Abstract
This paper describes the experimental study of formation
damage in naturally fractured reservoir during conventional
drilling operations. Dynamic formation damage (DFD)
apparatus of NTNU is designed to simulate the drilling fluid
circulation process at the formation face in the well bore face
under bottom hole condtions.Chalk core samples are selected
to study as a representative of very fine-grained limestone
formations. A uniform fracture was made entirely along the
conventional core. A series of overbalanced leak-off test were
conducted with different drilling fluids under different
reservoir conditions on the samples. Dynamic leak-off test was
performed on the core samples for 4 hours and then it was
followed by static leak-off test for 16 hours. Cummulative
invasion of mud into the core during leak-off test is measured
and then return permeability test and drawdown pressure
effects are employed. The experiment results clearly show that
drilling moods can cause large irreversible damage to
fractured formation and dramatically reduce the productivity
of wells producing from natural fracture network. The results
present the significant impact of overbalanced pressure on
invasion profile. The use of bridging agent such as CaCO3 and
polymer play key role in reduction of solid and filtrate
invasion in fractured core sample. Return permeability test
indicates that cleanup and remove all solids and particles
during production is not completed as well.Therfore the
experiments recommend the use of drawdown pressure effects
to clean-up of solids and particles during production.
Introduction
The presence of high permeability features in a formation,
such as large naturally occurring fractures or extensive
interconnected vugular porosity system; represent a significant
challenge for overbalanced drilling operations with respect to
rapid and deep invasion and significant, often permanent
permeability impairment. In most situations, the high
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By substituting of A =
.D 2
and h f = D , the following
4
Wf
...................................................................(2)
3. .D
K f = The effcetive permeability of the fracture, cm 2
Kf =
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Chalk-sample#2
Table 2 presents the sample No. 2 properties and the test
conditions. 10 bar overbalanced pressure have been applied
during the leak-off test with this core sample. The test status
was 4 hours for dynamic condition and then 16 hours static
condition (no mud circulation) with the same overbalanced
pressure. During dynamic leak-off test the rate of invasion was
increased in a period of time because the overbalanced
pressure was increased some, and then the overbalanced
pressure decreases and for about 30 minutes the rate of
invasion reach to zero.
1 bar OBP was 55.88 %. But in the case of 10 and 5 OBP the
difference is only 4 %. The fracture size in 1 OBP and 15 bar
OBP is equal. In other words, the fracture size has not affected
the damage permeability and only OBP conditions controls the
impact on the damage.
The impact of fracture aperture on damage
The fracture aperture can strongly control effective
permeability in the open natural fracture system. Effective
fracture permeability is approximately a cubic function of
fracture aperture (Equation 2). That is a 100 micron diameter
fracture will have about 1000 times the effective permeability
of a 10 micron diameter fracture. It becomes evident from this
simple analysis that the penetration of only a few large
fractures by the wellbore will result in theses features
dominating both the potential inflow and fluid loss character
of the well.
The effect of XC polymer on invasion
The result of adding XC-polymer in mud system is presented
as Figure 6. It clearly demonstrates that using only 0.39 %w
XC-polymer to based-mud formulation ( 4.76 %w Bentonite)
can reduce the filtration volume 50% approximately after
exposure time of 1000 min into the core. During back-flood
test the regain permeability of mud with using XC and without
XC are measured 28% and 18% respectively. Thus the solid
and mud damage is not removed from the core perfectly.
The effect of bridging agent (Calcium carbonate) on
filtration
Figure 7 shows the particle distribution of CaCO3 particles
used as fluid-loss additives (bridging agents) in our
experiments. It illustrates that percentage of particle below 2
m is 13.26 % Vol. and percentage below 6 m is 34.43 %
Vol. While above 75 m the percentage is 0%.As we
discussed in chalk reservoir characterization section, the
ranges of pore size in chalk core is 1-20 m and is usually less
than 5 m. Figure 8 is showed the results of adding 1.3 w% of
CaCO33 particles to the mud as a bridging additive. A
comparison of two curves in this figure indicates that the
bridging agent can prevent of mud invasion into the core
effectively. Back-flood test on those samples showed that the
initial permeability is not restored. The change of permeability
for mud with bridging agent 32 % and for without using
bridging additive 18% is measured. Therefore, it illustrates
that the solids and particles did not removed from the core
during back-flow test.
The effect of injection rate on return permeability (Fine
migration test)
Although fines migration is classically associated with high
rate injection and production operations, it may also occur
during drilling operations in conjunction with high spurt losses
of water or oil-based filtrate into the formation. The severity
of migration and damage depends on the specific formation
under consideration, fluid loss rate and wettability. Fines
migration tests are designed to attempt to evaluate the
potential for permeability reduction in the near wellbore
region caused by a loss of a given fluid filtrate (drilling mud
filtrate in the case of overbalanced drilling operations).
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7.
Acknowledgment
The Petroleum Engineering Department of Norwegian
University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is highly
acknowledged to provide and support the experimental set-up
and facilities.
Conclusions
1. The results of this study confirm that reservoir
conditions core flood testing is an essential tool in
identifying and quantifying damage prior to the
drilling of a well operations.
2. Experiments were conducted to investigate the
influence of overbalance pressure (OBP) on fluid
invasion into the formation during drilling operations.
The depth of invasion starts increasing with the
overbalanced pressure.
3. The use of bridging agents such as CaCO3 can reduce
the volume of particle and filtrate invasion into the
core effectively.
4. Applying drawdown effect has been shown that it has
a significant effect on the return permeability and
restoring the initial permeability of the core in Chalksamples.
5. Drilling through a fractured reservoir without
bridging additives in overbalanced drilling will cause
severe permeability damage to the fracture system.
The fracture can be filled by mud and the
permeability reduction is not reversed during flow
back.
6. The effect of high flow rate (injection rate potential
for clean up) on the return permeability is presented
that fine migration can bee seen and the return
permeability is increased.
Nomenclature
A= Cross sectional area of the core, cm2
D = the diameter of the sample, cm
h = fracture height, cm
K = the effective permeability of the fractured-core
w = fracture width, cm
Subscripts
f = fracture
References
1. Di Jiao, M.Sharma, U. of Texas, Mud-Induced Formation
Damage in Fractured Reservoirs, SPE Drilling and
Completion, March 1996.
2. Ali, A.Kallo, C.L, and Sing, U.B, Preventing Lost
Circulation in Severely Depleted Unconsolidated sandstone
Reservoirs, SPEDC, March 1994.
3. Leoppke, G.E., Glowka, D.A, and Wright, E.K, Design
and Evaluation of Lost Circulation Materials for Severe
Environments. , JPT, March 1990, Trans., AIME, 289.
4. Browns,S. and Smith,P. Mud cake Cleanup to enhance
Productivity of High Angle wells paper SPE 27350,
presented at SPE Symposium on formation Damage,
Lafayette.Februray 7-10 1994.
Wf (mm)
Wf (m)
Kt=Km+Kf
Kf (mD)
(mD)
CH#1
0.0126
12.6
9.63
5.77
CH#2
0.0129
12.9
9.95
6.09
CH#3
0.0147
14.7
13
9.14
CH#4
0.00882
8.82
5.8
1.94
CH#5
0.0117
11.7
8.5
4.64
CH#6
0.00349
3.492
3.98
0.12
CH#7
0.00835
8.347
5.5
1.64
CH#8
0.00668
6.678
4.7
0.84
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8.05 (cm)
3.8 (cm)
91.3 (cc)
0.44
3.86 (mD)
0.5 (cc/min)
Room Condition
0 (bar)
30 (bar)
15 (bar)
Exxol-D60
Polymer Mud
9.9 (mD)
1.66 (mD)
1.24 (cm)
2.58 (cm
7.14 (cm)
3.79 (cm)
80.3 (cc)
0.44
3.86 (mD)
0.5 (cc/min)
Room Condition
0(bar)
30 (bar)
10 (bar)
Exxol-D60
Polymer Mud
13.1 (mD)
4.2 (mD)
1.1 (cm)
2.4 (cm)
Return Permeability
1
5
10
15
55.88
28.78
32.08
16.76
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Wf
Lcore
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Chalk-sample#1
Chalk-Sample#2
0
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Time (min)
Figure 3. Lift-off pressure for water based mud , Chalk core samples
15
12.5
10
7.5
2.5
sample#3 ,Dynamic+Static
Sample# 9, Static
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Time (min)
1200
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16
14
12
10
8
6
Sample#2-15 OBP
Sample#3-OBP=10 bar
Sample#4, OBP = 5 bar
Sample#5-OBP=1 bar
4
2
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Time (min)
30
27
24
21
Without XC-Ploymer
18
15
12
9
6
with XC-Ploymer
3
0
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
Time (min)
900
1000
10
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30
25
20
15
10
0
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Time (min)
1000
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11
8
7
Sample#6-OBP=10 bar
Permeability (mD)
Sample#7-OBP=10 bar
Sample#4-OBP=5 bar
5
4
2
1
0
0
0.5
1.5
2.5
3.5
Rate (cc/min)
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
Sample#10-OBP=10 bar
1.5
1
0.5
0
0
Drawdown (bar)
15
12.5
10
run-1
7.5
run-2
5
2.5
0
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Time (min)
1200
1400