Cleansorb, a patented chemical well treatment provider that enhances the production of hydrocarbons for the oil and gas industry, has announced that it has increased production and water injection for a major operator in the Middle East
This follows a series of successful ORCA for OBM (oil-based mud) treatments on offshore oil production wells and a water injection well drilled with OBM.
ORCA for OBM breaker fluid removes drilling damage caused by oil-based drill-in fluids in open hole sections of production and injection wells.
Water injection across the open hole section of the targeted well, newly drilled offshore, was expected to be impaired by residual drilling damage unless a remedial drilling damage removal treatment was applied.
This was a particular concern, according to Cleansorb, as it was not possible to backflow the injection well in the production direction to remove drilling damage before starting water injection.
To treat the liquid section of the 5,000 ft openhole, OBM was displaced to 1.09 s.g. NaCl brine without fluid losses to the formation. ORCA for OBM breaker fluid was then moved from the toe to the heel of the open hole section and left in place for about a week to solubilise hydrocarbon and water-wet solids and dissolve carbonate mud solids. Meanwhile, the upper completion was being run.
Following this treatment, the water injection rate was 10 per cent above the target rate without exceeding maximum injection pressure.
Ian McKay, director and co-founder of Cleansorb, said, “Eliminating oil-based mud filter cake damage can be challenging. In this case, it was complicated by the fact that the well was located offshore, where operator concerns about the effect of hazardous chemicals on the environment are at an all-time high.”
“The good news is that we developed ORCA for OBM with these specific concerns in mind. Compared with conventional acids commonly used to clean up filter cake following drilling, ORCA’s benign chemistry means that it is an extremely low hazard for both the environment and those who use it. Not only does it leave the well free of OBM damage, but it also simple to use and achieves results quickly, without affecting the environment,” he concluded
