Effects of Pre-Existing Fractures on Carbonate Matrix Stimulation Studied by Large-Scale Radial Acidizing Experiments

Abstract

Abstract Carbonate reservoirs host a significant amount of hydrocarbon reserves in the Middle East and worldwide. In matrix acidizing stimulation, hydrochloric acid (HCl) is commonly injected into the well at pressures less than fracturing pressure to dissolve the carbonate rock and create high-conductivity channels, known as wormholes. Wormholes propagate through the damaged near-wellbore zone connecting the well with the reservoir. In this work, we aim to study the effects of pre-existing fractures on wormhole development. Matrix acidizing processes were reproduced in controlled laboratory experiments where a 15% HCl solution was injected into a borehole drilled in a carbonate block sample containing pre-existing fractures, allowing the acid to penetrate radially into the rock sample. The experiment was conducted inside a polyaxial load frame to accommodate large block samples (20×16×16 in.). Prior to acid injection, the block was fully saturated with water and taken to 2,000-psi pore pressure and 4,000-psi confining stress to simulate downhole conditions. To evaluate the created wormholes, the tested block was cut open along the fractures followed by X-ray CT scanning of selected zones. Here we report experimental results for matrix stimulation of one Indiana limestone block containing a series of parallel pre-existing fractures. Acid was injected at a constant rate through the 1-in. diameter borehole containing an 8-in.-long openhole section in the center of the block. Although the acid injection pressure was maintained below the pressure required to open the fractures, acid breakthrough was found to be governed by the pre-existing fractures. Indeed, unlike similar radial acidizing experiments in intact blocks, there were no indications of wormholes exiting the outer faces of the block. Moreover, the post-test evaluation of the central fracture along the openhole section clearly revealed the wormholes that etched the fracture faces. However, a closer look into the stimulated openhole section showed that the wormholes initiated in other directions inside the matrix as well. An X-ray CT scan of a 4-in. diameter cored borehole regions allowed us to compare the density and characteristics of the wormhole growth along the fracture and into the matrix. Although radial acidizing experiments describe more closely real conditions of matrix acidizing, few cases have been published, particularly for large-block experiments. The large-scale block experiments presented in this study provide new insights on the impact of pre-existing fractures on wormholing mechanisms.