A properly designed reservoir drilling fluid and precise control of its properties are essential to prevent formation damage issues that hamper production. An essential prerequisite for a reservoir drilling fluid are nondamaging specialty products and reduced fines and fluids invasion. This paper describes the case history of two deep gas wells in Saudi Arabia, one well showed impaired production due to screens plugging and was put on workover drilling operations whereas the other well was a regular development well. The offset data showed differential sticking, partial losses and tight spots while drilling the 8⅜ and 5⅞ in. hole sections. The well reservoir data including the bottom hole-temperature – 300°F, permeability – roughly 10 to 20 micron pore throats and lithology – sandstone intercalated with shale, for the reservoir section were determined from offset analysis. Extensive lab testing was performed with nondamaging specialty and optimized PSD for minimized fine and fluids invasion. This engineered fluid was used to drill a 5⅞ in. vertical side track of ± 300 ft for the workover well whereas on the regular development well about ± 400 ft of the 5⅞ in. section was drilled. The fluid was continuously monitored for PSD at the rig along with the particle plugging test for fluid loss control. The hole cleaning and equivalent circulating density was monitored and programmed with a proprietary hydraulics software. All the fluid properties were determined to be within planned range. The wells were drilled without any of the offset problems as discussed above followed by running the 41/2 in. conventional sand screens to the bottom without any issue. Initial flowback production testing was performed on the workover well, which took 8 hours as compared to the usual 48 hours in the offset wells. The BS&W (basic sediment and water) from day 1 of production was 9% as compared to the 25% observed in the offset wells. The gas production rate was 200% more than was expected as per the offset information. This paper shows the successful use of reservoir drill-in fluid on two gas wells: one was a workover well and another a regular well. The abstract presents a mutual approach between Halliburton and Saudi Aramco to address the issue of minimizing formation damage and mitigating differential sticking. Offset well data learnings, optimized PSD design, monitoring at the rig site, and the use of nondamaging specialty products delivered production optimization.
An engineered fluid formulation was designed to provide a 114-pcf non-damaging drill-in fluid for the Unayzah A and B sandstone reservoirs. Employment of potassium formate high density brine and manganese tetra oxide weighting agent provided superior drilling properties that delivered reduced formation damage, improved thermal stability, and lower drilling costs.The use of acid-soluble manganese tetra oxide allowed engineers to increase the density of potassium formate drilling fluids and extend the density window above that offered by calcium carbonate. The reduced particle size (D50= 1 micron) and the spherical shape of the manganese tetra oxide reduced friction and drag. This improved control of equivalent circulating density (ECD) and plastic viscosity (PV) and significantly lowered rheological profiles. These optimal properties were maintained at temperatures exceeding 155°C.Laboratory testing confirmed high performance features such as: 1. Excellent hole cleaning characteristics 2. Thin filter cake with low lift-off pressures 3. Low differential sticking potential 4. Low treatment cost during drilling and re-use capability 5. Superior rheological performance compared to high solids content oil-based fluids 6. Improved drilling performance and hydraulic efficiency with the formate base system.The vertical well in the Unayzah A and B sandstone reservoirs was completed with zero hole problems. The potassium formate/manganese tetra oxide system provided superior performance and stability even with elevated bottomhole temperatures in the tight gas formation. This paper reviews the laboratory design and development as well as the field application of the high performance, brine-based drill-in fluid.
Drilling oil-producing lateral wells often requires the use of an efficient drill-in fluid (DIF). A properly designed reservoir DIF with precise control of its properties is essential to help prevent formation damage that can impede production. This paper discusses the custom use of a DIF to reduce damage while drilling a lateral well to help maximize productivity during later stages. Oil-based mud (OBM) with density of approximately 67 lbf/ft3 was formulated based on reservoir data by optimizing the particle size distribution (PSD) of the bridging materials used to effectively bridge against the average pore throat sizes. It was tested in the laboratory at simulated reservoir conditions and applied in the field at the target well. The fluid was continuously monitored at the rig for PSD and fluid loss control using the particle plugging test (PPT). The hole cleaning and equivalent circulating density (ECD) were simulated with proprietary hydraulics software. Using nondamaging specialty products that reduce fines and fluids invasion is an essential prerequisite for a reservoir DIF. This paper describes the case history of drilling a horizontal well in a sandstone formation in Saudi Arabia and also shows the successful use of a reservoir DIF on lateral wells. It presents an approach that helps minimize formation damage, mitigate differential sticking, and drill a hole without having any hole problems. Implementation of this optimized fluid in the field while using specially designed practices to maintain the quality of the DIF during drilling led to a higher level of production rates. This paper concludes that close monitoring of mud properties, optimization of PSD design, and the use of nondamaging specialty products helps minimize fluid invasion and deliver maximized production.
Safaniya is one of largest offshore oil fields located north of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. It is 50 km by 15 km in size and began production in 1956. Lately, a few wells drilled in this field showed reservoir damage where the production dropped or the well had no flow. Workover operations were performed on six wells and two new wells were drilled. For all eight wells, 6⅛in. laterals were drilled through the reservoirs with an engineered invert emulsion drilling fluid (RDF). The RDF design was controlled to ensure an acid-soluble, thin, external filter cake with no fines invasion. The vulnerability of the filter cake to be attacked by the acid was fundamental to this RDF design. A delayed filter cake breaker fluid was then designed for use on the 6⅛-in. laterals; this fluid consisted of an organic acid precursor (OAP) and a water wetting additive. The OAP released acid in a delayed manner, whereas the water wetting additive made the oil-based filter cake water wet, to make it vulnerable to acid attack. With this approach, the filter cake was removed uniformly in all subject laterals across the reservoir. The production data on the eight wells treated with the OAP show an improved oil production rate of more than 4,000 B/D for six of the eight wells, which exceeds the key performance indicator (KPI) set for the laterals. In previous years from 2005-10, the six workover wells showed, on average, very low oil production rates (OPR) comparatively. In addition, after the OAP treatment, these six wells show higher well flow head pressures than in 2005-10. The water cut percentage on these laterals was 0 or less than 1, compared to 2005-10, when the water cut percentage varied from 8% to 50% for these workover wells. This paper discusses the workover operation of the six wells and the drilling and delayed stimulation treatment on two new wells in the Safaniya field, including laboratory evaluation, field application and production data.
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