Scale deposition down hole is a well-known and common production problem throughout the industry. Successful treatment of scale where it is first deposited near wellbore can be challenging in many cases, and sometimes impossible in others. While production assurance and scale inhibition chemicals have traditionally been added as a liquid in the fracturing fluid, this approach is often not very efficient or effective as a standalone inhibition strategy. Quite often a significant fraction of the chemical immediately returns during the initial flow back with only a small portion remaining for future inhibition. This then typically necessitates reapplication of the inhibitor chemicals using a squeeze treatment or continuous injection. The chemical delivery system described here utilizes porous ceramic proppant, which has been infused with the appropriate production chemical(s) and encapsulated. The infused ceramic proppant is added at a designed small weight fraction to the rest of the proppant volume in the fracture treatment. It is manufactured to perform as both a proppant and a chemical delivery system so it replaces an equivalent volume of standard proppant in its dual function as a proppant [Duenckel, 2014]. After placement in the fracture the chemical slowly releases from the proppant over the designed treatment period. This chemical delivery system allows for a large amount of chemical to be placed within the fracture, releasing slowly, without negatively impacting conductivity. The proppant is encapsulated with a semipermeable membrane which controls the release of production chemicals during placement and production. This provides long term scale protection and production assurance which eliminates the need for additional costly well treatments and lowers overall lease operating expense.In addition to describing the chemical delivery system, this paper will present a case history in which five wells in the Uinta Basin were treated with scale inhibitor using this new delivery system. In this application the infused porous ceramic was added in at a design fraction to natural frac sand treatments. Inhibitor returns will be presented which illustrate the efficient, long term protection of the entire production system from both barium sulfate and calcium carbonate scale. This paper will be useful for all production and completions engineers and technicians who are engaged in providing long term scale prevention and production assurance.
Production of hydrocarbons in deep water reservoirs involves the economical flow of hydrocarbons from the reservoir to the point of sale. One important consideration is effectively preventing / handling solid deposits which can be both organic (i.e. paraffin, asphaltenes) and inorganic (i.e. calcite, barite, halite) in nature. These deposits can cause catastrophic blockage in pipelines, subsea equipment and impair fracture conductivity and well performance. To prevent deposition and lost production inhibitor chemicals are typically delivered downhole via tubulars, injected at points along flow lines and risers and as an additive to fracturing fluids. Installing and maintaining such injection systems in these very challenging environments can be expensive to the operator of such facilities. A new delivery system has been developed which utilizes an infused and encapsulated ultra-high strength porous proppant (UHSPP). The stresses of these deep, high pressure reservoirs requires proppant that can resist closures up to 20,000 psi and previous attempts of using solid inhibitors in these environments have typically sacrificed conductivity. The use of this UHSPP does not negatively impact conductivity and allows for delivery of inhibitors in previously unreachable areas. The delivery system allows inhibitor chemicals to be released at a slow, controlled rate when the proppant comes in contact with produced fluids and results in a highly efficient, reservoir based chemical delivery system. Typical treatments are designed to last for years of production. This paper will present a case study of the use of this new technology in owery tertiary wells in the Gulf of Mexico. These wells have been treated with an inorganic scale inhibitor using a multi-functional UHSPP. This paper will also describe how substrate type and pore structure can be engineered to maintain conductivity at very high closure stresses. It will also show how semi-permeable membranes can be tailored to specifically control the release of these inhibitors upon contact with production fluids. This paper will prove useful for all completion, production and facility engineers engaged in offshore operations, and can also be adapted similarly to onshore wells. The cost savings from utilizing a UHSPP delivered chemical system can provide a significant reduction in operating expenses.
Halite scale is a wide spread problem throughout several basins in the United States. This scale can form in surface equipment, downhole tubulars as well as affecting production. Traditional remediation of halite can be accomplished by dissolving the scale in fresh water as well as recycled water. In most cases the operator must factor in the cost of fresh water, trucking, manpower, anti-scale additives, and disposal of additional produced water. These treatments are often frequent with multiple applications per week. The approach described in this paper will prevent the formation of halite scale for a given period of time. This is accomplished through the use of a new porous ceramic proppant-based chemical delivery system in which a halite inhibitor is infused. The infused halite inhibitor is encapsulated with a semi-permeable membrane to regulate the elution rate of the inhibitor from the porous proppant carrier. The chemical delivery system is added to the bulk proppant as a small weight percentage of the bulk proppant and is placed in the fracture as normal proppant. Several wells in the multiple basins for several E&P companies were completed using this new chemical delivery system, which allowed for a significant amount of halite inhibitor to be placed within the proppant pack. As fluids flowed over the proppant pack the halite inhibitor was slowly released. This paper intends to describe the mechanism for which the inhibitor acts, the control release mechanism of the substrate and the engineering behind the placement and volumes of the halite infused proppant. This paper will also discuss the data collected from laboratory modeling and the implementation of these products in fracturing applications. The use of this chemical delivery system will allow these operators to defer remediation, lowering lease operating expenses. This paper will be useful to all production and completions engineers and technicians operating in an area with halite scale issues. This new chemical delivery system allows for deferred implementation of traditional remediation strategies while extending the most productive time of the wells life. This halite inhibitor delivery system not only improves estimated ultimate recovery but also lowers lease operating expenses.
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