Application of Simulation Software to Enhance Filter Cake Breaker Placement

Abstract

AbstractPlacement of a delayed filter cake breaker fluid system is usually carried out during the lower completion phase of a well development. Whilst the fluid system would undergo extensive testing during its design phase, the objective of achieving a good clean-up of the target interval requires both testing and an optimum placement strategy. A good clean-up improves the possibility of achieving the desired production rates when the well is put on production.Placement of the treatment should always be performed below the fracture pressure. If that limit is breached during pumping of the treatment, it can induce losses which would likely result in poor and non-uniform breaker placement and potentially a well control issue. Detailed pre job design and planning using a sand control simulation software allows improved insight and precision to the placement strategy. It also facilitates a better understanding of the completion optimizations that can be incorporated prior to the breaker treatment. This allows the treatment to be kept below fracture pressure and control the losses to the formation.The use of the software for this application was found to be very effective to optimize pumping rates and manage dynamic pressure limitations using well and completion data. The simulation software was utilized to evaluate multiple scenarios with variable input parameters and the results were analyzed to provide valuable insight into the impact this has on the pumping pressure and equivalent circulating density (ECD) margins.The paper presents examples of how the breaker treatment design strategy was optimized using the simulation software. Comparison of the modelled and actual data is presented to confirm accuracy and demonstrate how the model can be used to further optimize the design for future operations.