss when extraneous mud solids/fluids are introduced iDla the
wellbore giving rise [0 pressures in e:rccss of the TC~rvOir pore
pressure. The re.sulLant differential pressure, usuaUy rderred to as
overbalance pressure, promotes [hI: mvasioo of fmc eolloidal
materials and filtrates into the ncar-wellbore region of the
Cormltion 'ilr'here they reduce r..be intrinsic permc.abiliry. An artisLic
renditioD of a weUbore model witb associated mud and fLlu-ale
invaded. zooes is &hown 00 Figure 1.
The impael oC formalion cI..amA~ on l'Cservoir prooucth.;'ty CAJ] be
evaluated by compuLing the annual revenue 105.5 per well (FDSL) at
a given oil price, P a.5 deseribcd by equation 6 bcIO'Vt·.
FDSL "" 365qo· p. DR ___________________ .(6)
The damage r.ntio, DR ud the annual re~nuc loss per well, FDSL
nrc plotted IllgainsL Lbe rlltio of damaged to undllmaged ZODe
permeability, (LIKe) for 'Various radii of damage, rd on Figure 2B.
The e.mmple presenLed on this figure is for a 6 inch diamcler well
in Il 4V Ilcre lipacing (drainage radill5, r~ ., 660 feel) wilb an
nc.damaged procluclion rale of 500 BID. The economic
implications of formation damage arc self evident on tbis Figure.
This flgUCe shows thal if the radius of cllIJDage, rd D 4 fccl, and if
L is reduced to 10 percenl of Kc.Lhen Ibe damase ratio, DR could
reach a level of SO percent. There£ore, an annual re'Fenue 10.sL per
well, FDSL due to damll8e, muld be as high lIS 2.2 million dollRC~
at a rather cooservative oil pri~ P ofStS per barrel.

Formation damagc C8rLDOl always be equalcd 10 permeabililY

A &i.mplific.d areal model illustrating me damagc.d woe around the
reducUoD. For instllDce, in cases where viscosity alteration occurs
weUbore is shown on F~re 2A In this FlglIrc, the wclIbore radius
in the ncar 'Wellbore region 115 in problems associated Wilh
is c." the radius of damage, rlS, and the dra.i.ns.ge rudil1S or the
cmulsioc block, the bydrocacbon mobiliry could be reduced and
rormation is given by r~. The colTesponding pen::I:Iwilities for the
damaged and undamaged mnes nre de.&igDated as L aDd Kc rael'"\'Ou produc:Liviry seriously impaired. Figure 3 illuslrales the
re.spectively. elJed of emulsion block on oil productivity. Oil produc:Lion rlllie is
plotted against Ibe radius of emulsion filled zone for vllrious
Application of Darcy's .sLeady-state incompressible radial flow emulsion ..ueosities. Thc bypotherica1 aample presented on Ibis
(equation 1) predia.s the l.beoretic.aJ undamaged produaion rate, q rlgUCe is for a resen'oir with.an iniLial oil viscosity of 0.3 centipois.c,
a.5 follCIWS -
an effeclive pen:neabiliry of 20 miUidaceys, nnd a drawdown
pressure of 250 psi. The undamaged production rale foc this
Qo ~ 7.OS Kch (Pe-Pw)_ ....... _._ ........... _.....•.. ___.. _.. _.(l) example was compuled 11.5 749 BID. If 8I) emulsion of 3 ccoLipoise
viscDsiry rOI"lIl5 oul 10 a radius of 2 feet around the wellbore, the
1000.,Jo ('e/rw) B., production rale would drop from 749 10 222 BID, Ihe II.Ilnu.nl
revenue loss would be 2.9 millioo dolla.rs (P or S15 per barrel).
where:
Qo "" undmnaged Dow rale. STBID
Kc ... cffecm-e undama:ged pcrmeabili[)', md ORIGIN OF FORMATION DAMAGE
b =effectiYc. &aDd I.b.ic:kDe.s.s, ft PROBLEM
Pc ::: res.ervoir pressure. psi
Pw '" wclJbore pressure, psi
IJ. "" viscosity, cp
FormatioD dllmage can occur during any phase of well
rc "" dr~ radius, ft developmenl (drilliog, well completion, well stimulalio[J,
r., "" wcUbore radius, ft workover/well .servicing), or rescrvoir exploitation (OST, primary
Bo :: formation vaJue factor, bbllSTB production, and supplemenLai nuid.5 injeaion). Damage could
result from solid.5 plugging andlor from adverse nuid-fluid and
Darcy's law is again applied to the various zones depicted on fluid-rock mlerac1ioD.!i.
Figure 2A 10 predict the damaged production rale, qd, as follows:-
Most fiuid.5 introduced in [he welJb.ore during various dO"il."Dhole
qd e 7.03h(Pe-Pw)Ln(re/rw) ___ ......... (2) operations arc usually ladeo with solids 10 incrcase Ihc weight of
the wellbore Duid and thus comrol any encounLered reservOlr
pressure. Re.servoir pores and pore throats in close praximity 10
the v.-cllbore are suso::ptible to blockage by the.se I:XIraneOll5 r.olid.5.
where: InvasioD of solid.5 inlo the reservoir rock occurs when solid parlicle
qd = damaged prooUd.ion rare, bpd size distribulions in the wellbore fluids are nOl matehed properly
KcI = permeability of damaged mne, md witb the pore si.z.e distributions of the reservoir roell:. Solid.!>
rd = radius of ~cd mne, ft invasioe arc normally limiled [0 8. few feel around Ihe wc.llborc.
However, in enremely permeable and/or highly fractured, or vugg)'
The damage ratio (DR), which is the fradionalloss in produalon formations, lost cireulatioe could lead to deep solids wVilSJon.
rale due 10 damage, caD be calculaled by combining equatiCI.D.S 1
and 2 10 give the following equation:- The majority of formatioe damage problems arise from fluid-fluid
and fluid-rock interactions. For example, whce aqueous liquid
filtrates invade the near-weUbore region, they can increase the
DR ~ (l-qdlq) = 1n(,"',.)«KdK.l)-1) .__ .. __ .... (3) water saturation 10 levels in u:o::ss of Ibe coc.nale s.aturation value.
This iecrease in water saturaLion can lead 10 a reduction in
( (KdK4)ln(,"',_) -In(,"',,)) hydrocarbon relath-e permeability and an Illteration in lhe capiUilr)
behavior of r.he invaded region. Conscquently, when Ihe ""ell is put
The damage s.k.i.n faaor, S is related 10 the damage ratio, DR as back on productioD, DO commercial quanLilie.s of hydroc.nrbcns can
foUml.os:- be. produced unlil Ibe extraneous water hilS been unloaded.
Additionally, the aqueous filtrale CAn mobilize any watcr·wet fines
DR = S ............................... _... _(4) and creale a problem of flDes migration.
(S + In(,o/,.))

wh.,., S = 1n(,"',.)«KdK.l)-1) .............. -_ ...... _... (5)

65-2