Innovative Process for Formation Damage Removal in Sandstone Reservoir Based on Real-Time Downhole Monitoring: A Malaysia Case History

Abstract

Abstract Many retrograde condensate gas wells in field A, located offshore Malaysia, are underperforming or even idle because of calcium carbonate scale deposition and near-wellbore condensate banking. Previous treatments were performed without any adjustment of fluid placement across the multiple fractured zones due to the lack of technology enabling real-time downhole monitoring. Fluids could, therefore, be lost into depleted or high-water-cut intervals, leading to suboptimal treatment. Distributed temperature sensing (DTS) technology through optical fiber installed inside coiled tubing strings mitigates the risks related to blind acid pumping. The technology makes it possible in real time to monitor and adjust fluid placement and diversion efficiency to squeeze acid into target zones and maximize the treatment success. The first worldwide implementation of sandstone matrix acidizing using the DTS technology was performed on a well completed with four perforated and propped fractured zones. The main treatment fluid was designed to remove both types of formation damage: organic acid would attack the scale and alcohol would eliminate the condensate banking. The first challenge was the cleanout of hard carbonate scale from the wellbore, which was performed with a bottomhole assembly composed of a high-pressure rotating jetting tool and a real-time fiber-optic tension-compression sub enabling the coiled tubing unit operator to maximize the slack-off on scale and facilitate its removal. The second challenge was the depleted upper perforated and propped fracture interval detected by the DTS. If diversion was inefficient, all fluids would get lost into the upper zone. A diverter fluid system formulated with degradable fiber blended into viscoelastic-surfactant-based fluid was optimized based on expected downhole conditions, and two stages were successively squeezed into the highly permeable (130-Darcy) depleted upper interval before getting a good signature on the DTS surveys showing that this zone was temporarily plugged and that the main treatment fluid would be squeezed into the lower target zones. The post-treatment gas production was double what was expected. A memory production logging tool was run after the job. This confirmed the crossflow to the upper depleted zone during shut-in and showed 86% gas production from the two bottom intervals, which demonstrates the effectiveness of both the innovative stimulation process with DTS and the diversion with degradable fiber.