Acidizing and

Hydraulic Fracturing
DONE BY: SHADY G. GAYED
MOSTAFA SHAHEEN
MOHAMED ADEL ALI
Introduction

Acid treatment has been used to improve well productivity for

almost 120 years.
Acid treatment predates all other stimulation techniques
including hydraulic fracturing
Until the early 1930s acid treatment of the wells was limited.
It was not until late 1930s that hydraulic fracturing was
developed.
Acidizing can be performed on new well to maximize productivity,
and on ageing wells to restore productivity.
Acidizing
Acidizing

Definition:
Acidizing involves pumping acid into a wellbore or geologic formation
that is capable of producing oil and/or gas. The purpose of any acidizing
is to improve a wells productivity or injectivity.
Acidizing

Acidizing types and differences:

1. Matrix acidizing
Acidizing occur at pressure below fracture pressure

2. Fracture acidizing
Acidizing occur at fracture pressure or higher
Acidizing

Purpose:

1. Removal of damage which primarily uses matrix acidizing

2. Acidizing for well stimulation which primarily uses fracture acidizing

Acidizing

Process:

1. Pumping a hot solution of acid into the well to dissolve limestone,

dolomite, and calcite cement between the grains of the reservoir.

2. HCL is the most common used acid.

3. HCL can be combined with HF to dissolve Quartz, sand, and clay

from the reservoir

Acidizing

Causes of damage:

1. Drilling, completion, and workover fluids.

2. Velocity sensitivity effect.

3. Particle migration reducing permeability.

If there is no damage, matrix acidizing often increases well

natural production by 50%; thus becoming non economical

Acidizing

How to investigate the presence of wellbore

damage:
Production history plots:
Production rate/time plots are normally available for oil/gas wells
that show change of rate with time and that note significant events
such as workovers and stimulation treatments. Damage is revealed by
at least three different characteristics as previously listed. The first is a
sudden change in productivity following an event like a workover.An
unfiltered produced brine was used to kill the well during a workover to
repair a tubing leak. In this example, formation damage is obvious in
the reduced productivity immediately after the workover. This lowered
productivity persisted until an acid treatment removed the damage.
Many times the analysis of a damaged condition is not so obvious
Acidizing
Acidizing

Identify The Type/extent of damage:

To select the appropriate acid, one must diagnose the probable type of
damage and the extent of penetration into the formation. Drilling solid
infiltration is shallow (less than one in.); drilling fluid filtrate can invade the
formation 3 ft or more. Perforation damage is shallow and varies in severity
according to the perforating procedure. Water injection well damage can be
quite deep when moderately clean fluids are injected over long periods of
time with small unfiltered solids in the fluid. Likewise, incompatible fluids
may precipitate deeper in the formation. Repeated acid treatments also may
leave damage deeper in the formation. Shallow damage can be quite severe
in that thin filter cakes or internal bridging under high differential pressure
can have very low permeability. Deep damage is usually more moderate but
can be quite difficult to reach with reactive fluids like acid and, thus, may
require deep treatments like hydraulic fracturing or acid fracturing.
 Acidizing

Solvent type selection:

Never pump solvent or acid into a well until
the probable causes of damage and the
best chemical to remove the damage have
been defined. A summary solvent selection
table is given inTable 7.3for the type of
damage.
Acidizing

Injection rate control and monitoring:

The main acid job should be circulated in place with HCl acid placed across the formation
before the packer is set or before the bypass valve is closed
All perforations should be covered by acid before injection starts
Injection should start at a predetermined injection rate and the pressure observed to
determine the condition of the wellbore
Penetration is limited by injection rate and volume
If the pressure rises close to the pressure limit, the rate should be cut in half until the
pressure stabilizes at a level below the formation fracturing pressure
The well should be produced first at the same rate before acidizing. As soon as the well
has cleaned up and all spent acid has been recovered or reduced to zero water cut, the
producing rate may be increased.
Acidizing

Acid Injection rate and pumping pressure at wellhead:

Acidizing

Acid fracture design:

 Acidizing

s such as fracture width, acid viscosity, and reservoir temperature all affect acid pene
Acidizing

Factors affecting poor well performance:

1. Inefficient mechanical system (wrong size tubing in a flowing well or

inefficient artificial lift equipment for pumping or gas lift wells)

2. Low reservoir permeability

3. Wellbore restriction because offormation damageor incomplete perforating

Acidizing

Evaluation of acid treatments:

The evaluation process encompasses six major areas on which to focus when assessing job
performance and acid treatment success such as:
1. Injection rate and pressure.
2. Final fall-off pressure record.
3. Well production analysis (nodal analysis).
4. Produced fluid samples.
5. Post-treatment investigation concerning damage incurred during injection, acid removal of
damage, post-treatment damage (precipitates), and verbal communications.
6. Recommendations for continuous improvement
. Measuring productivity after treatment is the most important measure of the treatment
evaluation.
. the effect of the acidizing flow back is the key factor to determine the final quality of the
acidizing process.
Acidizing

Improper or poorly executed acid treatments:

When there is no damage present, improper or poorly executed acid treatments

can reduce the natural formation permeability and reduce well productivity, as in new

wells with low reservoir permeability. Gidley [4]presented the results of an extensive

statistical review of one company's acidizing success in sandstone reservoirs in the

U.S. He found that only 54% of 507 wells increased in production following hydrofluoric

(HF) acid stimulation. More recently, Nitterset al.[5]stated that past programs resulted

in only 25% success

Acidizing

Matrix acidizing candidates:

1. Formation with permeability greater than 10 md
2. Permeability of which in the near wellbore or near perforation region
has been reduced by solid plugging

Factors leading to successful acid treatment:

1. Formation mineralogy
2. Extensive laboratory testing with core flood studies
3. Acid and additive testing
Acidizing

Failed results:
If the well injectivity or productivity (after the well returns to injection or
production) is not close to that predicted by the falloff analysis, some damage
probably occurred to the formation after the acid treatment ended. Subsequent
damage after the treatment may be caused by precipitation of acid reaction
products in the formation or by return of fines to the wellbore with internal pore
plugging at or near perforations.

Acidizing

Evaluation and Quality Control:

Where better evaluation and quality control have been implemented, the

percentage of successful treatments has improved to 75 to 90%. Such a program was

developed by Brannonet al.,[6]who successfully acidized 35 of 37 wells (95%

success) for an average production increase of 343 BOPD. Other areas and

formations still suffer from poor acidizing responses, which implies that opportunities

for technology development still exist

Acidizing

Conventional Inhibitors:
Acids can be corrosive to the production tubing, so the use of inhibitors is necessary

Selection of suitable inhibitors for such environments put into consideration parameters

such as acid type, temperature and flow velocity of the fluid

Some of the inhibitors that are commonly used are acetylenic alcohols, alkenyl

phenones, aromatic aldehydes, nitrogen containing heterocyclics, quaternary salts and

condensation products of carbonyls and amines. However, these inhibitors are effective

only at high concentrations and they are harmful to the environment

Acidizing

Green Inhibitors:
Green Inhibitors: In this regard, natural plant extracts are becoming useful.

Bammou studied the corrosion of carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid in the presence of Chenopodium

ambrosioides extract and found the inhibitor to exhibit up to 94% efficiency. . Ostovari used henna

extract (Lawsonia inermis), and they found that the extract is effective in preventing corrosion of mild

steel in 1 M HCl

The molarity (M) of a solution is used to represent the amount of moles of solute per liter of the

solution.

Other plants that have been used are: Jatropha curcas, Moringa oleifera, Nicotiana tabacum, Aloe vera,

Rice husk, Hunteria umbellate

Acidizing

Green Inhibitor preparation and inhibition efficiency:

The leaves were washed, cut into pieces and dried under the sun for 3 days. They
were then grounded and sieved into a powdery form. 100 g each of the powder was
put into flat bottomed flask containing 1000 ml of ethanol. The resulting solution
was left for 72 h before it was carefully filtered. The stock solution was prepared
from the filtrate which was evaporated and then used to make solutions of 100, 200,
300, and 400 ppm concentrations of the green inhibitor.
Acidizing

Evaluation and Quality Control (Contd):

Green Inhibitors: In this regard, natural plant extracts are becoming useful.

Bammou studied the corrosion of carbon steel in 0.5 M sulphuric acid in the presence of Chenopodium

ambrosioides extract and found the inhibitor to exhibit up to 94% efficiency. . Ostovari used henna

extract (Lawsonia inermis), and they found that the extract is effective in preventing corrosion of mild

steel in 1 M HCl

The molarity (M) of a solution is used to represent the amount of moles of solute per liter of the

solution.

Other plants that have been used are: Jatropha curcas, Moringa oleifera, Nicotiana tabacum, Aloe vera,

Rice husk, Hunteria umbellate

 Hydraulic
Fracturing
Hydraulic Fracturing

introduction:
The first hydraulic fracturing treatment was pumped in 1947 on a gas well
operated by Pan American Petroleum Corp

It was a low-productivity well, even though it had been acidized.

The well was chosen for the first hydraulic fracture stimulation treatment so
that hydraulic fracturing could be compared directly with acidizing.

Since that first treatment in 1947, hydraulic fracturing has become a common
treatment for stimulating the productivity of oil and gas wells
Hydraulic Fracturing

Definition:

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of pumping a fluid into a wellbore at an

injection rate that is too great for the formation to accept in a radial flow pattern. As

the resistance to flow in the formation increases, the pressure in the wellbore

increases to a value that exceeds the breakdown pressure of the formation open to

the wellbore. Once the formation "breaks down," a fracture is formed, and the

injected fluid begins moving down the fracture.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Definition (Contd) :

In most formations, a single, vertical fracture is created that propagates in two

directions from the wellbore. These fracture "wings" are 180 apart and normally are

assumed to be identical in shape and size at any point in time; however, in actual

cases, the fracture wing dimensions may not be identical. In naturally fractured or

cleated formations, it is possible that multiple fractures can be created and

propagated during a hydraulic fracture treatment.

Hydraulic Fracturing
Hydraulic Fracturing

Objective of hydraulic fracturing:

1. Increase the flow rate of oil and/or gas from low-permeability reservoirs
2. Increase the flow rate of oil and/or gas from wells that have been damaged.
3. Connect the natural fractures and/or cleats in a formation to the wellbore.
4. Decrease the pressure drop around the well to minimize sand production
5. Enhance gravel-packing sand placement
6. Decrease the pressure drop around the well to minimize problems with
asphaltine and/or paraffin deposit.
7. Increase the area of drainage or the amount of formation in contact with the
wellbore, and connect the full vertical extent of a reservoir to a slanted or
horizontal well.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture mechanics:
Three important parameters of fracture mechanics are in-situ stress, Poissons
ration, and Youngs modulus.

The stresses can be divided into three principal stresses:

1 is the vertical stress. (overburden Stress).

2 is the minimum horizontal stress.

3 is the maximum horizontal stress

Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture mechanics (Contd) :

The magnitude and direction of the principal stresses are important because
they control the pressure required to create and propagate a fracture, the
shape and vertical extent of the fracture and the direction of the fracture.

Poisson s ratio can be estimated from acoustic log data or from correlations
based on lithology.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Calculating The minimum principle stress:

Where = Biot s constant and ext= tectonic stress

The first term on the right hand side of the equation is a linear elastic term that converts the effective

vertical stress on the rock grains into an effective horizontal stress on the rock grains.

The second term in the equation represents the stress generated by the fluid pressure in the pore space.

The third term is the tectonic stress, which could be zero in tectonically relaxed areas, but can be

important in tectonically active areas.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracturing Fluids and Additives:

The ideal fracturing fluid should be compatible with the formation rock and
fluid
Generate enough pressure drop down the fracture to create a wide fracture.
Be able to transport the propping agent in the fracture
Break back to a low-viscosity fluid for cleanup after the treatment, and be
cost-effective.
The family of fracture fluids available consists of water-based fluids, oil-based
fluids, acid-based fluids, and foam fluids.
For most reservoirs, water-based fluids with appropriate additives will be best.
When water is used as the base fluid, the water should be tested for quality.
 Fracturing Fluids and Additives (Contd) :
Table 8.3lists the types of fracturing fluids that are available and the general
use of each type of fluid.
 Fracturing Fluids and Additives (Contd) :
Table 8.4presents generally accepted levels of water quality for use in
hydraulic fracturing.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracturing Fluids and Additives (Contd) :

Typical additives for a water-based polymer fluid are briefly described next
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracturing Fluids and Additives (Contd) :

Polymers are used to viscosify the fluid.

Cross linkers are used to change the viscous fluid to a pseudo plastic fluid.

Biocides are used to kill bacteria in the mix water

Buffers are used to control the pH of the fracture fluid

Surfactants are used to lower the surface tension

Fluid-loss additives are used to minimize fluid leak off into the formation.

Stabilizers are used to keep the fluid viscous at high temperature.

Breakers are used to break the polymers and crosslink sites at low temperature.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Propping Agents :
Propping agents are required to "prop open" the fracture once the pumps
are shut down and the fracture begins to close. The ideal propping agent
is strong, resistant to crushing, resistant to corrosion, has a low density,
and is readily available at low cost.
The volume of fluid pumped will affect the created fracture length.
However, without pumping a propping agent into the fracture, the
created fracture will close once the pumping operation ceases. The
important characteristics of a fracture are the propped width, height, and
length distributions; therefore, proppant transport considerations are
very important in designing a hydraulic fracture treatment.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Types Propping Agents :

1. Silica Sand: Generally, sand is used to prop open fractures in shallow
formations. Sand is much less expensive per pound than RCS or ceramic
proppants

2. RCS is stronger than sand and is used where more compressive strength is
required to minimize proppant crushing. It has an effective density that is
less than sand.

3. Ceramic proppants are used to stimulate deep ( > 8,000 ft) wells where
large values of in-situ stresses will apply large forces on the propping
agent.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracturing Fluid Selection:

The selection of the fracture fluid for the treatment is a critical decision.The flow
chart shown created by Economideset al. can be used to select the category of
fracture fluid in gas wells on the basis of factors such as reservoir temperature,
reservoir pressure and water sensitivity.
Hydraulic Fracturing
Propping agent Selection:
the maximum effective stress on the propping agent must be determined which depends on the minimum
value of flowing bottom hole pressure expected during the life of the well.

Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture diagnostics:
Fracture diagnostics involves analyzing the data before, during, and after a
hydraulic fracture treatment to determine the shape and dimensions of both the
created and propped fracture. Fracture diagnostic techniques are divided into
several groups:

1. Direct far-field methods

2. Direct near-wellbore techniques

3. Indirect fracture techniques

Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture diagnostics (contd):

Direct far-field methods :
Consist of tilt meter-fracture-mapping and micro seismic-
fracture-mapping techniques. When a hydraulic fracture is created, the
expansion of the fracture causes the earth around the fracture to
deform. Tilt meters can be used to measure the deformation and to
compute the approximate direction and size of the created fracture.
Microseismic fracture mapping relies on a downhole receiver array of
accelerometers or geophones to locate microseisms or
microearthquakes that are triggered by shear slippage in natural
fractures surrounding the hydraulic fracture
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture diagnostics (contd):

Direct near-wellbore techniques:
Consist of tracer, temperature, production, borehole image,
downhole video, and caliper logs. Those tools are run in the well that is being
fracture treated to locate or image the portion of fracture that is very near
(within inches of) the wellbore.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Fracture diagnostics (contd):

Indirect fracture techniques :
Consist of hydraulic fracture modeling of net pressures, pressure-
transient-test analyses, and production-data analyses. The most widely used.
The fracture-treatment data can be analyzed with a P3D fracture propagation
model to determine the shape and dimensions of the created fracture.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Post-Fracture Well Behavior:

Productivity Index Increase:
The productivity index of an oil well is , for a gas
well it is

McGuire and Sikora published a procedure that was the first

tool to determine the fracture length and fracture conductivity
required to achieve a certain fold of increase in the
productivity index.
Hydraulic Fracturing

Post-Fracture Well Behavior (contd) :

Hydraulic Fracturing

Post-Fracture Well Behavior (contd) :

The McGuire and Sikora graph can be used to draw
the following conclusions:
1. For high-permeability reservoirs, fracture conductivity is more important
than fracture length
2. For low-permeability reservoirs, fracture length is more important than
fracture conductivity
3. For a given fracture length, there is an optimum value of conductivity
ratio
4. Most fracture treatments in undamaged formations should result in
stimulation ratios of 2 to 14.
 Hydraulic Fracturing

Ultimate Recovery for Fractured Wells:

Hydraulic fracturing should always increase the productivity
index of a well; and, under certain circumstances, the hydraulic
fracture can increase the ultimate recovery.
When a high-permeability well is fracture treated, the drainage
volume and the recovery efficiency in the reservoir are not
significantly altered. The fracture treatment increases the flow
rate, increases the decline rate, and decreases the producing life
of the well. The ultimate recovery is not changed. The same
reserves are recovered in a shorter period of time, which reduces
overall operating costs.
 Hydraulic Fracturing

Ultimate Recovery for Fractured Wells (Contd):

Without a fracture treatment, most low-permeability wells will flow at low rates

and recover only modest volumes of oil and gas before reaching their economic

limit. By definition, a low-permeability well will not be economic unless a

successful fracture treatment is both designed and pumped into the formation.

When the stimulation treatment is successful, the flow rate will increase, the

ultimate recovery will increase, and the producing life will be extended
Hydraulic Fracturing
Thank you

Questions