WELL CONTROL BRIDGING CLASS

FLUIDS

PHE TOWER, 4 – 8 DESEMBER 2023

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 Types of Completion and Workover Fluids
▪ Brines
o A mixture of water and salts. Clear, solids free fluid that enable completion string to be run
while providing overbalance pressure condition.
o Salts and water phase are inseparable by mechanical methods.
o Available with a variety of salt types and densities. Different salts are used to obtain
arange of densities up to 21 lb/gall (2.5 sg).
o Additional chemicals can be added to clean and preserve the casing. HEC, Xanthan Gum, or
other polymers can also be mixed with brine to provide transportation and suspension
material.
o Beside no solids content, brine mixtures can also be compatible with reactive shale or clays to
minimize formation damage.
o Brine densitiy is sensitive to temperature.

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 Types of Brines
▪ Clear brine typical density ranges

▪ Heavier salts are generally more expensive but be cost effective!

▪ Sometimes expensive fluids are necessary to prevent damage in sensitive formations. There are
occasions where less expensive fluids will cause little or no harm.

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 Hydrometer
• Most common method of measuring brine density is using
hydrometer.
• Provides a more precise measurement of density than a mud
balance.
• Measures specific gravity
𝑆𝐺 𝑥 8.3 𝑝𝑝𝑔 = 𝑀𝑢𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 (𝑝𝑝𝑔)
• Can be calibrated with other scales such as API gravity
• Hydrostatic pressure is our primary barrier during completion and
workover operation.

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 Mud Weight
• Measured in: lb/gal, lb/ft3, or SpGr
• Standard API mud balance or pressurized mud scale

Hydrostatic Pressure is our Primary Barrier

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 Thermal Expansion of Clear Brines
• Density of brine decreases with increasing temperature.

Brine weight (ppg) Weight loss (ppg/°F)

8.4 – 9.0 0.0017
9.1 – 11.0 0.0025
11.1 – 14.5 0.0033
14.6 – 17.0 0.0040
17.1 – 19.2 0.0048

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 Thermal Expansion of Clear Brines (Continued)
Example:
○Potassium formate brine
○Average wellbore temperature (AWBT) = 170 °F & Surface mixing temperature = 90 °F
○Fluid Density (FD) to balance zone pressure = 13 ppg (Calculated from reservoir pressure)

What fluid density should be mixed?

FD @ 90°F = FD @ AWBT+ [(AWBT – Surf Temp) x Weight loss (ppg/°F)]
= FD @ 170°F + [(170° – 90°) x 0.0033]
= 13 + [80° x 0.0033]
= 13 + 0.264 = 13.3 ppg

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 Crystallization of Clear Brines
▪ What is Crystallization?
Crystallization is the precipitation of salt out of a brine solution when brine meets the crystallization temperature in the
wellbore. The crystallization temperature is the second most important selection criterion for a completion brine.

▪ What does crystallization do to the density?

Crystallization lowers the density of a brine. It also increases brine viscosity with salt crystals, brine appears to be
frozen solid. it will create plugging in lines, riser, wellhead, or BOP.

• How can we prevent crystallization?

Use proper brine formulation which is suitable for desired density and temperature condition (consult brine supplier)

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 Crystallization of Clear Brines

Eutectic Point; is the lowest temperature a type of brine can have without having salt crystals.

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 Hydrates
Hydrates are a complex crystalline structure that is formed when free water meets hydrocarbon gas at low
temperature and high pressure. Hydrates can cause severe problems by forming a plug in valves or chokes
completely blocking flow.

Prevention of hydrates:
• Injecting glycol and/or polymers to water phase.
• Minimize non-circulating times to maintain temperature as high as possible - Driller’s Method.
• Primary good well control practices to minimize gas coming from the formation.
• Reducing free water by using oil based mud or maximizing the chloride content of a water based mud.

Hydrate removal:
• Circulate hot brine solution to warm the hydrate or remove the pressure.
• Pump methanol to lower the freezing point.

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 Hydrates

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 Packer Fluids
A fluid that is left in the annulus after the completion has been installed. It is designed
to provide:
• Weight and pressure on production packers and seals.
• Providing formation pressure control and preventing the collapse of casing and burst of the
production string.
• Ease of re-entry and hardware recovery in workover operations.
• Corrosion control for production string and casing.
• A good packer fluid should be non corrosive, stable with time and temperature, should not allow
solids to fall out on top of the packer and should be economical.

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 Fluid Properties (PV, YP, and Gel Strength)
• Plastic Viscosity (PV) has the most significant effect on friction of moving fluids (pump pressure).
• Yield Point (YP) has the most significant effect on equivalent circulating density (ECD) and
swabbing (annulus friction).
• Gel Strength (GS) causes static fluids to resist flow, therefore resulting in pressure
surges when:
■ Breaking circulation
■ Forcing static fluids up the annulus (surging)
• Additive free brines do not build any gel strength

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 Effect of Pressure and Temperature on Density
WBM Versus OBM/SBM
○What effect does increasing pressure have on WBM density?
Minimal effect

○What effect does increasing pressure have on OBM/SBM density?

Increases

○What effect does increasing temperature have on WBM density?

Decreases

○What effect does increasing temperature have on OBM/SBM density?

Significantly decreases

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OBM / SBM Considerations
“Typical” 17 PPG Mineral OBM
Temperature
(°F)
Pressure (psi) Measured
Density (ppg)
• This table shows laboratory results on a 17 ppg mineral-oil based
78 0 17.000 field mud.
3000 17.145
• Results may vary based upon actual OBM/SBM system
6000 17.275
9000 17.389 • BHP may not be calculated accurately with the mud weight at
12,000 17.492 the surface. It requires a PWD tool for accurate BHP
15,000 17.589 measurement.
200 0 16.392
3000 16.592 • The compressibility can be a major component of pressure lag
6000 16.760 time.
9000 16.905
12,000 17.033 • Recommend measuring lag time during choke drill.
15,000 17.149
350 3000 15.890
6000 16.122
9000 16.310
Pressure/temperature effect on density
12,000 16.469
15,000 16.608

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 OBM/SBM Gas Solubility
What is Gas Solubility?
Gas goes into solution under certain conditions:
▪ OBM/SBM will dissolve gases more readily than WBM due to the similar chemical properties of the
fluids.
▪ Specific gravity of gas and nature of the base fluid will change the amount of gas that can be
dissolved (higher specific gravity gases are more soluble in base oil)
▪ Temperature and pressure conditions will dominate how much gas can be dissolved
▪ The circulating rate will affect the concentration of gas per volume of fluid.
▪ Once a portion of fluid becomes saturated it can no longer dissolve more gas, but that excess gas
can migrate to and dissolve into other portions of the fluid that are under-saturated

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 OBM/SBM Considerations
• Solubility of some gases in diesel

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 OBM/SBM Kick Detection
Effects of gas solubility:
• Pit gain at surface may be less than actual
influx volume in OBM/SBM. For example, a 10 bbl
kick in a WBM may result in a 3 to 8 bbl initial pit gain
in an OBM/SBM.
• As gas breaks out from solution, sudden reduction of
HP would require adjustments of the choke.
• Gas in solution expands and migrates very little;
thus the volume of the kick, pit level and CP remain
fairly constant until it reaches bubble point.

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 OBM/SBM Controlling a Kick
• Gas in solution:
▪ The difference between SICP and SIDPP may not reflect the “volume” of influx.
▪ Gas in solution expands and migrates very little; thus the volume of the kick, pit level
and CP remain fairly constant until it reaches bubble point.
▪ When gas breaks out of solution, it causes rapid surface pressure increase and HP
decrease. This may require a choke adjustment.
▪ Gas in solution lowers flow properties and may enhance barite sag and settling.
• To predict Real Gas Behavior solubility modeling can be done for the conditions in
the well, but requires reliable Pressure, Volume, Temperature (PVT) data for the fluids
involved

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 TERIMA KASIH

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