| Autor: |
Omar Matar, Hamed AlGhadhban, Hassan AlDurazi, Eyad Ali, Ahmed AlJanahi, Sayed Abdelrady, Hassan Almannai, Ling Kong Teng, Alexey Yudin, Ziad Al-Jalal, Mohamed ElSebaee, Fahad Albaadi |
| Rok vydání: |
2021 |
| Zdroj: |
Day 3 Tue, November 30, 2021. |
| Popis: |
The Bahrain field is one of the oldest developed oil fields in the Middle East, with over a dozen formations in production since the early 1930s. Currently, development of the shallow zones ( Formation stabilization improvement is crucial in certain reservoir mineralogies, especially those with exposed shale streaks and high concentrations of clays that exhibit extremely high brine sensitivity. Lack of adequate stabilization of sensitive clays and shales risks the deconsolidation of those minerals into fines that may potentially damage the conductivity of the proppant pack in fracturing operations. Many problems associated with the use of water-based fluids in fracturing operations are caused by incompatibilities between the fracturing fluid and the shale minerals, resulting in a fines migration problem in the relatively low-permeability reservoir and a production decline after the fracturing operation. A scientific approach was applied to the selection of novel shale inhibitors to be used in fracturing applications. First, a laboratory testing program was followed to incorporate a new shale inhibitor into the fracturing fluid system. The fluid recipe was further optimized with a reduction in polymer loading, maximizing breaker concentration and ensuring fast shear recovery, because the stimulation design called for large-size proppant (up to 12/20 mesh) to be used in a low-temperature (124°F) environment. The laboratory results demonstrated that the new shale inhibitor significantly reduces alteration of the permeability of the treated core and improves shale stability. The new inhibitor was deployed in the field, as documented in several case histories. Production results of the treated wells demonstrated several-folds increase in production when compared to previously attempted proppant fracturing treatments. The pilot stimulation campaign proved the value of the laboratory research and brought on line two formations with large potential contribution to Bahrain's overall oil production. Although there is a substantial amount of literature on shale inhibition with water-based drilling fluid, the importance of the shale inhibition and the problems associated with shale reactivity during the fracturing operation remain largely unexplored. This paper presents the complex laboratory approach to stimulation fluid optimization in the Bahrain field. The novel solutions and comprehensive workflow description will benefit a broad variety of projects worldwide targeting water-sensitive or low-temperature formations that represent challenges to fracturing fluid selection. |
| Databáze: |
OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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