Case Study

Gulf of Mexico Asphaltene Damaged Well, Returned to Economic

Health with NoPhalt Treatment
_______________________________________________________
SITUATION ANALYSIS
GoM operator sought to remove deposited
asphaltene damage from a mature well that had TREATMENT PROCEDURE
become completely plugged. Operator was
challenged with running a solvent treatment Step 1: 1260 gals of Solvent
capable of treating the entire 462’ interval without
Step 2: 500 gals of NoPhalt Gel
the use of expensive coiled tubing. Conventional
treatment methods require large chemical volumes Step 3: 500 gals of Solvent
and high pump rates to avoid only treating the
highest permeability (least damaged) intervals of Step 4: 500 gals of NoPhalt Gel
the producing zones.
Step 5: 1000 gals Solvent
OBJECTIVE Step 6: 500 gals of NoPhalt Gel

The viability of this subject well was unknown as it Step 7: 1000 gals of Solvent
had remained shut in, by a previous operator, for
over 3 years. Run a conventional small xylene
solvent package and improve zonal coverage with
a diverter.
RESULTS

SOLUTION BOPD BWPD FTP

The NoPhalt chemistry can be run as an enhanced Before

solvent or be gelled with a viscoelastic gellant to 30 4 61
NoPhalt
improve zonal coverage. Both NoPhalt systems
provide several critical functions not found in
After
conventional solvents. Most aromatic solvents are 296 0 196
NoPhalt
effective at dispersing asphaltene deposits under
downhole temperatures. Once dispersed these
asphaltene agglomerates are dispersed into
nanoparticle sized micelles. However, they are not
re-peptized or conditioned back into their natural
state. This results in a tacky, sticky condition which
causes them to re-agglomerate and redeposit
back into the previous location. The NoPhalt
chemistry is 350% more efficient than xylene at
removing asphaltene deposits. The increased rate
of penetration enables faster deposit removal and
greater zonal coverage with the addition of
viscoelastic gellant. NoPhalt’s proprietary
chemistry contains components known to disperse
and re-peptize the asphaltene agglomerates to a
more stable condition. Without re-agglomerating,
these asphaltene particles are now more easily
producible through perforations and gravel pack
screens without depositing.