Managing Formation Damage Risk From Scale-Inhibitor Squeeze Treatments in Deepwater Subsea Fields in the Campos Basin

摘要

This paper describes field experience and lessons learned from bullhead deployed scale-control operations in a deepwater subsea development in the Campos Basin, Brazil; specifically, deploying such treatments from the FPSO host, along the production flowlines, into four low-watercut, horizontal subsea wells, completed with sand control. The relatively small number of high-cost, highly productive wells, coupled with a very high barium-sulfate scaling tendency upon breakthrough of injection water, meant not only was effective downhole scale management critical to achieve high hydrocarbon recovery, but even wells at low water cuts were deemed to be at sufficient risk to require squeeze application. Initial bullheaded scale treatments comprised mutual solvent preflush, a water-based mainflush, and diesel overflush; so-called “hybrid” treatments. As water production rates rose, so did the treatment volumes required. To improve the logistics of these treatments and to mitigate issues arising from poor injectivity of diesel in these wells, core studies were conducted to investigate the option of exchanging the overflush fluid from marine diesel to injection-quality seawater. This change also introduced the possibility of forming a gas-hydrates plug during shut-in, but this was managed using a thermodynamic hydrate inhibitor and by replacing the flowline contents to flashed crude during the shut-in period. The operational aspects and the response of the wells to the modified treatments will both be compared with those previously deployed, in particular, in terms of the injectivity of the wells during treatment and well clean-up rates and productivity afterwards. The core studies also highlighted a formation-damage mechanism caused by incompatibility between mutual solvent and the produced oil, which required modification of the treatment.