Acidizing
Chapter Seven
Basic Type of Acidizing
Matrix Acidizing
Fracture Acidizing
Matrix Acidizing
1. Sand Stone
Major Effects
Dissolves / Dispersis damage
Restore Permeability
Miner Effects
Miner Stimulation
2. Limestone
Major Effects
Enlarge Flow Channel
Disperses Damage by Dissolving Surrounding
Rock
Creation of Highly Conductive Wormhole
Type of Acid Used in Well Stimulation
1. Hydraulic Acid
Usually used in the field as 15% by weight
The acid concentration mat vary between 5-35%
HCl usually used to dissolve limestone, dolomite,
and other carbonate
2. Hydrofluoric Acid (Mud Acid)
It is normally 3% HF combined with 12% HCl
It is used in sandstone matrix treatment to dissolve
clay
It can be used as half strength (1.5 HF & 6%HCl)
Type of Acid Used in Well Stimulation
(Continue)
3. Acetic Acid
It is weakly ionized, slow reaction organic acid
It is relatively easy to inhibited against corrosion
Frequently used as a perforating fluid in limestone
wells
Acetic acid should be considered when acidizing well
with an alloy pump in the hole
4. Formic Acid
It is weakly ionized, slow reaction organic acid
It is more difficult to inhibited against corrosion at
higher temperature
It dose not have the widespread acceptance and use
of acetic acid
Type of Acid Used in Well Stimulation
(Continue)
5. Sulfamic Acid
It is powder material
It can be hauled to location as dry powder and then
mixed with water
It dose not dissolve iron oxide
It is too expensive compared with the other acids
Why We Need Acid Additives
The used of acid can create a number
of well problem. Acid may release fines
that plug the formation, form emulsion,
and create sludge corrode steel.
Additives are available to correct these
and a number of other problems
Type of Acid Additives
1. Surfactant
It is use in all acid jobs
It is used to reduce surface interfacial tension
It is used to prevent emulsion
It is used to water wet the formation
Surfactant type should be selected on the bases of
tests
2. Suspending Agents
It is used to reduce surface interfacial tension in both
raw and spent acid
It is used to prevent emulsion
It is used to water wet the formation
Type of Acid Additives
(Continue)
It is used to prevent precipitation of iron as
hydrochloric acid spends
It has particular application in treating water injection
or disposal well where iron compound are deposited
on the formation face
Always It should be used if rusty tubing or casing is
to be contacted
3. Anti Sludge Agents
It is used particularly for heavy crude oil
It is used to prevent formation sludge of high
molecular weight hydrocarbon
Sludge formation is more severe with high strength acid
It is used to water wet the formation
Type of Acid Additives
(Continue)
4. Corrosion Inhibitor
They are use to slow down the reaction of acid on metal
There time is varies with temperature, acid
concentration,type of steel, and inhibitor
concentration
Organic inhibitors are effective up to the range of 300 °F
Inorganic inhibitors can be used to at least 450 °F
5. Fluid Loss Control Agents
These agents are required to reduce acid leak off in
fracture acidizing
It is important to run fluid loss tests on cores from
formation which need to be acidized
Benefits or Possible damage from fluid loss control
agents should be determined from lab test
Type of Acid Additives
(Continue)
6. Chemical Retarders
They are use to achieve deeper penetration into the
formation.
7. Diverting Materials
To divert the stimulation fluid from a permeable zone
to a less permeable zone.
Diverting Technique
1. Mechanical (Perforation)
Straddel Packer
Ball Sealer
2. Bridging & Plugging Agent (Chemical)
Benzonic Acid Flakes
Rock Salt
Wax Beads
3. SDA (Diversion in Formation)
Wormhole
Fissure
Fracture &Matrix
Self Diverting Acid
Benfits
Improved Zone Coverage
Reduce Acid Treatment Volume
Effective Diversion in Cased or Open hole
Increase Productivity
Applications
Oil, Water or Gas Wells
Intervals with High Permeability Contrasts
Factors Effecting Acid Reaction Rate
1. Area Volume Ratio
Reaction rate is indirectly proportional to the surface
area of limestone or dolomite
2. Temperature
As temperature increases, acid spends faster on
limestone or dolomite , it is necessary to increase
pumping rate to get acid in place before it spent
3. Pressure
It has very little effect on acid reaction rate except at
very low pressure
Factors Effecting Acid Reaction Rate
4. Acid Strength
As concentration of acid increases, acid spending
time increases
5. Formation Composition
Physical and chemical composition of formation rock
is a major factor in determining spending time
6. Acid Velocity
The effect of acid velocity on reaction rate appears to
be slight, except with high HCl strength
Matrix Acidizing in Sandstones
The damaging material in the well bore region
normally consist of siliceous material.
The acid used to dissolve this material is
usually mixture of HCl & HF (Mud acid), in
which the siliceous material will dissolve.
For scale removal only HCl should be used,
since dissolved calcium and hydrofluoric acid
may form the insoluble calcium fluoride.
Matrix Acidizing in Sandstones
(Cont.)
Treatments in sandstone usually involve the sequential
injection of three fluids and they are as following:
A preflush
It is consist of 5-15% HCl, plus additives to displace water
from the wellbore and connate water from the near
wellbore region and to dissolve any calcareous material
in the formation.
The Main HCl/HF Acid
which usually made up of 12% HCl and 3% HF. The later
will react with clay, sand , mud and cement to improve
the nearby permeability.
The HCl will not react but it will reduce the precipitation
of the HF reaction products by maintaining a low PH.
The volume of main acid ranging from 100 – 150 gal/ft of perforate interval.
Matrix Acidizing in Sandstones
(Cont.)
An Afterflush
It is applied to isolate the main flush from brine which is
used to clean the tubing after the treatment.
To flush the acid reaction products from the near
wellbore region into the formation.
To restore the wettability of the formation.
If the well will be produced immediately after the
treatment, the afterflush volume should be the same as
the main acid volume
If the well stays shut-in for some time, the afterflush
volume should be at least twice the main acid volume, in
order to displace the reaction products to a distance
where there influence is negligible.
HF Acid Stimulation in Sand stone
Reservoir
To achieve HF acid stimulation, the treatment
should be designed to meet the following
aspect:
Select well with positive skin damage
Use 5 – 15% HCl preflush
Use 50 – 150 gal 3% HF – 12% HCl acid per
foot of sand
Dissolve clay and mud solid near wellbore
Prevent the precipitation of insoluble in the
formation
Prevent the spent acid from emulsifing
HF Acid Stimulation in Sand stone
Reservoir (Cont.)
Leave the sand the remain fines in a water wet
condition
Spent acid should have low surface tension
and low interfacial tension to allow easy
return to well bore
Remove the spent acid from around wellbore
within about one hour after the treatment is
completed
Remove the spent acid from around wellbore
within about one hour after the treatment is
completed
Well Preparation Prior Acidizing of
Sandstone Reservoir
Clean out debris from wellbore.
Remove any paraffin or asphalt in tubing or
wellbore.
Remove any acid soluble and insoluble acid
scales from tubing.
Re-perforate if necessary to insure entry of
acid into desired interval.
Use a perforation washer to clean out
perforations, if there are indication of
perforation being plugged with silt, mud, or
other debris.
Acidizing of carbonate Reservoirs
In the matrix acidizing of carbonate reservoir,
the use of HF acid is absolutely forbidden,
since it would produce insoluble calcium
fluoride.
Only hydrochloric (HCl) acid should be used
during acidizing of carbonate reservoir.
Generally 50 – 150 gal of 15 –28% HCl per
foot of perforated interval should be
sufficient.
Use of High Strength HCl Acid in
Carbonate Reservoir
High Strength HCl is any concentration of HCl
acid from 20% to 35%
Advantages of High Strength Acid
Dolomite & dense limestone required high
strength acid
28 – 33% HCl is usually used to stimulate
dolomite formation.
In fracture acidizing, higher strength acid
provide longer spent time, resulting in
longer etching fractures.
Use of High Strength HCl Acid in
Carbonate Reservoir
Disadvantages of High Strength Acid
In fracture acidizing of very soluble
limestone over etching may result in low
flow capacity fracture..
In relatively dirty carbonate formation,
more fines will be released by high
strength acid, which may will cause
serious plugging of the formation matrix
or etching fracture.
