Formation Damage Abatement: A Quarter-Century Perspective

Abstract

Summary Petroleum well production impairment has long been associated with formation damage. Concepts such as the skin effect and its various manifestations have been introduced to account for the effects of damage. The origins of damage and the types of damage also have been the subjects of intense scrutiny. Abatement has included preventive measures such as the use of nondamaging fluids, presumably more benign processes, and improved drilling and well construction procedures and techniques. Once in place, the removal of damage has spawned an entire industry, that of matrix stimulation. This involves the use of appropriate remediation fluids, complete with the understanding of the often contrasting interaction among these fluids, the fluids and the damage, and, very importantly, the side effects that can damage the well more than its prestimulation state. Again, appropriate hardware was necessary. Owing to the fact that damage removal is often either incomplete or unsuccessful, methods of bypassing the damage, such as high-permeability fracturing, have been developed. Finally, brute force approaches are common, including the drilling of more vertical and/or horizontal wells regardless of the damage in order to get enough production. This paper is a critical review of both the evolution of the technologies and the thought processes that have permeated the industry over the past quarter century. Particular emphasis is given to the resolution of controversial subjects and their impact on the field. These include issues such as matrix stimulation vs. fracturing, sand production control vs. sand deconsolidation management, underbalance vs. extreme overbalance, and perforating and drilling fluids and practices.