Wellfix DP2000 sand consolidation job outline

This article will enable an operations engineer to write a programme to carry out a sand consolidation job with WELLFIX DP2000.
The key parameters are those required to calculate treatment volumes and pumping times (porosity, length and depth of treatment, size of workstring
and bottom hole temperature). It is important to realise that when the formation is consolidated, any damage/impairment will also be consolidated in
place. Thus, the formation, surface equipment, surface lines, the workstring and downhole equipment should be as clean as possible to minimise
impairment. Similarly, all fluids pumped into the well and especially all those that are injected into the formation should be filtered.
1 Safety
The chemicals used for a sand consolidation job are safe if handled properly. Thus, a pre-job meeting is essential for this type of operation, especially
when the staff concerned are unfamiliar with this technique and/or the chemicals used. The meeting should inform the personnel involved of all health,
safety and environmental issues so that they are aware of the potential hazards of not following the agreed procedures. Personal protective equipment
should be available for those involved and contingency procedures should be discussed with all relevant parties.
2 Procedure
1.Rig up surface equipment as per Figure 1. Ensure all equipment is clean (see Note 1). Preferably use stainless steel calibrated tanks where levels can
be monitored. All brine and diesel that is to be used should be filtered if possible.
2.Rig up coiled tubing/snubbing unit (Pump a plug through coiled tubing and accurately measure volume of tubing. It is important that accurate volumes
and flow rates are recorded during the job).
3.Make up selective placement tool/bottom hole assembly.
4.Pressure test lines/lubricator/BOP's and function test tool.
5.Zero the tool and run in the hole, while circulating with inhibited brine.
6.Correlate tool downhole and move on depth.
7.Set packers across treatment interval and check that a satisfactory seal has been achieved.
8.Carry out injectivity test, with brine, at various rates and record pressures.
9.If injectivity is high enough (see Note 2), proceed with (10), otherwise acidise and repeat injectivity test. If injectivity is still too low, then:
a)Acidise again, and/or reperforate, and/or
b)Reduce volumes of WELLFIX DP2000/DP2003 to be pumped, or
c)Abort job and pull out of hole.
10.Prepare WELLFIX DP2000 by adding WELLFIX DP2001 and WELLFIX DP2002 in the ratio 1:1 to a closed blender and mix for 5 minutes. Take a
sample and carry out viscosity build-up test at bottom hole temperature.
11.Begin pumping at maximum rate (volumes will vary depending on interval length and porosity):
-Pump 2 vols diesel preflush (optional)*.
-Drop 1st plug.
-Pump 1 vol WELLFIX DP2000.
-Pump 2 vols WELLFIX DP2003 overflush.
-Drop 2nd plug.
-Displace entire overflush into formation with displacement fluid.
-Wait on cure. (Surface sample in hot water bath @ BHT)
Diesel preflush has been shown to improve performance in some core tests. Thus, prior to including a diesel preflush, core flushing tests should be
carried out to determine whether there is any improvement in performance.
12.Unset the packer and lower toolstring slowly, while circulating displacement fluid, until the top of the toolstring is 10 m below bottom perforation.
This will clean/dilute any remaining chemicals in the wellbore across the the treated zone.
13.If using a snubbing unit circulate the rest of the displacement fluid out of the workstring with filtered brine and then pull out of the hole.
14.If coiled tubing is used, pull out of hole while circulating displacement fluid out of coiled tubing by displacing with filtered brine. If losses should
occur after a sand consolidation job, then a viscous pill should be used to control the losses. If filter cake forming pills are used, then these will be
extremely difficult to clean up once they are packed into the perforation tunnels, resulting in high impairment.
DO NOT SQUEEZE ANY MORE FLUIDS INTO THE FORMATION AND DO NOT ALLOW THE WELL TO FLOW.
15. Lay down tool and clean residual resin off as soon as possible. After the SPT tool has been laid down, it can be best cleaned by wiping off any resin
from surface with some dry rags. KSEPL is working on a cleaning fluid which may improve this.
16.Rig down all equipment. Report viscosity build-up time of sample.
17.The well should not be production tested until +/-48 hrs for maximum strenght after the chemicals were injected. Results in the lab have shown that
for wells with a bottom hole temperature exceeding 60C, there is no significant improvement in return permeability or strength beyond 48 hrs curing
time.
1.Before mixing the WELLFIX DP2001 with WELLFIX DP2002, ensure all equipment has been tested, leaks have been repaired and all the lines are
hooked up so that no lines have to be disconnected and reconnected during the operation. Once the DP2001 and DP2002 are mixed the reaction begins,
although it is very slow at ambient temperature.
2.The injectivity test should confirm that:
a)The tool has been set in the right position.
b)There is sufficient injectivity to squeeze away the consolidation chemicals and overflush within the allowable pumpable time.
The pumpable time of WELLFIX DP2000 should be determined beforehand by measuring the viscosity build up of the chemicals at the bottom hole
temperature. This should be done as soon as the chemicals are on site. If the chemicals have been stored for a long time, then a viscosity build up test
should be carried out before dispatching the chemicals to the rig.
The job should be designed so that the chemicals can be mixed, pumped and displaced out of the workstring before the viscosity builds up to 100 cP, at
which point the reaction rate increases dramatically and the chemicals gel very soon afterwards. As the mixing occurs at ambient temperature, where the
reaction is extremely slow, the mixing time is not included when calculating the minimum pumping time required. This can be deduced from:
Minimum pumpable time required, Tmin= Time to pump WELLFIX DP2000
+ Time to pump WELLFIX DP2003
+ Time to displace WELLF X DP2003
+ Contingency (10% of the above)
Thus, it is important that an injectivity test be carried out before the job, and the maximum pumping rate be applied during the job. This also encourages
even placement.