Abstract
The effective stimulation of wells in offshore environments where the removal of existing completions is either not feasible or imparts significant cost implications can pose increased challenges for effective fluid delivery to the desired pay zones. This paper documents the challenges encountered in a sandstone reservoir requiring acidization and presents a hydrofluoric (HF) acid/aminopolycarboxylic acid (APCA) fluid stimulation methodology and ensuing field validation.
Frac-pack sand control is the preferred completion method in many wells located offshore West Africa. This method presents the following challenges during the life of the well:
Potential for underperforming well production
Screen integrity concerns on production hot spot impact points, resulting in reduced production rates or leading to potential long-term well failure
Large screen length or multizone completions leading to diversion challenges for any potential stimulation fluid
Removal of existing completion not permitted
Wells in this area were previously stimulated using complicated fluid trains and sequences with strong HF acidizing systems; however, this stimulation approach encountered complications that included the following:
Ineffective stimulation fluid placement, leaving areas under-stimulated
Spacers and pre-flushes necessitating large treatment volumes
Ineffective stimulation caused by fast reaction rates
Fluid compatibility concerns
Potential limitation of penetration of live acid
Potential for rock disintegration, leading to accelerated sanding in the wellbore
The HF/APCA fluid was developed and validated for use in such reservoir types, and the fluid qualification is documented and presented. The fluid pH is low, maximizing the generation of HF acid with an acid-soluble chelant.
This chelant technology provides unique sandstone acidizing advantages, especially for mixed mineralogy (carbonate/sandstone) formations, coupled with simultaneous dissolution and/or removal of Ca, Mg, or Fe carbonate scales and fines (clay and silica) accumulated in proppant packs, perforation tunnels, tubing, and downhole tools. The fluid is designed such that historic spacer and pre-flush requirements can be eliminated, resulting in more efficient, effective treatment. The system includes health, safety, and environmental advantages; it is a readily biodegradable, nonhazardous material and is not considered a marine pollutant.
In this field, the new chelant-based stimulation fluid used alongside engineered diversionary systems provided the ability to address the demands encountered in these wells. The field validation detailed in this paper documents the successful outcome of the fluid technology. Post-stimulation evaluation showed an improved velocity profile across the screens, indicating successful diversion into the underperforming reservoir sections. This result and the overall skin reduction allowed for a production uplift of 48%.
