ACID FRACTURING OF A GAS CARBONATE RESERVOIR: THE IMPACT OF ACID TYPE AND LITHOLOGY ON FRACTURE HALFLENGTH AND WIDTH

Bartko is a stimulation specialist with Saudi Aramcos Petroleum Engineering Support Division. He joined Saudi Aramco in 2000 and develops and supports new stimulation and completion technologies across Saudi Arabia. Bartko is now supporting the South Ghawar Gas Development Project. Prior to joining Saudi Aramco, he was with ARCO for 19 years in West Texas, Alaska, Algeria and the Research Technology Center, supporting U.S. and international operations. Bartko has authored and co-authored more than a dozen technical papers on well stimulation and holds a patent on monitoring fracture pressures. He holds a BS in petroleum engineering from the University of Wyoming in Laramie and has been a Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) member since 1977. Nasr-El-Din is a senior research consultant with Saudi Aramcos Research & Development Center. He holds BSc and MSc degrees from Cairo University in Egypt, and a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, all in chemical engineering. Nasr-El-Dins research interests include well stimulation, formation damage, two-phase flow, flow in porous media, enhanced oil recovery, rheology, conformance control, interfacial properties and adsorption. He has published more than 200 technical papers and is a member of the SPE and the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers (CSChE). Nasr-El-Dins e-mail address is hisham.nasreldin@aramco.com. Rahim is a petroleum engineering specialist with Saudi Aramcos Gas Reservoir Management Division (GRMD).

Kirk M. Bartko

Hisham A. Nasr-El-Din

Zillur Rahim

Ghaithan A. Al-Muntasheri

His expertise includes well stimulation design, analysis, optimization and reservoir engineering. Prior to joining GRMD, he worked as a senior reservoir engineer with Holditch & Associates, Inc. and later with Schlumberger Holditch-Reservoir Technologies in College Station, Texas. Rahim has taught petroleum engineering industry courses and has developed production, well testing and 3D hydraulic and acid fracturing models. Rahim received a BS from Institut Algerien du Petrole, Algeria, and MS and PhD degrees from Texas A&M University, College Station, all in petroleum engineering. He has authored more than 30 technical papers. Rahim is a member of and a technical editor for SPE. He is also a registered professional engineer in Texas and a mentor for Saudi Aramcos technologist development program. Al-Muntasheri holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM). He is working on an MS in chemical engineering as a part-time KFUPM student. Al-Muntasheri joined Saudi Aramco in July 2001 as a lab scientist in the R&DC/UR&DD/Formation Damage and Stimulation Unit. He has published three Society of Petroleum Engineers papers (SPE-84925, 84130 and 84516). Al-Muntasheri has been involved in several projects, including adsorption as a method of scale mitigation, sandstone acidizing, evaluation of acid fracturing treatments of gas wells, pickling treatments evaluation and water shut-off using gels.

Fig. 1. Ghawar field.

fracture treatments, acid-rock interactions were investigated to determine the relationship between lithology and acid type. This work involves correlating the designed treatment to the open-hole logs, core petrophysical data, analysis of hundreds of samples collected following acid fracture treatments and production results.

INTRODUCTION
The Khuff formation is a deep gas carbonate reservoir that consists of dolomite and limestone sections underlying the giant Ghawar oil field in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. The Ghawar field map is presented in fig. 1. It includes the approximate boundaries of the two fields under study. The Khuff formation can have streaks of shale, anhydrite, or non-permeable intervals within the layer, which may

ABSTRACT
The Khuff formation is ideally made up for acid fracturing because of the heterogeneous nature of the formation, which tends to support the created fracture conductivity. Various acid types were used to fracture this tight dolomitized formation, which include: 28 wt% regular HCl, emulsified acid and in-situ gelled acid. In addition, several wells were fractured using 15 wt% HCl/9wt% formic gelled acids. However, based on production results and the large database of acid fracture treatments (more than 70 wells), it appears that there is a correlation between the acid type used and the lithology of the formation. An earlier study, (Rahim, Z., K. Bartko and M. Al-Qahtani, 2002), which briefly examined this phenomenon, indicated that the emulsified acid might be better suited to low-permeable zones. These low-permeable rocks are predominately made up of limestone. Typically, changing the acid volumes, placement techniques and/or pumping rates have optimized acid fracture treatments by creating longer and wider fractures. However, we tend to ignore the effects of lithology in carbonate formations because we all believe that the rock interaction with the acid is not as sensitive as in sandstone formations. With this large database of acid

Fig. 2. Typical log of the Khuff formation.

30 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004

constitute no-flow zone or fracture barriers. Fig. 2 is a typical log indicating a Khuff well that is dominated with calcite inter-dispersed with dolomite and shale stringers. This heterogeneity of the Khuff formation makes it an ideal candidate for acid fracturing, even though the reservoir temperature ranges between 137 to 148C (280 and 300F). Formation heterogeneity among the wells is significant, with porosity intervals disappearing between offset wells. Acid fracturing the Khuff formation has proven to be successful in obtaining the required high gas rate to start up the two new gas plants built for the Hawiyah and Haradh fields. In the beginning, the acid fracture program consisted of pumping a viscous pad (high-temperature borate gel) followed by 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid and then a closedfracture acid stage of 28 wt% HCl pumped below the closure pressure. Typically, the acid volumes ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 gals/ft. The results of the treatments were good, but optimization of the early treatments was difficult due to the inavailability of long-term production data. Optimization during this time period included the development of a rock mechanical property log to define the stress regime (Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Z. Rahim, 2001). This information was used to determine whether multiple fracture treatments were required to ensure coverage of the acid and perforation strategy. Different acid systems such as emulsified acids (Nasr-ElDin, H.A., J.R. Solares, S.H. Al-Mutairi and M.D. Mahoney, 2001), in-situ gelled acids (Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S.H. AlMutairi, M. Al-Jari, S. Metcalf, and W. Wallace, 2002), formic/HCl (Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S.H. Al-Mutairi, M. AlMalki, S. Metcalf and W. Wallace, 2002), and visco-elastic acids (Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S. Al-Driweesh, G. Al-Muntasheri, R. Marcinew and M. Samuel, 2003) were later introduced with varying results. These acid formulations have routinely resulted in high initial gas rates, but some declined to less than 60 percent of the original clean-up rate within six months of the production period. In an attempt to offset this decline, Saudi Aramco began optimizing acid fracturing

treatments based on reservoir characteristics, such as permeability, porosity and fluid leak-off. This optimization process has been limited to fluid selection, volume and number of stages (Rahim Z. and M.Y. Al-Qahtani, 2002) and (Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Z. Rahim, 2001). This paper examines the importance of obtaining acid flow-back data for carbonate reservoirs and correlating the results back to log lithology and acid type. The combinations of these variables, along with the reservoir characteristics, are then used to determine an acid volume and system based on reservoir properties and lithology.

S T I M U L AT I O N O B J E C T I V E S
Acid fracturing is one of the fundamental ways to stimulate carbonate reservoirs (Rahim Z. and Y.M. Al-Qahtani, 2001). The main factors contributing to improved production are the etched fracture conductivity and acid penetration distance. Acid penetration distance is a function of leak-off rate, fracture width, pumping rate and volume. However, fracture conductivity is a function of effective etched width at a certain position along the fracture that remains open and communicating with the well after closure occurs. The hydraulic geometry relates fracture dimensions to rock and fluid properties, and is computed numerically for each vertical layer that accounts for changes in the formation flow properties. It is estimated using equation 1: (1) where q and m are the injection rate and fluid viscosity, respectively. E is the Youngs modulus of a particular layer. The variable ww is the fracture width at the wellbore; L is the fracture half-length; and h is the fracture height. The dimensionless fracture conductivity is an indicator of stimulation effectiveness and is related to the ratio between fracture and reservoir conductivity by equation 2: (2) Where:

Cumulative Production

Ultimate Recovery No Stimulation With Stimulation

kf wf kr xf Fcd

= = = = =

Fracture permeability, mD Fracture width, ft Reservoir permeability, mD Fracture width, ft Fracture conductivity, - md-ft

Time
Fig. 3. Benefits of optimal fracture treatment.

When a fracture treatment is well-designed and correctly implemented in the field, the benefits in terms of gas

SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004 31

production and recovery time are readily experienced. Fig. 3 illustrates how a stimulated well produces at a high rate at early times and achieves ultimate gas recovery faster than the unstimulated case. In such situations, payout time is shorter and savings are made in well maintenance-related expenses. The example provided in fig. 3 is for moderateto high-permeability wells, whereas such benefits are even more pronounced in low-permeability wells. The objective of a fracturing program is thus to optimize acid systems and develop a proper implementation plan to derive such financial benefits.

A third treatment using 15 wt% HCl/9 wt% formic acid was used briefly because of corrosion concerns in wells completed with Super Cr-13 tubing configuration. Due to the cost of the chrome tubulars and the positive early news of the expected corrosion rate in the tubular as less than anticipated, it was decided to complete the rest of the planned wells with low-carbon steel tubulars (L-80 and C-95).

A N A LY S I S O F F L O W B A C K S A M P L E S
Chemical analysis of the fluids produced following acid treatment has been used to evaluate and enhance acid treatments performed in several fields. To assess the performance of the acid fracture treatments, samples of well flowback were collected, and the concentrations of key ions were measured. Calcium and magnesium concentrations were measured by inductively-coupled argon plasma emission spectroscopy (ICAP). Acid concentration was determined using acid-base titration. The chloride ion was measured using 0.1 N silver nitrate solutions with potassium chromate as an indicator. To measure pH, an Orion model 250A meter and a Cole Parmer Ag/AgCl single junction pH electrode were used.

S T I M U L AT I O N P R O C E D U R E
Currently, two acid programs are implemented in the Khuff formation that either consist of in-situ gelled acid with stages of pad (table 1) or emulsified acid with the final stages of in-situ gelled acid (table 2). Both treatments utilize the closed fracture acid stages (28 wt% HCl), in which acid is pumped below the closure pressure of the formation.
Stage No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Fluid Description

15 wt% HCl Spearhead (for severely damaged wells) 40# linear gel 40# x-linked gel 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid 40# x-linked gel repeat Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid volume target 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid 40# linear gel Allow BHP < closure pressure 28 wt% HCl (CFA) Overflush (field mixing water and surfactant)

DOLOMITE AND CALCITE FROM FLOWBACK SAMPLES

Flowback samples can be used to determine the nature of the treated zone and type of carbonate mineral dissolved by the acid. One method to determine the acids reaction with the rock is to examine the calcium-to-magnesium weight ratio in the well flowback samples. The target zone usually contains calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite CaMg(CO3)2. The main source of magnesium in the formation rock is dolomite. The weight ratio of calcium to magnesium in pure dolomite is 1.67. The concentrations of calcium and magnesium in the flowback sample can be used to determine the average calcite and dolomite contents in the treated zone. It should be noted that all acids used in fracturing treatments were prepared using low-salt content water (Ca ranges from 128 to 168 mg/L and Mg from 40 to 56 mg/L). The acids used in the fracturing treatments did not contain significant amounts of Ca or Mg ions. All of the treated wells did not produce formation water before or after the treatment. As a result, the main source of calcium and magnesium in the well flowback samples is the formation rock. Calcite and dolomite are the two main minerals that can produce calcium and magnesium in the flowback samples. Other possible sources of calcium and magnesium include ankerite (CaMgFe(CO3)2) and anhydrite (CaSO4). However, the former mineral was not detected in any

Table 1. In-situ gelled acid general procedure.

Stage No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

15 wt% HCl Spearhead acid 40# linear gel 40# x-linked gel 28 wt% emulsified acid (acid: diesel = 70:30) 40# x-linked gel Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid volume target 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid 40# x-linked gel 40# linear gel Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid volume target Allow BHP < closure pressure 28 wt% HCl (CFA) Overflush (field mixing water + surfactant)

Fluid Description

Table 2. Emulsified acid general procedure.

32 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004

70

5.0 4.5 4.0

Calcium & Mg (mg/l) Thousands

60 50 Ca

3.5

Ca/Mg

40 30 20 10

3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0

Mg 0 0 300 600 900 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000

0.5 0 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Flowback Time (minutes)

Flowback Time (minutes)

Fig. 4. Ca and Mg concentrations, Well SA-1. Fig. 8. Ca/Mg weight ratio is increasing, which may be an indication of retardation, Well SA-3.
140 120

100 80 60 40 20 0 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,400 2,800

Flowback Time (minutes)

Fig. 5. Chloride ion concentration, Well SA-1.

7 6 5

4 3 2 1 0 0 300 600 900 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000

Flowback Time (minutes)

Fig. 6. CA/Mg weight ratio indicating average calcite content is 43 wt%, Well SA-1.

12 10 8

6 4 2 0 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000

Flowback Time (minutes)

Fig. 7. Ca/Mg weight ratio indicating average calcite content is 60 wt%, Well SA-2.

significant amounts when reservoir cores were examined using XRD analysis (Taylor, K.C., A.H. Al-Ghamdi and H.A. Nasr-El-Din, 2003). The latter has a very low solubility in mineral acids. Magnesium and calcium released in the flowback samples from minerals other than calcite and dolomite are neglected. To determine the calcite and dolomite content in the formation, several steps were taken. Calcium and magnesium concentrations were measured in the flowback samples. The first few measurements were excluded because they represented the overflush. The number of these samples was determined based on the concentration of chloride in the flowback samples. This procedure can be illustrated by examining the results obtained from well SA-1 where zone B was acid fractured. The concentrations of Ca and Mg are shown in fig. 4. The chloride ion is shown in fig. 5, and the Ca/Mg weight ratio is shown in fig. 6. The first few samples contained low concentrations of chloride ion. These samples represent the overflush. The next samples had higher calcium concentrations. The source of the calcium is calcium carbonate particles used during drilling the target zone. Following this initial peak, the Ca/Mg weight ratio indicates that the average calcite in the formation is 43.2 wt%, and the balance is dolomite. A similar trend was noted in wells where zone C was acid fractured. For example, the Ca/Mg weight ratio in the samples collected from well SA-2 is shown in fig. 7. In this case, the Ca/Mg ratio indicates that the average calcite content is 60 wt%. It is interesting to note that the Ca/Mg weight ratio can provide indications of acid penetration in some cases. Fig. 8 depicts the Ca/Mg weight ratio for SA-3. This well was acid fractured using the HCl/formic acid system. Similar to the trend noted in figs. 6 and 7, the initial Ca/Mg ratio was low (due to the overflush), then increased up to a maximum (due to calcium carbonate particles). However, in the case

Ca/Mg

Ca/Mg

Chloride (mg/L) Thousands

SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004 33

of the HCl/formic acid system, the Ca/Mg weight ratio continued to increase, and very high ratios were still obtained just before the end of the cleaning process. It appears from these results that this system is more retarded than other systems. Also, this system does dissolve more calcite than the other acid systems examined.

A C I D F R A C T U R E T R E AT M E N T D ATA
The acid fracture data consisted of compiling the acid type, acid volume, and maximum and minimum pump rates. The data excluded the pad stages used to initiate the fracture and the intermediate stages used to keep the fracture open. The 10,000 gals of 28 wt% HCl closed fracture acid stage were excluded from the analysis because all treatments used the same acid volume and acid concentration. A spearhead acid is used in some wells to remove drilling fluid filter cake. This acid was not included because its function was to remove external damage and, as a result, it did not significantly affect the permeability of the formation. The following types of acid systems were lumped together for evaluation: 1. 15 wt% HCl/9 wt% formic acid; 2. In-situ gelled acid; 3. Emulsified acid with in-situ gelled acid stages; and 4. Emulsified acid with visco-elastic acid stages. It should be mentioned that the volume of the emulsified acid was based on acid volume. In other words, the volume of diesel (30 vol% of the total acid volume) was excluded. The total acid volume included the later stages of the in-situ gelled acid.

1. the use of multiple zone production; 2. compartmentalization; 3. fracture closure; 4. condensate banking; and 5. multiphase flow in the fracture. The data of nearly 70 wells was analyzed, and the results indicated a 60 percent decline in gas production over a sixmonth period.

A N A LY S I S O F A C I D F R A C T U R E T R E AT M E N T S
Due to the vast amount of data, the uncertainty of log quality interpretation and reservoir characteristics, the data was evaluated in several different ways. The combination of variables that were investigated consisted of porosity-height, initial production rate, the total volume of fluids, minimum and maximum pump rate, net reservoir height, acid type and lithology. The best correlation found included the productivity index (PI). The PI was normalized for differences in reservoir quality by dividing PI by the permeability-thickness product, kh, where k and h are the permeability and net height of the target zone, respectively. It should be mentioned that the value of h for the wells examined varied from 9 to 61 meters (30 to 200 ft). This procedure assumes that the wellbore radius and skin after the treatment are constant for all wells. This ratio, PI/kh, measures the performance of the acid fracture treatments, including poor coverage of the acid in large gross intervals.

E F F E C T O F P U M P R AT E
It has been long recognized that maximizing the pump rate during an acid fracture treatment would result in deeper acid penetration. In a typical Khuff acid fracture treatment, the pump rate is continuously monitored, along with the non-reactive pad stages, to keep the bottomhole pressure above the closure pressure. We investigated the impact of the maximum pump rate to determine if there is a correlation between pump rate and
30

R E S E RV O I R D ATA
The compilation of the reservoir data consisted of evaluating the openhole logs for lithology, determining the net reservoir height and calculating permeability based on Khuff porosity-permeability transform. For the purpose of our evaluation, this data was consistently used, even when there was better-quality information based on pressure buildup analysis or core permeability.

P R O D U C T I O N D ATA
The data used in this study consisted of the initial production flow rate after clean-up. This data is normally obtained from a choke calculation prior to shutting-in the well. The final clean-up rate was measured when the well produced less than 10 vol% BS&W. A six-month rate was used as a steady-state rate. The six-month data for all wells was not acquired due to insufficient production data. It should be mentioned that the six-month data is useful, however, other parameters should be considered, including:

25 20

PI

15 10 5 0 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Maximum Pump Rate (bpm)

Fig. 9. Effect of maximum pump rate on PI.

34 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004

0.6 0.5 0.4

0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Maximum Pump Rate (bpm)

Fig. 10. Impact of maximum pump rate on Pl/kh. The plot indicates a benefit of pumping the acid at higher rates.

PI or PI/kh. Fig. 9 shows PI as a function of the maximum pump rate noted during the acid fracturing treatments. There is a possible trend indicating that PI increases with the maximum pumping rate. However, the data scatter makes this observation inconclusive. Fig. 10 shows the PI/kh as a function of the maximum pump rate. In this case, the scatter is less and a reasonable fit (least squares method) can be established. It is evident from this data that higher maximum pumping rates enhance the productivity of the Khuff gas wells.

is 1,000 to 1,200 gals/ft. Plotting the same data as function of the perforation interval provides a similar result. The results shown in fig. 11 indicate that wells with large kh values were not effectively stimulated. This is probably due to poor diversion during acid placement. Further investigation is needed to determine why these well types are underperforming. The HCl/formic acid system was not included in the trend line because it was used in a limited number of wells. The data shown in fig. 11 indicates that this acid type performs poorly following well clean-up. However, longterm production data indicates that the performance of wells treated with this acid system is the best among the systems examined.

PI/kh

I N - S I T U G E L L E D A C I D T R E AT M E N T S
The volume of the in-situ gelled acid used to date ranged between 200 and 2,000 gal/ft. Originally, the in-situ gelled acid was pumped arbitrarily and was based on service company recommendations. Fig. 12 is a compilation of all the in-situ gelled acid treatments vs. PI/kh. A trend line is established indicating that an optimum acid volume of 800 to 1,200 gal/ft of perforation. When looking at a volume based on reservoir net height, the optimum acid volume is the same. Based on this data, it appears that the type of cross-linker used has no significant effect on the initial well productivity.

E F F E C T O F A C I D T O TA L V O L U M E
It has been observed that acid type has a significant impact on the geometry of the created fracture either by retarding acid reactions with the carbonate rock or by reducing the rate of acid leak-off into the formation. Recently, there has been some evidence that visco-elastic acids can also improve fracture conductivity by reducing the polymer residue left in the formation (Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S. Al-Driweesh, G. AlMuntasheri, R. Marcinew, and M. Samuel, 2003). Saudi Aramco has been using several of these fluids in order to enhance the outcome of acid fracturing treatments. A compilation of the three main acid types used in the Khuff formation is presented in fig. 11, which depicts PI/kh as a function of the total acid volume per net reservoir interval. Based on this plot, the optimum total acid volume
0.35 0.30 0.25 Emulsified Acid Formic:HCl Acid Cross-Linked Acid

EMULSIFIED ACID
0.2

Optimal Acid Volume

PI/kh

0.1

0.0 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000

Acid Volume/Perforation Interval, gal/ft

Fig. 12. Pl/kh vs. in-situ gelled acid volume per perforation interval. The two colors in the figure indicate the two cross-linkers currently used with the insitu gelled acids. The blue is a zirconium-based cross-linker and the red is an iron-based cross-linker.

PI/kh

0.20 optimal volume 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,400

Acid Volume/Net reservoir Height (gal/ft)

Fig. 11. Pl/kh vs. acid volume per net reservoir height.

Emulsified acid has become the preferred fluid of choice for the Khuff stimulation program, especially in lowpermeability intervals that are calcite-dominated. The volumes of the emulsified acid pumped were similar to those used with the in-situ gelled acids with no apparent optimization of the acid volume.

SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004 35

0.4

10 9

Gas Rate, MMSCF/D

0.3 0.3

8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Formic Gelled Emulsified 8/7/2002 11/15/2002 2/23/2003 6/3/2003

PI/kh

0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.0 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 Optimum Acid Volume

0 10/11/2001 1/19/2002 4/29/2002 10 9 8

Acid Volume/Perforation Interval (gal/ft)

Production Time

W E7 L L P E R F O R M A N C E AT S T E A D Y S TAT E
30 25 20

Gas Rate, MMSCF/D

Fig. 13. Pl/kh vs. emulsified acid volume per perforation interval. Least squares fit, R=0.435.

Fig. 15. Long-term production from three Khuff gas wells.

PI

15 10 Optimum Acid Volume 5 0 400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Acid Volume/Perforation Interval, gal/ft

Fig. 14. Pl vs. emulsified acid volume per perforation interval.

When investigating the optimum volume of emulsified acid, two points become apparent. First, the optimum volume per foot of perforation is less than that of the in-situ gelled acid. The optimum volume is between 650 and 1,000 gal/ft of perforation. Second, there is a noticeable difference in the productivity of wells fractured by emulsified acid that was obtained from service companies A, B, and C. Fig. 13 shows the contrast among the three service companies and the optimum acid volume. This trend is evident even when examining PI as shown in fig. 14. Several wells were acid-fractured using emulsified acid followed by a visco-elastic acid system, both at 28 wt% HCl. The system was used because it is polymer-free, and as a result, has less potential of formation damage. Initial results following clean-up indicated that out of the four wells, only one showed an improvement of productivity above the trend line. In the short term, however, the wells treated with visco-elastic acid systems did clean-up in a shorter period of time (Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S. Al-Driweesh, G. Al-Muntasheri, R. Marcinew, and M. Samuel, 2003). Long-term productivity needs to be evaluated to determine if there is an impact on the production decline.

This 5section provides some field data to illustrate the impact 4 Formic of acid type on well performance. A portion of this data was 3 presented earlier when the wells were 2 Gelled producing for nearly 1 six months (Rahim, Z., K. Bartko and M. Al-Qahtani, 2002). Emulsified 0 Currently, three years of production data is available 10/11/2001 about 1/19/2002 4/29/2002 8/7/2002 11/15/2002 2/23/2003 6/3/2003 Production Time and presented in fig. 15. All wells have reached steady state production within the first six-month period. The acid types and volumes used for the stimulation were: Emulsified acid (28 wt% HCl) using a 70:30 acid-todiesel volume ratio (1,200 gal/ft); In-situ gelled acid (28 wt% HCl, 1,200 gal/ft); and 15 wt% HCl-9 wt% formic acid when treating down Super Cr-13 tubulars (1,800 gal/ft). The three wells are offset to each other, have comparable kh values and are predominantly calcite formations. As noted before (Rahim, Z., Bartko, K. and Al-Qahtani, M., 2002), the performance of wells treated with the HCl/formic acid system has outperformed those using the other two acid types. Fig. 16 presents a typical acid fracturing treatment in one of the carbonate formations. This particular example is an in-situ gelled acid treatment where high conductivity is maintained up to about 46 meters (150 ft.), as shown in fig. 17 by pumping around 1,000 gals/ft of net pay interval at a high rate. This particular well had two gas-bearing zones separated by a tight, non-porous section. The two zones

Depth, ft. Depth, ft

0

50

Fracture Half-Length, ft Fracture Half-Length, ft.

100

150

200

Fig. 16. Etched width profile showing vertical coverage in two gas-bearing intervals.

36 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004

40,000

0.14
All Calcite Dolomite Calcite/Dolomite

Conductivity (md-ft.)

35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000

#3 Conductivity #4 Conductivity

0.12 0.1

PI/kh

0.08 0.06 0.04

10,000 5,000 0 0 50 100 150 200

0.02 0

Emulsified

Formic

Xlink Acid

Length (ft.)

Fig. 19. Pl/kh vs. acid type based on lithology. Fig. 17. Conductivity profiles showing good lateral coverage in two gasbearing intervals.

had different kh values, and the perforation strategy and treatments were designed such that both intervals were treated effectively in a single stage. After the initial decline immediately after the treatment, the production profile (insitu gelled acid in fig. 15) shows a stable rate over a one-year period indicating the effectiveness of acid fracturing.

MINERALOGY BASED ON FLOWBACK ANALYSIS VS. ACID TYPE

EFFECT OF LOG LITHOLOGY AND ACID TYPE

The performance of the acid type was evaluated based on lithology type. This was performed by comparing log-based lithology to the PI and PI/kh of each acid type. Fig. 18 shows a performance comparison of acid types to lithology. The data clearly shows that the emulsified acid is superior in a dolomitic lithology, which is different from what was originally expected. The laboratory results, along with the earlier study, indicated that the emulsified acid would perform better in a calcite rock (Rahim, Z., Bartko, K., and Al-Qahtani, M., 2002). The in-situ gelled acids worked better in a calcite or calcite/dolomitic environment. The HCl/formic acid system appeared to perform the best in a calcite formation. When the reservoir is taken into account and the acids are plotted against PI/kh (fig. 19), the difference in lithology for emulsified acid becomes negligible, and the HCl/formic acid clearly indicates a dependence on calcite. There was no difference noted with the in-situ gelled acids.

Evaluation of the acid type based on the acid flowback (fig. 20) analysis indicated emulsified acid preferentially dissolved dolomitic rock. However, the data also indicates that when the emulsified acid preferentially dissolved dolomite, the PI/kh was poor. The single emulsified acid data point where there is a high percentage of calcite resulted in an improved rate. This result agrees with the earlier study (Rahim, Z., K. Bartko and M. Al-Qahtani, 2002). Lithology did not affect the performance of the insitu gelled acid and the HCl-formic acid system. Additional analysis will be conducted to confirm this trend.
MINERALOGY BASED ON FLOWBACK ANALYSIS VS. LOG LITHOLOGY

Because the flowback data analysis is determined after the acid fracture treatment and because of the importance of mineralogy for acid fracture treatment design, a statistical study was performed to determine the accuracy of the logbased mineralogy model. The acid flowback analysis predicted similar mineralogy 70 percent of the time.

100 In-situ Acid Emulsified Acid Formic: HCI

14
All Calcite Dolomite Calcite/Dolomite

on

lo Do

Lim

12 10 8

est

mi te

PI

6 4 2 0

0
Emulsified Formic Xlink Acid

100 100 PI/kh (X100) 0

Fig. 18. Pl vs. acid type based on lithology.

Fig. 20. Flowback mineralogy vs. Pl/kh of acid type.

SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004 37

CONCLUSIONS
1. There is evidence that maximizing the pump rate will result in higher initial well performance. 2. The performance of the emulsified acid is better than the in-situ gelled acid. 3. An optimum acid volume for in-situ gelled acid is between 800 and 1,200 gals/ft. 4. An optimum acid volume for the emulsified acid is between 600 and 1,000 gals/ft. 5. The performance of emulsified acid depends on the characteristics of the acid. 6. There is no apparent difference in log lithology when reservoir quality is included for emulsified and in-situ gelled acid. 7. The HCl-formic mixture performed the best in a calcite lithology. 8. Short-term production data indicates that the performance of emulsified acid followed by visco-elastic acid is similar to acid fracture treatments, in which the emulsified acid was followed by the in-situ gelled acids used. Long-term data is needed to determine the impact of using visco-elastic acid systems.

REFERENCES
Bartko, K.M., H.A. Nasr-El-Diu, Zillur Rahim and G.A. AlMuntasheri, (2003). Acid Fracturing of a Gas Carbonate Reservoir: The Impact of Lithology of Acid Type and Lithology on Fracture Half Length and Width, SPE paper 84130 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibiton held in Denver, Colo., Oct. 5-8. Meyer, B. MFRAC - a 3D Fracture Design and Analysis Program, Meyer & Associates, Natrona Heights, Penn. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., J.R. Solares, S.H. Al-Mutairi and M.D. Mahoney, (2001). Field Application of Emulsified AcidBased System to Stimulate Deep, Sour Gas Reservoirs in Saudi Arabia, paper SPE 71693 presented at the SPE Annual Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans, La., Sept. 30-Oct. 03. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S.H. Al-Mutairi, M. Al-Jari, S. Metcalf and W. Wallace, (2002). Stimulation of a Deep Sour Gas Reservoir Using Gelled Acid, paper SPE 75501 presented at the SPE Gas Technology Symposium held in Calgary, AB, Canada, April 30-May 2. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S.H. Al-Mutairi, M. Al-Malki, S. Metcalf and W. Wallace, (2002). Stimulation of Deep Gas Wells Using HCl/Formic Acid System: Lab Studies and Field Application, paper CIM2002/289 presented at the Petroleum Societys Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 11-13. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S. Al-Driweesh, G. Al-Muntasheri, R. Marcinew and M. Samuel, (2003). Acid Fracturing of High-Temperature/High Pressure Gas Wells Using a Novel Surfactant-Based Fluid System, paper SPE 84516 presented at the SPE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colo., October 5-8. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., S. Al-Driweesh, G. Al-Muntasheri, R. Marcinew and M. Samuel, (2003). Acid Fracturing of High-Temperature/High Pressure Gas Wells Using a Novel Surfactant-Based Fluid System, paper SPE 84516 to be presented at the SPE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colo., October 5-8. Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Z. Rahim, (2001). A Mathematical Algorithm for Modeling Geomechanical Rock Properties of the Khuff and Pre-Khuff Reservoirs in Ghawar Field, paper SPE 68194 presented at the SPE Middle East Oil Show, Manama, Bahrain, March 17-20.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors wish to thank Saudi Aramco management for permission to publish this paper, and the technical teams and operations personnel for providing data and implementation of this acid fracture program. Udhailiyah Lab Unit, SALD and the Chemistry Unit of the R&D Center, Saudi Aramco, were helpful in their field monitoring and analysis of the spent acids. Members of the Stimulation Group, R&DC, are acknowledged for processing well flowback samples.

N O M E N C L AT U R E
Anhydrite Ankerite Argon plasma emission spectroscopy Calcite Dolomite Inductively-coupled argon plasma emmission spectroscopy Productivity index (CaSO4) (CaMgFe(CO3)2) IACP (CaCO3) CaMg(CO3)2 ICAP PI

38 SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY SUMMER 2004

Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Z. Rahim, (2001). Optimization of Acid Fracturing in the Khuff Gas Condensate Reservoir of South Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia by Managing Uncertainties Using State-of-the-Art Technology, paper SPE 71688 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans, La., Sept. 29-Oct. 2. Rahim, Z., K. Bartko and M.Y. Al-Qahtani, (2002). Hydraulic Fracturing Case Histories in the Carbonate and Sandstone Reservoirs of Khuff and Pre-Khuff Formations, Ghawar Field, Saudi Arabia, paper SPE 77677 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in San Antonio, Texas, Sept. 29Oct. 2. Rahim Z. and M.Y. Al-Qahtani, (2002). Selecting Perforation Intervals and Stimulation Technique in the Khuff Reservoir for Improved and Economic Gas Recovery, paper SPE 68126 presented at the 2001 SPE Middle East Oil Show, Manama, Bahrain, March 17-20. Published in the Journal of Petroleum Science & Engineering, Elsevier Publications, 37 (2003) pp 113-122. Rahim Z. and M.Y. Al-Qahtani, (2001). Sensitivity Study on Geomechanical Properties to Determine their Impact on Fracture Dimensions and Gas Production in the Khuff and Pre-Khuff Formations Using a Layered Reservoir System Approach, Ghawar Reservoir, Saudi Arabia, paper SPE 72142 presented at the SPE Asia Pacific Improved Oil Recovery Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 8-9. Taylor, K.C., A.H. Al-Ghamdi and H.A. Nasr-El-Din, (2003). Effect of Rock Type and Acidizing Additives on Acid Reaction Rates Using the Rotating Disk Instrument, paper CIM2003/068 presented at the Petroleum Societys Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 11-13.

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