Small Propped Fracture to Remove Near Wellbore Formation Damage: An Example From the Veslefrikk Field in the North Sea

Preventing scale precipitation is one of the main issues for maintaining well productivity on the Veslefrikk Field ¹. An oil soluble scale inhibitor treatment was pumped that reduced the initial productivity index (PI) from 21 Sm³/d/bar to 3 Sm³/d/bar. Reperforation only restored some of the productivity (from 3 to 7 Sm³/d/bar) indicating deeper near wellbore damage. A small hydraulic fracture stimulation was then performed, creating a propped fracture with a half-length of approximately 6 m. The PI then increased to 30 Sm³/d/bar, a 43% increase from the initial value. The stimulation was performed under pressure through a 2 7/8" work string run on Rig Assist Snubbing (RAS) with pumps and blenders rigged on the pipe deck.