TRAINING MANUAL

OPERATIONS

UNITS IN THIS COURSE

Unit No. 11 - Acid stimulation
Module No. 2 : Production Systems

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OPERATIONS

UNIT 1 EQUIPMENT USED IN WELL COMPLETIONS

UNIT 2 EQUIPMENT USED IN WELLHEAD INSTALLATIONS

UNIT 3 CHOKE VALVES

UNIT 4 SURFACE SAFETY VALVES AND ESD SYSTEMS

UNIT 5 SURFACE-CONTROLLED SUB-SURFACE SAFETY VALVES

UNIT 6 WELL SERVICING BY WIRELINE OPERATIONS

UNIT 7 WIRELINE SURFACE EQUIPMENT

UNIT 8 WIRELINE SUB-SURFACE EQUIPMENT

UNIT 9 ARTIFICIAL LIFT - GAS LIFT

UNIT 10 ARTIFICIAL LIFT - SUB-SURFACE PUMPS

UNIT 11 ACID STIMULATION

UNIT 12 FRACTURING

UNIT 13 VALVES USED IN PRODUCTION APPLICATIONS

UNIT 14 PRODUCTION PLANT INLET MANIFOLD/HEADER

UNIT 15 LIQUID FLOW METERS

UNIT 16 PRODUCTION AND TEST SEPARATORS

UNIT 17 GLYCOL GAS DEHYDRATION SYSTEM

UNIT 18 ELECTROSTATIC DESALTER

UNIT 19 STORAGE AND SURGE TANKS

UNIT 20 PRODUCTION FLUID SAMPLING

UNIT 21 DANIEL SENIOR ORIFICE METER

UNIT 22 PROCESS CONTROL INSTRUMENTATION

UNIT 24 PRODUCTIONS CHEMICALS

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Unit No. 11 - Acid stimulation
Module No. 2 : Production Systems

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Para Page,

11.0 OBJECTIVES 3

11.1 INTRODUCTION 4

11.2 SECONDARY RECOVERY - ACID STIMULATION 4

11.3 TYPES OF ACID NORMALLY USED 5

11.4 TYPES OF ADDITIVES 6

11.5 PERF-PAC BALLS 6

11.6 ACID PENETRATION 7

11.7 FORMATION DAMAGE 8

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11.0 OBJECTIVES

At the completion of this unit, the trainee will be able to:

Explain why acid stimulation is required.

Describe the action of acid on the formation.

Identify the major components of equipment required to conduct acid

stimulation.

Explain the expected results of a successful well stimulation.

Explain why 'PERF-PAC' balls would be used during a well stimulation.

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11.1 INTRODUCTION

The purpose of doing acid stimulation on a well is to increase the production rate of
the well.

Production rate is increased by increasing the permeability of the formation rock

near to the well bore.

11.2 SECONDARY RECOVERY - ACID STIMULATION

The permeability of a rock is the ability of that rock to allow fluids to pass through
that rock.

The higher the permeability, the easier it is for fluids to pass through the rock.

The lower the permeability, the more difficult it is for the fluid to pass through the
rock.

The pores, or holes, in the formation are known as the 'matrix'.

Acid stimulation is also called 'Matrix Stimulation'.

Most acid treatments fall into one of three general classifications:

Wellbore clean-up,

Matrix acidising,

Fracturing.

Wellbore clean-up is mainly flooding the well bore adjacent to the perforations to
remove scale and drilling mud solids.

Matrix acidising consists of slowly pumping acid into the formation so that the acid
penetrates the pore spaces without fracturing the formation rock. This procedure is
normally carried out to dissolve mud and drilling contaminants from soft sandstone
formations.

Fracturing involves the injection of acid at rates faster than the natural flow
channels can accept it until the formation rock finally fractures or splits. As the
treatment continues, the acid moves through the fractures and dissolves extended
pits and channels through the rock face.

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Figure 11-1. Types of Formation Damage

11.3 TYPES OF ACID NORMALLY USED

The two acids most commonly used for oil well stimulation are:

Hydrochloric Acid (HCI)

Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)

After these acids have 'dissolved' the formation rocks and contaminants the
products of that chemical reaction must be soluble.

If the reaction products were not soluble the solid materials produced would block
and plug the pore spaces in the formation rock and reduce the permeability, not
increase it.

The mixture of acids and additives are specifically engineered for each well and
-each type of formation.

The pumping pressures and volumes are also specifically engineered for each
formation

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11.4 TYPES OF ADDITIVES

Different chemicals are added to the basic acid mixture that is pumped down the
well. There are many different additives used for many different reasons.

Basically we want the acid to attack the formation rock and the contaminants in it.
We do not want the acid to attack the completion equipment nor do we want the
acid to be used up (spent) before it gets into the formation.

The acid must also be easy to pump.

The main types of additives are:

Retardants which delay the action of the acid to give it time to reach the place
where we want it to do it's job.

Friction reducers which make the acid mixture more 'slippery' and easier to pump.

Surfactants which also make it easier to pump the acid. They also help to prevent
the formation of emulsions once the acid has done its job and is mixed with any oil
in the formation. We have to be able to recover all the spent acid and reaction
products once the stimulation job is finished.

11.5 PERF-PAC BALLS

These are hard plastic or hard rubber balls with a negative buoyancy. They do not
float in the acid.

The Perf-Pac balls are pumped down the well with the acid at different time intervals
during the acid job.

Some of the larger perforations will accept the acid easier than others. If we are not
careful all the acid will go into the 'easy' or larger perforations. Fluids always flow
the easiest way.

Perf-Pac balls will travel with the acid being pumped and will plug off the larger
perforations that are accepting the acid. This then forces the acid to go through the
more difficult or smaller perforations.

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When the acid stimulation is complete and pumping has stopped, the Perf-Pac balls
will then fall to the bottom of the well

11.6 ACID PENETRATION

How far the acid penetrates into the formation is very dependant on how fast we
pump the acid.

The faster we pump the acid, the less time it is in contact with the rock as it enters
the formation.

Live acid therefore goes further into the formation where it can then attack the
formation rock or contaminants.

Figure 1 1-2A. Effect of Injection Rate on Penetration

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Figure 11-213. Effect of Damage Zone on Productivity

11.7 FORMATION DAMAGE

Formation damage occurs during the drilling of the well.

The rock is crushed by the drilling action and drilling fluids enter the formation.

The formation is therefore damaged close to the wellbore.

Most damage occurs within a radius of one foot of the well bore.

The damage is also called 'Skin Effect'.

Maximum damage occurs within three feet of the wellbore.

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