Introduction

Acidizing is one of the oldest techniques in well stimulation processes still being used
today, though its use only began toward the end of the last century. Table 1 (below)
lists the major events in the early history of acidizing.
Acidizing is a chemical process which dissolves an unwanted substance in the
formation, pipe, surface equipment, or flow-lines. In the case of treating formation
damage, acid removes flow-restricting particles, scale deposits, and minerals in the
reservoir or in the immediate wellbore vicinity. The acid mixture holds the dissolved
substance in solution until it is either removed from the well system or overflushed a
safe distance into the formation; then, the well can produce at its natural potential.
Little, if any, increase in productivity will result unless formation damage actually
exists.
When a fracture is created during an acidizing operation in carbonate reservoirs,
increased flow capacity can result from acid etching of the fracture faces. Here, large
increases in productivity are possible by creating a highly conductive flow path
through the formation.

Year

Event

1894

Acid was used to stimulate oil production in limestone formations in

Lima, Ohio.

1896

First patent related to acid treatments of wells was issued to

Herman Frasch.

1928

Acid was used in Glen Pool, Oklahoma by Gypsy Oil Company, a

subsidiary of Gulf Oil Company.

1929

Subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation injected uninhibited hydrochloric

acid under pressure into a well in Lee County, Kentucky.

1930

Acidizing experiments were discontinued.

1932

Dow Chemical Company and Pure Oil Company used an acid

treatment of 15% hydrochloric acid plus arsenic as an inhibitor on a
well in the Greendale Pool of Midland County, Michigan.

1932

Dow Chemical Company and Pure Oil Company used an acid

treatment of 15% hydrochloric acid plus arsenic as an inhibitor on a
well in the Greendale Pool of Midland County, Michigan.
Patents were issued to Grebe and Sanford of Dow Chemical
Company for treatments of oil wells with chemicals containing a
corrosion inhibitor.
R.H. Carr of the Pure Oil Company was issued a patent on the
technique of chemically treating an oil well by the balanced fluid
column method.
Dowel I Chemical Company formed Dowel I Inc. (now Dowell-

Schlumberger from its Well Service Group whose original main

responsibility was stimulation of Dow's brine wells.
Carey K. West formed the Chemical Process Company, a
predecessor to Byron Jackson, Inc. (now BJ-Hughes).
1933

J.R. Wilson with Standard Oil Company filed a patent on a technique

for treating sandstone formations with hydrofluoric acid.

1935

Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Company (now Halliburton Services)

began acidizing oil wells.

1940

Dowell (now Dowell-Schlumberger) began the first commercial use

of mixtures of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid.

Table 1: Early History of Acidizing