SPE 168168SPE-168168-MS

Optimizing Sandstone Matrix Stimulation in HT Well X (A Case Study)

S.S. Hassan, A. Nadeem, OMV (Pakistan) GmbH; U.B. Bregar, OMV A.G.
Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage Control held in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA, 2628 February 2014.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
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Abstract
Pakistan's demand for natural gas is quickly outstripping supply and the crisis is a symptom of a much larger problem destined
to cause consumers even greater pain in the future. In this picture every MMscf of gas is not only important for the country but
also important for OMV, which is fueling Pakistan for more than 20 years. OMV is trying hard to meet the demand by
restraining the decline in currently producing fields and to develop unconventional resources. In one of OMV operated fields,
after watering out 3 wells, well X was the only one available to feed 13 MMscf gas per day to processing plant to keep it
alive. To increase the recovery from reservoir, well X was put on wellhead compression in March 2012 subsequently rapid
decline rate (1.09 MMscf/month) was observed; finally production drop to 7.8 MMscfd which was alarming to shut down the
complete plant below 6 MMscfd.

The production modeling using commercial package depicted the skin of +16 in well X which was not supported by
available hard data. The interpretation of last buildup data was not strengthening the idea of near wellbore damage, further the
reservoir pressure used was dubious as it was taken ~1 year ago. Two cores were available in well X; unfortunately none was
from sandstone producing interval. As an analogy two core plugs from nearby well were sent for XRD analysis & core flow
test was performed with specially designed organic clay acid for high temperature reservoirs (OCA-HT). Based on
encouraging core flow test outcomes, an optimum job volume was engineered considering the critical zones radius (up to 1 ft),
in fear for fine migration & water producing zone. Matrix stimulation job was executed in October 2012 which resulted in
increment of ~7 MMscfd extending the plant life beyond 1 year.

This paper describes the complete case study of optimizing the matrix stimulation in high temperature sandstones. Furthermore
it will show how results achieved so far are promising which added a reasonable value to the producing asset and saved huge
revenue loss to the company.

Introduction
According to recent Paksitan government statistics the country is facing 2 Bcf gas shortage per day, in order to cope with this
situation the government is encouraging foreign investment for searching oil & gas. OMV started exploration activities in the
Middle Indus basin (Thar dersert of Pakistan) in 1991 and developed several gas fields; currently it is among the largest
international gas producers in Pakistan, delivering ~300 MMscfd sales gas which is more than 10% of Pakisans total gas
supply.

In one of OMV (Pakistan) operated gas plants having capacity ~70 MMscfd sale gas was being fed 13 MMscfd from well X
whereas all other wells in that field had water out. The well X was drilled to 3574.2 mTVD SS to target early cretaceous
Lower Goru B-Sand in February 2008. During DST the well was tested at 25.2 MMscfd gas, 53.3 STB/d condensate &
90.7 bbls/d water with 1020 psi FWHP at 80/64 choke size; afterwards the well was killed & suspended. In March 2009, the
well was completed with tappered completion (5-! tubing to 1842 m & 4-! tubing to 3445 m) as shown in Figure-1. The
well was tie in with the plant and 1
st
gas started in August, 2009.

During annual BHP survey 2011, the well X was tested at 12 MMscfd with a FWHP of 1526 psi @ 51% choke size; the
reservoir pressure & true darcy skin was interpreted to be 2433 psi @ datum (3310 mSS) and +1.0 respectively. In March
2012 a wellhead compressor (WHC) was installed which resulted in an increment of ~3 MMscfd; subsequently rapid decline
2 SPE 168168

rate (1.09 MMscf/month) was observed & production drop to 7.8 MMscfd with a FWHP of ~400 psi which was alarming to
shut down the complete plant below 6 MMscfd. The chlorides measurement was in the range of 200 ppm though the
production performance plot showed abnormal decline trend; as WGR & CGR values were almost constant whereas gas rate &
FWHP was declining (Figure-2), dictacting one reason which might be the increase in skin. This production scenario was
modelled using nodal analysis which depicted the skin of +16 but it was not supported by available hard data (last skin = +1
during BHP-2011).

After getting encouraging results of core flow test with organic clay acid for high temperature (OCA-HT) on plugs from offset
wells a preliminary stimulation job was designed; before executing the matix stimulation job, a short PBU was conducted
which confirmed the modeled skin value. Finally an optimum job volume was engineered which resulted in increment of
~7 MMscfd extending the plant life beyond 1 year.

Core Mineralogoy
Two cores were available from well X unfortunately none was in the reservoir section as they were in shaly part (one core
was taken above the reservoir interval and second was taken below the reservoir interval). Similarly no XRD analysis and
ditch cuttings from reservoir section were available. As an analogy the well A was considered the closet offset well with
pretty much same lithology as that of the well X also having core in the reservoir section stored in OMV Vienna HO and its
transfer process from Vienna to contractor lab might delay the stimulation. The other offset well B was also having the
reservoir properties closer to well X; its core plugs were selected for core flow test (Figure-3).

Well X core XRD analysis indicated a high percentage of quartz along with lesser amounts of feldspar (potassium feldspar &
plagioclase) & carbonate (calcite, ankerite & siderite). Clays were also present in huge percentage (average ~25%); the major
types included illite and chlorite. Illite is pore lining clay whereas chlorite is highly sensitive clay and their percentage varies
along well depth. At 3453m depth, illite was major clay mineral (~90% of total clay content) whereas chlorite was abundant
(~75% of total clay content) at 3481m (Figure-4 & 5).

By comparing XRD results of off set well B (Figure-6 & 7) with that of well X, it was seen that well B mainly consisted
of quartz (Approx~80%) along with lesser amounts of potassium feldspar, plagioclase and siderite. Clays were also present
mainly consisting of chlorite; though illite was present yet in lesser amount; both reservoirs had similar mineralogy but their
quantities varied.

Main Treatment Recipe (OCA-HT)
It has been recognized for several years that mud acid (12% HCI with 3% HF) systems are effective only in removing silicate
damage within 1 ft of the wellbore radius; fines & clays beyond this radius remain present and potentially mobile upon
production. The major obstacle to deep penetration of conventional mud acids is their rapid reaction rate at formation
temperatures with clays & grain cementing material while HF will spend on clays within minutes; therefore to achieve net
removal of material beyond 1 ft would require excessive treatment volumes which would have the undesirable effects. These
observations fueled the desire for a slower-acting sandstone acid that can remove damaging fines before they can migrate and
plug.

As the well X was producing with higher drawdown (>1000 psi) & so migration of fines was evident after bigger stimulation
job; it was decided to go for clay acid. A major advantage of clay acid is its ability to inhibit migration of fines present in
sandstones. Depending on the fines attacked, partial dissolution takes place (Al and Si) and boron is included in the lattice of
the crystal; a new surface with different properties is formed as a result of this topochemical reaction. The by-products
(borosilicates) appear as a coating on the initial surfaces. The borosilicates will not plug the pores as it coats the minerals and
welds them together to the sand grains.

Considering the high clay contents & higher reservoir temperature, a fluid system with oragainc acid as a chelant was used
which was effectively a blend of organic and fluoroboric acid (organic clay acid).

Pre Acid Pre-Flush
Sodium and potassium fluosilicate and fluoaluminate ions are formed by the reaction of fluosilicates and fluoaluminates with
Na
+
or K
+
; these are quite insoluble, voluminous & form a gelatinous precipitation. As formation water in the reservoir
contains these cations so to displace them away from wellbore, ammonium chloride (NH
4
Cl) was opted as a pre-acid pre-flush.

Acid Pre-Flush
As carbonate (calcite, ankerite & siderite) were present in core minerals (XRD analysis) so calcium fluoride (CaF
2
) was one of
the most damaging precipitates that could be formed. It precipitates when Ca
+2
and F
-
comes together. Calcium fluoride may
originate from dissolution of CaCO
3
from rock (as in case of Well X) or formation water with high calcium content.

SPE 168168 3

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CaF
2
formation was avoided by pumping an aqueous acetic acid as pre-flush. The main advantage of using aqueous acetic acid
with HCl was to inhibit its use at high temperatures for extended exposure times; in addition it slows down rate of reaction
with carbonates & effectively controls the precipitation of ferric ions.

Over-Flush
The role of overflush was to displace the main acid flush away from the wellbore to avoid precipitation of reaction products
from spent acid. NH
4
Cl with a surfactant was used as an over-flush & to leave the formation water-wet; in addition last 20 bbls
of over-flush was nitrified fluid taking into account low reservoir pressure to facilitate flowback.

Core Flow Test
Three cores plugs (plug # 20, 31 & 41) from well B were sent to contactor lab with the intended to quantify the effectiveness
of the OCA-HT to stimulate the damage zone (Figure-8 & Table-1). The core flow experiment was performed on core
plug # 31 from well B due to its matching reservoir permeability with well X by following steps:

1. Recorded the core plug dimensions.
2. Vacuum saturated core in 8% NH
4
Cl brine.
3. Loaded the core into the core flow apparatus and appied the overburden (2000 psi).
4. Heated the cell to operating temperature.
5. Measured initial permeability to 8% NH
4
Cl brine at 5.0 ml/min in production direction.
6. Injected 20 pore volume of pre-acid pre-flush at 5.0 ml/min in injection direction.
7. Injected 20 pore volume of acid pre-flush at 5.0 ml/min in injection direction.
8. Injected 25 pore volume of mian organic clay acid at 5.0 ml/min in injection.
9. Injected 20 pore volume of over-flush at 5.0 ml/min in injection direction.
10. Measureed final permeability to 8% NH
4
Cl brine at 5.0 ml/min in production direction.
11. Removed the core from the core holder after completing the test.
12. The final retained permeability 4000 md was much higher than the initially measured permeability of 700 md
(Figure-9).

Job Design
As per encouraging outcomes of core flow test, an acid stimulation job was designed using V-lab & StimCAD simulations
considering different formation damage radius (1.0 3.5 ft) to remove the true darcy skin with OCA-HT (Figure-10, 11 & 12);
the difference in job volumes was more than three times in 3.5 ft case, furthermore it was not economically justified to pump
huge volumes under this declining stage (P
r
= 1690 psi ) of well where OPEX needs to be on lower side as well. Based on the
simulation results, the final design (Table-2) was proposed with following considerations:

1. 80 gallon/ft main treatment was considered in removing 1 ft damage radius.
2. Perforation interval (3476.0 3483.0 mLD = 7 m) will not be treated.

Job Execution
The acid stimulation job was performed using coiled tubing as per following procedures:

1. RIH coiled CT & performed perforations wash with 20 bbls of 10% acetic acid solution; the treatment was nitrified at
500 Scf/min keeping the well flowing to flare pit.
2. Pumped 8% NH
4
Cl brine till neutralization (230 bbls).
3. Pumped pre-acid pre-flush (70 bbls of 8% NH
4
Cl) while reciprocating CT across the perforations (3465-3473m
only).
4. Switched to acid pre-flush (70 bbls of 10% acetic acid) and squeezed into the perforations.
5. Pumped main treatment (50 bbls of OCA-HT) and squeezed into the perforations.
6. Switched to over-flush (70 bbls of 8% NH
4
Cl) to displace the treatment away from the critical matrix; nitrified the
last 20 bbls by pumping nitrogen at 400 Scf/min taking into account low reservoir pressure.
7. Opened the well and performed nitrogen kick off.
8. POOH CT and observed the well at flare pit.




4 SPE 168168

Conclusion
The optimized acid stimulation resulted in an increment of ~7 MMscfd extending the plant life beyond 1 year adding a
reasonable value to the producing asset and saved huge revenue loss to the company. Furthermore post acid stimulation
production profile shows stable well behavior (with average decline rate ~0.46 MMscfd) which is in line with natural depletion
(Figure-13 & Table-3).

References
1. F.Yang, and H.A. Nasr-El-Din, Texas A&M University, and B.Al-Harbi. Acidizing Sandstone Reservoirs Using HF and Organic
Acids. SPE 15725; the paper presented on SPE International Production and Operations Conference and Exhibition, Doha, Qatar
14-16 May, 2012.
2. S.A. Ali, C.W. Pardo Chevron Energy Technology Co, Z.Xiao, F.E. Tuedor, A.Boucher, S.A. Al-Harthy, B. Lecerf and G. Salamat
Schlumberger. Effective Stimulation of High-Temperature Sandstone Formations in East Venezuela With a New Sandstone-
Acidizing System. SPE 98318; the paper presented at 2006 SPE International Symposium and Exhibition on Formation Damage
Control held in Lafayette, LA, 15 17 February 2006.
3. Kenneth R. Kunze, Chris M. Shaughnessy Exxon Production Research Co. Acidizing Sandstone Formations with Fluoboric Acid.
SPE 9387.
4. Oscar J. Jaramillo and Ricardo Romo, Petrobras; Alexis Ortega, Art Mine and Manuel Lastre, Schlumberge; Organic clay acid
system sustains post-treatment production increases. Pages 101 106, World Oil July 2010.

Tables

Well B Core Plugs Data for Core Flow Test
Plug Details
Horizontal
Permeability
(md)
Porosity
(%)
Grain Density
(gm/cc)
Number
Depth
(m)
Length
(mm)
Diameter
(mm)
20 3140.75 47.03 23.70 566.88 28.60 2.63
31 3144.09 43.50 24.71 300.79 29.64 2.69
41 3147.47 47.16 24.70 61.80 26.31 2.78
Table-1: Well B Core Plugs Data for Core Flow Test

Well X Acid Stimulation Design
Sr. No. Fluid
Pumping Rate
(bbls/min)
Nitrogenn Rate
(Scf/min)
Volume
(bbls)
Comments
1 8% NH4Cl Brine 1.0 - 230 Choke Open
2
Pre-Acid Pre-Flush
(NH4Cl+Surfactant)
1.0 - 70 Choke Closed
3 Acid Pre-Flush 1.0 - 70 Choke Closed
4 OCA-HT 1.0 - 50 Choke Closed
5 Over Flush 1.0 - 50 Choke Closed
6 Over Flush 0.7 400 20 Choke Closed
Nitrogen Kick Off
Table-2: Well X Acid Stimulation Design

Well X Pre & Post Stimulation Production Comparison

Gas Rate
(MMscfd)
FWHP
(psi)
Choke
(%)
CGR
(bbls/MMscf)
WGR
(bbls/MMscf)
Comments
Pre-Stimulation
(October 15, 2012)
5.97 314 100 4.9 13.4 With WHC
Post-Stimulation
(October 20, 2012)
9.58 942 100 4.2 15.2 Without WHC
Post-Stimulation
(November 04, 2012)
11.80 811 100 5.5 12.4 With WHC
(July 28, 2013) 7.52 404 100 3.3 26.1 With WHC
Table-3: Well X Pre & Post Stimulation Production Comparison
SPE 168168 5

Figures


Figure-1: Well X Final Profile


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6 SPE 168168



Figure-2: Well X Pre-Stimulation Production Profile



Figure-3: Well Corelations (Well X, A & B)








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Well B
Well A
Well X
SPE 168168 7



Figure-4: Well X Petrographic Composition and Texture






Figure-5: Well X XRD Summary








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8 SPE 168168



Figure-6: Well B Petrographic Composition and Texture






Figure-7: Well B XRD Summary








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SPE 168168 9



Figure-8: Core Plugs from Well B for Core Flow Test





Figure-9: Core Flow Test Resutls Performed on Well B Core Plug # 31
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10 SPE 168168



Figure-10: V-Lab Simulation (Skin = 16, Damage Radius = 3.5 ft, Treatment Volume = 80 gal/ft)


Figure-11: V-Lab Simulation (Skin = 16, Damage Radius = 1.0 ft, Treatment Volume = 80 gal/ft)
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SPE 168168 11



Figure-12: StimCADE Radial Penetration Plot
(Pre-Acid Pre-Flush = 70 bbls, Acid Pre-Flush = 70 bbls, Main Treatment Fluid = 50 bbls, Over-Flush = 70 bbls)



Figure-13: Well X Pre & Post Stimulation Production Profile (Zoomed)
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Un-Treated
Perforations