Abstract
Aramco has developed a novel sized particulate LCM using eco-friendly natural date seeds as the raw material. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia generates more than 150 thousand tons of date seeds each year as a waste by-product. Currently, there is no industrial use of the vast amount of date seeds available in the Kingdom. Due to a sustainable source in the Kingdom, it is a potential raw material for localization of some of the product development to reduce the import cost and fulfill the vision 2030 of Saudi Arabia. Its use will also boost the growth of local industries and enterprises along with the creation of new job opportunities for the local communities and will uplift the social and economic condition of the date farming communities.
Experimental evaluation of mechanical characteristics of various date seeds available in the Kingdom indicates the suitability of all of them in developing the sized particulate LCMs as most of them have similar physical and mechanical characteristics. Some seeds showed relatively inferior mechanical behavior compared to others. However, they can still be used in combination with other date seeds to prepare sized particulate LCM without any major impact on the mechanical behavior of sized particle admixture. Hence, a single type of date seeds or a blend of all the date seeds can be used as the raw material. Based on this assumption, a novel particulate LCM coined ARC Plug was developed using a blend of various date seeds as the raw material.
The performance of the newly developed date seed-based sized particulate LCM "ARC Plug" was evaluated using Permeability Plugging Test (PPT) Apparatus and 2mm slotted disc at 250 °F and 1500 psi pressure. A commercial equivalent product derived from walnut shells was also evaluated for comparative evaluation of the performance of the date seed-based LCM -ARC Plug. The results demonstrated good sealing and plugging efficiency of ARC plug with virtually no loss of whole mud.
Due to the possibility of showing significantly different performance in the lab and field conditions, two trial tests were conducted in two different hole sections that showed partial losses in the offset wells. The trial tests showed effective control of partial losses in these hole sections and thus confirmed the sealing and plugging behavior observed in the Laboratory. It also fulfilled all the KPIs selected for comprehensive performance evaluation. Based on the laboratory and field trial test results, it can be concluded that the locally developed date seed-based particulate LCM "ARC Plug" is a viable alternative to imported particulate LCMs products supplied by various vendors and service companies.
