Use of a Non-Invasive, Non-Damaging Blocking Agent for Improved Cleaning in Low Bottomhole Pressure Wells

Abstract

Abstract Solids removal from severely depleted wells remains a challenging intervention operation in the oil and gas industry. The various cleanout options that exist generally require significant expense, and may result in loss of potentially damaging fluids or permeability reduction to zones with low bottomhole pressures. This paper will focus on several field trials in South Texas utilizing a fluid-based, formation-blocking agent as part of the cleanout circulating fluid. The blocking agent has been in use for several years in cement spacer systems as a lost circulation material (LCM) with favorable results. The blocking agent uses a modified, hydrophobic polysaccharide to form micelles. Under differential pressure the micelles adsorb and realign in a layer along the formation or perforation tunnel forming an impermeable seal effectively blocking the loss of fluids to the formation. With the formation blocked, the solids can be circulated out using a higher density fluid and at higher circulation rates than the low-pressure reservoir would support. When the well is returned to an underbalanced system, the micelles will disperse, returning the fluid to its original state and restoring permeability to near a pre-intervention level. The case histories included in this paper are the first application of this material for well intervention operations outside a cement spacer application, and the results discussed show that the material performed remarkably well.