Well Killing Technology before Workover Operation in Complicated Conditions

Abstract

Well killing is an important technological stage before conducting workover operation, one of the tasks of which is to preserve and restore the natural filtration characteristics of the bottomhole formation zone (BFZ). Special attention should be paid to the choice of well killing technologies and development of wells in complicated conditions, which include abnormally low reservoir pressure, high oil-gas ratio and carbonate reservoir type. To preserve the filtration characteristics of the productive formation and prevent fluid losses in producing wells during well killing operation, blocking compositions are used. At the same time, an informed choice of the most effective well killing technologies is required. Consequently, there is a need to conduct laboratory physicochemical and coreflood experiments simulating geological, physical, and technological conditions of field development, as similar as possible to actual reservoir conditions. The article presents the results of experimental studies on the development well killing technologies of producing wells during workover operation in various geological, physical, and technological conditions of oil field development. Physicochemical and coreflood laboratory experiments were carried out with the simulation of the processes of well killing and development of wells in reservoir conditions with the use of modern high-technology equipment in the Enhanced Oil Recovery Laboratory of the Department of Development and Operation of Oil and Gas Fields at St. Petersburg Mining University. As a result of the experimental studies, new compositions of well killing and stimulation fluids were developed, which ensure to prevent fluid loss, gas breakthrough, as well as the preservation, restoration and improvement of the filtration characteristics of the BFZ in the conditions of terrigenous and carbonate reservoirs at different stages of oil field development. It is determined that the developed process fluids, which include surfactants (YALAN-E2 and NG-1), have a hydrophobic effect on the porous medium of reservoir rocks, which ultimately contributes to the preservation, restoration and improvement of the filtration characteristics of the BFZ. The value of the presented research results is relevant for practice and confirmed by the fact that, as a result of field tests of the technology for blocking the BFZ with the composition of inverse water–oil emulsion during well killing before workover operation, an improvement in the efficiency of wells operation was obtained in the form of an increase in their oil production rate by an average of 5–10 m3/day, reducing the time required for the well to start operating up to 1–3 days and reducing the water cut of formation fluid by 20–30%.