SPE 84130

Acid Fracturing of a Gas Carbonate Reservoir: The Impact of Acid Type and Lithology
on Fracture Half Length and Width
K.M. Bartko, SPE, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, SPE, Z. Rahim, SPE, and G.A. Al-Muntasheri, Saudi Aramco

Copyright 2003, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc.

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and
Exhibition held in Denver, Colorado, U.S.A., 5 – 8 October 2003.

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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 Figure 1 − Ghawar Field.
acid types were used to fracture this tight dolomitized
formation including: 28 wt% regular HCl, emulsified acid, and The Khuff formation can have streaks of shale, anhydrite, or
in-situ gelled acid. In addition, several wells were fractured non-permeable intervals within the layer, which may
using 15 wt% HCl/9wt% formic gelled acids. However, based constitute no-flow zone or fracture barriers. Figure 2 is a
on production results and the large database of acid fracture typical log indicating a Khuff well that is dominated with
treatments (more than 70 wells); it appears that there is a calcite, inter-dispersed with dolomite and shale stringers.
correlation between the acid type used and the lithology of the
formation. An earlier study,1 which briefly examined this
phenomenon, indicated that the emulsified acid might be more
suited to low permeable zones. These low permeable rocks
are predominately made up of limestone.
Typically, changing the acid volumes, placement
techniques, or pumping rates, has optimized acid fracture
treatments by creating longer and wider fractures. However,
we tend to ignore the effect 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 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 petro-physical data, analysis of
hundreds of samples collected following acid fracture
treatments, and production results. Figure 2 − Typical log of the Khuff formation.

Introduction This heterogeneity of the Khuff formation makes it an ideal

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, which includes
the approximate boundaries of the two fields under study.
candidate for acid fracturing even though the reservoir
temperature is ranges between 280 and 300ºF. Formation
heterogeneity between the wells is significant with porosity
intervals disappearing between offset wells.
2 SPE 84130

Acid fracturing the Khuff formation has proven to be kfwf (2)

successful in obtaining required high gas rate to start-up the F CD =
kr x f
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 gelled) Where,
followed by 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid and then a closed kf = Fracture permeability, mD
fracture acid stage of 28 wt% HCl, pumped below the closure wf = Fracture width, ft
pressure. Typically, the acid volumes ranged from 1,500 to kr = Reservoir permeability, mD
2,000 gals/ft. The results of the treatments were good, but xf = Fracture width, ft
optimization of the early treatments was difficult due to Fcd = Fracture conductivity, -
unavailability of long-term production data. Optimization
during this time period included the development of a rock When a fracture treatment is well designed and correctly
mechanical property log to define the stress regime.2 This implemented in the field, the benefits in terms of gas
information was used to determine if multiple fracture production and recovery time are readily experienced. Figure
treatments were required to ensure coverage of the acid and 3 illustrates how a stimulated well produces at high rate at
perforation strategy. early times and achieves ultimate gas recovery faster than the
Introduction of emulsified acids,3 in-situ gelled acids,4 un-stimulated case. In such situations, payout time is shorter
formic/HCl,5 and visco-elastic acids6 were later introduced and savings are made in well maintenance related expenses.
with varying results. These acid formulations have routinely The example in Fig. 3 is for moderate to high permeability
resulted in high initial gas rates, but some declined to less than wells, whereas such benefits are even more pronounced in low
60% of the original clean-up rate within six months of permeability wells. The objective of a fracturing program is
production. In an attempt to offset this decline, Saudi Aramco thus to optimize acid systems and develop proper
began optimizing acid fracturing treatments based on reservoir implementation plan to derive such financial benefits.
characteristics such as permeability, porosity and fluid leak-
off. This optimization process has been limited to fluid
Flow Rate

With Stimulation Ultimate

selection, volume, and number of stages.7,8

Cumulative
Production
Recovery
No Stimulation
This paper examines the importance of obtaining acid flow No Stimulation
With Stimulation
back data for carbonate reservoirs and correlating the results Economic
Limit
back to log lithology and acid type. The combinations of these
Time
variables along with the reservoir characteristics are then used Time

to determine an acid volume based on the system and type

of lithology. Figure 3 − Benefits to optimal fracture treatment.

Stimulation Objectives Stimulation Procedure

Acid fracturing is one of the fundamental ways to stimulate Currently, two acid programs are implemented in the Khuff
carbonate reservoirs.9 The main factors contributing to formation that either consists of in-situ gelled acid with stages
improved production are the etched fracture conductivity and of pad (Table 1) or emulsified acid with the later stages of in-
acid penetration distance. Acid penetration distance is a situ gelled acid (Table 2). Both treatments utilize the closed
function of leak-off rate, fracture width, pumping rate and fracture acid (28 wt% HCl), which is pumped below the
volume. However, fracture conductivity is a function of closure pressure of the formation.
effective etched width at a certain position along the fracture
that remains open and communicating with the well after Table 1: In-situ gelled acid - general procedure.
closure occurs. The hydraulic geometry relates fracture Stage
Fluid Description
dimensions to rock and fluid properties and is computed No
numerically for each vertical layer that accounts for changes in 1 15 wt% HCl Spearhead (for severely damaged
the formation flow properties and is estimated using wells)
Equation 1: 2 40# linear gel
3 40# x-linked gel
ww qµ 1/ 4 4 28 wt% In-situ gelled acid
= ( ) (1)
L EhL 2 5 40# x-linked gel repeat
6 Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid
where q and µ are the injection rate and fluid viscosity, volume target
respectively. E is the Young’s modulus of a particular layer. 7 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid
The variable ww is the fracture width at the wellbore, L is the 8 40# linear gel
fracture half-length, and h is the fracture height. 9 Allow BHP < closure pressure
The dimensionless fracture conductivity is an indicator of 10 28 wt% HCl (CFA)
stimulation effectiveness and is related to the ratio between 11 Overflush (field mixing water and surfactant)
fracture and reservoir conductivity by the Equation 2:
SPE 84130 3

Table 2: Emulsified acid - general procedure. formation water before or after the treatment. As a result, the
Stage main source of calcium and magnesium in the well flow back
Fluid Description
No samples is the formation rock.
1 15 wt% HCl Spearhead acid Calcite and dolomite are the two main minerals that can
2 40# linear gel produce calcium and magnesium in the flowback samples.
3 40# x-linked gel Other possible sources of calcium and magnesium include
4 28 wt% emulsified acid (acid: diesel = 70:30) ankerite (CaMgFe(CO3)2) and anhydrite (CaSO4). However,
5 40# x-linked gel the former mineral was not detected in any significant
6 Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid amounts when reservoir cores were examined using XRD
volume target analysis.10 The latter has a very low solubility in mineral acids.
7 28 wt% in-situ gelled acid Magnesium and calcium released in the flow back samples
8 40# x-linked gel from minerals other than calcite and dolomite are neglected.
9 40# linear gel To determine calcite and dolomite content in the
10 Repeat stages 4 & 5 as necessary to achieve acid formation, several steps were taken. Calcium and magnesium
volume target concentrations were measured in the flow back samples. The
11 Allow BHP < closure pressure first few measurements were excluded because they presented
12 28 wt% HCl (CFA) the overflush. The number of these samples was determined
13 Overflush (field mixing water + surfactant) based on the concentration of chloride in the flow back
samples. This procedure can be illustrated by examining the
results obtained from well SA-1 where zone B was acid
A third treatment using 15 wt% HCl/9 wt% formic acid
fractured. The concentrations of Ca and Mg are shown in
was used briefly because of corrosion concerns in wells
Fig. 4.
completed with Super Cr-13 tubing configuration. Due to the 70

Thousands
cost of the chrome tubulars and the positive early news of the 60
expected corrosion rate in the tubular being less than
Calcium & Mg (mg/l)

50
anticipated, it was decided to complete the rest of the planned
wells with low-carbon steel tubulars (L-80 and C-95). 40
Ca

30

Analysis of Flowback Samples 20

Chemical analysis of the fluids produced following acid
10
treatment has been used to evaluate and enhance acid Mg
treatments performed in several fields. To assess the 0
0 300 600 900 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000
performance of the acid fracture treatments, samples of well Flowback Time, Minutes
flowback were collected and the concentrations of key ions Figure 4 − Ca and Mg concentrations, Well SA-1.
were measured. Calcium and magnesium concentrations were
measured by inductively coupled argon plasma emission The chloride ion is shown in Fig. 5 and the Ca/Mg weight
spectroscopy (ICAP). Acid concentration was determined ratio is shown in Fig. 6. The first few samples contained low
using acid-base titration. The chloride ion was measured chloride ion. These samples represent the overflush. The next
using 0.1 N silver nitrate solutions with potassium chromate as samples had higher calcium concentrations.
140
indicator. To measure pH, an Orion model 250A meter and a
Thousands

Cole Parmer Ag/AgCl single junction pH electrode were used. 120

100
Chloride (mg/L)

Dolomite and Calcite from Flowback Samples 80

Flowback samples can be used to determine the nature of the 60
treated zone and type of carbonate mineral dissolved by the
40
acid. One method to determine acid reaction with the rock is
to examine the calcium to magnesium weight ratio in the well 20

flowback samples. 0
0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,400 2,800
The target zone contains calcite (CaCO3) and dolomite Flowback Time (minutes)
CaMg(CO3)2. Obviously, the main source of magnesium in Figure 5 − Chloride ion concentration, Well SA-1
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 = 40 to 56
mg/L). In other words, the acids used in the fracturing
treatments did not contain significant amounts of Ca or Mg
ions. In addition, all of the treated wells did not produce
4 SPE 84130

7
5
6 4.5

5 4
3.5
4
Ca/Mg

Ca/Mg
3
2.5
2 2

1 1.5
1
0
0 300 600 900 1,200 1,500 1,800 2,100 2,400 2,700 3,000 0.5
Flowback Time (minutes) 0
Figure 6 − Ca/Mg weight ratio indicating average calcite content is 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000
43 wt%, Well SA-1. Flowback Time (minutes)
Figure 8 − Ca/Mg weight ratio is increasing, which may be an
The source of the calcium is the calcium carbonate particles indication of retardation, Well SA-3.
that were used during drilling the target zone. Following this
initial peak, the Ca/Mg weight ratio indicates that the average Acid Fracture Treatment Data
calcite in the formation is 43.2 wt%, and the balance The acid fracture data consisted of compiling acid type, acid
is dolomite. volume, maximum and minimum pump rate. The data
A similar trend was noted in wells where zone C was acid excluded the pad stages used to initiate the fracture and the
fractured. For example the Ca/Mg weight ratio in the samples intermediate stages used to keep the fracture open. The
collected from well SA-2 is shown in Fig. 7. In this case, the 10,000 gals of 28 wt% HCl closed fracture acid stage was
Ca/Mg ratio indicates that the average calcite content is excluded from the analysis because all treatments used the
60 wt%. same acid volume and acid concentration. A spearhead acid is
12 used in some wells to remove drilling fluid filter cake. This
acid was not included because its function was to remove
10
external damage and, as a result, it did not significantly affect
8
the permeability of the formation.
The following types of acid systems were lumped together
Ca/Mg

6 for evaluation:
4
2 • Emulsified acid with in-situ gelled acid stages
0
0 500 1,000 1,500
Time, min
Figure 7 − Ca/Mg weight ratio indicating average calcite content is
60 wt%, Well SA-2.
It is interesting to note that the Ca/Mg weight ratio can
provide indication on acid penetration in some cases. Figure
8 depicts the Ca/Mg weight ratio for SA-3. This well was acid
fractured using 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 of
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 other acid
systems examined.
• 15 wt% HCl/9 wt% Formic
• In-situ gelled acid
• Emulsified acid with visco-elastic acid stages
2,000 2,500 3,000
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.
Reservoir Data
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,
these data were consistently used even when there was better-
quality information based on pressure buildup analysis or
core permeability.
Production Data
The data used in this study consisted of the initial production
flow rate after clean up. These data are normally obtained
from a choke calculation prior to shutting-in the well. 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 were not acquired due to
insufficient production data. It should be mentioned that the
six-month data are useful, however other parameters should be
considered, including: the use of multiple zone production,
compartmentalization, fracture closure, condensate banking,
and multiphase flow in the fracture. The data of nearly 70
SPE 84130 5

0.6
wells were analyzed and the results indicated a 60% decline in
gas production over a six-month period. 0.5

0.4
Analysis of Acid Fracture Treatments

PI/kh
Because of the vast amount of data, the uncertainty of log 0.3

quality interpretation, and reservoir characteristics, the data 0.2

were evaluated in several different ways. Combination of
variables that were investigated consisted of porosity-height, 0.1

initial production rate, the total volume of fluids; minimum 0.0

and maximum pump rate, net reservoir height, acid type and 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
lithology. The best correlation found was that included the Maximum Pump Rate (bpm)
productivity index (PI). The PI was then normalized for Figure 10 − Impact of maximum pump rate on PI/kh. The plot
differences in reservoir quality by dividing PI by the indicates a benefit of pumping the acid at higher rates.
permeability-thickness product, kh, where k and h are the
permeability and net height of the target zone, respectively. It Effect of Acid Total Volume
should be mentioned that the value of h for the wells examined It has been observed that acid type has a significant impact on
varied from 30 to 200 ft. This procedure assumes that the the geometry of the created fracture either by retarding acid
wellbore radius and skin after the treatment are constant for all reactions with the carbonate rock, or by reducing the rate of
wells. This ratio, PI/kh, measures the performance of the acid acid leak-off into the formation. Recently, there have been
fracture treatments, including poor coverage of the acid in some evidence that visco-elastic acids can also improve
large gross intervals. fracture conductivity by reducing the polymer residue left in
the formation.11 Saudi Aramco has been using several of these
Effect of Pump Rate fluids in order to enhance the outcome of acid
It has been long recognized that maximizing the pump rate fracturing treatments.
during an acid fracture treatment would result in deeper acid A compilation of the three main acid types used in the
penetration. In a typical Khuff acid fracture treatment, the Khuff formation is presented in Fig. 11, which depicts PI/kh
pump rate is continuously monitored along with the non- as a function of the total acid volume per net reservoir interval.
reactive pad stages to keep the bottomhole pressure above the Based on this plot, the optimum total acid volume is 1,000 to
closure pressure. 1,200 gals/ft. Plotting the same data vs. the perforation
We investigated the impact of the maximum pump rate to interval provides a similar result.
determine if there is a correlation of pump rate and PI or 0.35
Emulsified Acid
PI/kh. Figure 9 shows PI as a function of the maximum pump 0.30 Formic:HCl Acid
rate noted during the acid fracturing treatments. There is a 0.25
Cross-Linked Acid

possible trend indicating that PI increases with the maximum

pumping rate. 0.20
PI/kh

30 optimal volume
0.15

25 0.10

20 0.05

0.00
PI

15 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2,400

Acid Volume/Net reservoir Height (gal/ft)

10
Figure 11 − PI/kh vs. acid volume per net reservoir height.
5
The results shown in Fig. 11 indicate that wells with large kh
0
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
values were not effectively stimulated. This is probably due to
poor diversion during acid placement. Further investigation is
Maximum Pump Rate (bpm)
needed to determine why these well types
Figure 9 − Effect of maximum pump rate on PI.
are underperforming.
However, the data scatter makes this observation inconclusive. The HCl/formic acid system was not included in the trend
Figure 10 shows the PI/kh as a function of maximum pump line because it was used in a limited number of wells. The
rate. In this case, the scatter is less and a reasonable fit (least data shown in Fig. 11 indicate that this acid type performs
squares method) can be established. It is evident from these poorly following well cleanup. However, long-term
data that higher maximum pumping rates enhance the production data indicate that the performance of wells treated
productivity of the Khuff gas wells. with this acid system is the best among the systems examined.

In-situ Gelled Acid Treatments

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 the service
6 SPE 84130

30
company. Figure 12 is a compilation of all the in-situ gelled
acid treatments vs. PI/kh. A trend line is established 25
indicating that an optimum acid volume of 800 to 1,200 gal/ft
20
of perforation. When looking at a volume based on reservoir
net height, the optimum acid volume is the same. Based on

PI
15
these data, it appears that the type of cross-linker used has no
10
significant effect on the initial well productivity. Optimum Acid Volume
0.2 5

0
400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
Optimal Acid Volume Acid Volume/Perforation Interval, gal/ft
PI/kh

0.1 Figure 14 − PI vs. emulsified acid volume per perforation interval.

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
0.0
result, has less potential of formation damage. Initial results
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000
following cleanup indicated that out of the four wells, only
Acid Volume/Perforation Interval, gal/ft
one showed an improvement of productivity above the trend
Figure 12 − PI/kh vs. in-situ gelled acid volume per perforation
interval. The two colors in the figure indicate the two cross-linkers
line. On the short term however, the wells treated with visco-
currently used with the in-situ gelled acids. The blue is a elastic acid systems did cleanup in shorter period of time.11
zirconium based cross-linker and the red is an iron based Long-term productivity needs to be evaluated to determine if
cross-linker. there is an impact on production decline.

Emulsified Acid Well Performance at Steady State

Emulsified acid has become the preferred fluid of choice for
the Khuff stimulation program, especially in low permeability
intervals that are calcite dominated. The volumes pumped of
the emulsified acid were similar to those used with the in-situ
gelled acids with no apparent optimization of the acid volume.
When investigating the optimum volume of emulsified
acid two points become apparent. First the optimum volume
per ft of perforation is less than that of the in-situ gelled acid.
The optimum volume is between 650 to 1,000 gal/ft of
perforation. Secondly, there is a noticeable difference in the
productivity of wells fractured by emulsified acid that was
obtained from service companies A, B and C. Figure 13
shows the contrast between the three service companies and
the optimum acid volume. This trend is evident even when
examining PI as shown in Fig. 14.
0.4
0.3
This section provides some field data to illustrate the impact of
acid type on well performance. A portion of these data was
presented earlier when the wells were produced for nearly six
months.1 Currently, about three years production data are
available 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:
o Emulsified acid (28 wt% HCl) using a 70:30 acid
to diesel volume ratio (1,200 gal/ft)
o In-situ gelled acid (28 wt% HCl, 1,200 gal/ft)
o 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 formation. As noted
before,1 the performance of wells treated with the HCl/formic
acid system has outperformed those using the other two acid
types.
10
9

0.3 8
Gas Rate, MMSCF/D

7
0.2
PI/kh

6
0.2
5

0.1 4 Formic
Optimum Acid Volume
3
0.1
2 Gelled

0.0 1
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 Emulsified
0
Acid Volume/Perforation Interval (gal/ft) 10/11/2001 1/19/2002 4/29/2002 8/7/2002 11/15/2002 2/23/2003 6/3/2003

Figure 13 − PI/kh vs. emulsified acid volume per perforation
interval. Least Squares Fit, R=-0.435.
Production Time
Figure 15 − Long-term production from three Khuff gas wells.
Figure 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 150 ft (Fig. 17) by pumping around
SPE 84130 7

1,000 gals/ft of net pay interval at a high rate. This particular 14

well had two gas-bearing zones separated by tight, non-porous 12
section. The two zones had different kh values and the
perforation strategy, and treatments were designed such that 10

both intervals were treated effectively in a single stage. After 8

PI
the initial decline immediately after the treatment, the 6

production profile (in-situ gelled acid in Fig. 15) shows a 4

stable rate for over one-year period indicating the
2
effectiveness of acid fracturing.
0
Emulsified Formic Xlink Acid

All Calcite Dolomite Calcite/Dolomite

Figure 18 − PI vs. acid type based on lithology

Depth, ft

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.
0.14
Fracture Half-Length, ft
0.12
Figure 16 − Etched width profile showing vertical coverage in two
12
gas-bearing intervals. 0.1

0.08
PI/kh

0.06

0.04

0.02

0
Emulsified Formic Xlink Acid

All Calcite Dolomite Calcite/Dolomite

Figure 19 − PI/kh vs. acid type based on lithology.

Mineralogy Based on Flowback Analysis vs. Acid

Figure 17 − Conductivity profiles showing good lateral coverage
in two gas-bearing intervals.
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. Figure 18
shows a performance comparison of acid types to lithology.
The data clearly show 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.1 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.
Type
Evaluation of the acid type based on the acid flowback (Fig.
20) analysis indicated emulsified acid preferentially dissolved
dolomitic rock. However, the data also indicate 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.1 Lithology did not affect
the performance of the in-situ gelled acid resulted and the
HCl-formic acid system. Additional analysis will be conducted
to confirm this trend.

Figure 20 − Flowback mineralogy vs. PI/kh of acid type.

8 SPE 84130
Mineralogy Based on Flowback Analysis vs.
Log Lithology
Because the flowback data analysis is determined after the
acid fracture treatment and the importance of mineralogy for
acid fracture treatment design, a statistical study was
performed to determine the accuracy of the log based
mineralogy model. The acid flowback analysis predicted
similar mineralogy 70% of the time.
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 to 1,200 gals/ft.
4. An optimum acid volume for the emulsified acid is
between 600 to 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 indicate that the
performance of emulsified acid followed by visco-
elastic acid is similar to acid fracture treatments
where the emulsified acid was followed by the in-situ
gelled acids used. Long-term data are needed to
determine the impact of using visco-elastic
acid systems.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Saudi Aramco management for the
permission to publish this paper. The authors also thank the
Technical Teams and Operations 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, respectively. Members of the stimulation
group, R&DC are acknowledged for processing well
flowback samples.
References
1. Rahim, Z., Bartko, K., and Al-Qahtani, M.: “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
2002 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition
held in San Antonio, TX, 29 September – 2 October.
2. Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Rahim, Z.: “A Mathematical
Algorithm for Modeling Geomechanical Rock Properties of
the Khuff and Pre-Khuff Reservoirs in Ghawar Field,”
paper SPE 68194 presented at the 2001 SPE Middle East
Oil Show, Bahrain, 17-20 March.
3. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., Solares, J.R., Al-Mutairi, S.H., and
Mahoney, M.D.: “Field Application of Emulsified Acid-
Based System to Stimulate Deep, Sour Gas Reservoirs in
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Annual Conference and Exhibition held in New Orleans,
LA, September 30 to October 03.
4. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., Al-Mutairi, S.H., Al-Jari, M., Metcalf,
S., and Wallace, W.: “Stimulation of a Deep Sour Gas
Reservoir Using Gelled Acid,” paper SPE 75501 presented
at the 2002 SPE Gas Technology Symposium held in
Calgary, AB, Canada, 30 April to 02 May.
5. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., Al-Mutairi, S.H., Al-Malki, M.,
Metcalf, S., and Wallace, W.: “Stimulation of Deep Gas
Wells Using HCl/Formic Acid System: Lab Studies and
Field Application,” paper CIM2002/289 presented at the
2002 Petroleum Society’s Canadian International
Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
11 – 13 June.
6. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., Al-Driweesh, S., Al-Muntasheri, G.,
Marcinew, R., Samuel, M.: “Acid Fracturing of High-
Temperature/High Pressure Gas Wells Using a Novel
Surfactant-Based Fluid System,” paper SPE 84516
presented at the 2003 SPE Annual Conference and
Exhibition, Denver, CO, 5 - 8 October.
7. Rahim Z. and Al-Qahtani, M.Y.: “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,
Bahrain, 17-20 March.
8. Al-Qahtani, M.Y. and Rahim, Z.: “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 2001 SPE Annual Technical Conference
and Exhibition held in New Orleans, LA,
29 September – 2 October.
9. Rahim Z. and Al-Qahtani Y.M.: “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 2001 SPE Asia Pacific Improved Oil
Recovery Conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,
8-9 October.
10. Taylor, K.C., Al-Ghamdi, A.H. and Nasr-El-Din, H.A.:
“Effect of Rock Type and Acidizing Additives on Acid
Reaction Rates Using the Rotating Disk Instrument,” paper
CIM2003/068 presented at the 2003 Petroleum Society’s
Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary,
Alberta, Canada, 11 – 13 June.
11. Nasr-El-Din, H.A., Al-Driweesh, S. Al-Muntasheri, G.,
Marcinew, R., and Samuel, M.: “Acid Fracturing of High-
Temperature/High Pressure Gas Wells Using a Novel
Surfactant-Based Fluid System,” paper SPE 84516 to be
presented at the 2003 SPE Annual Conference and
Exhibition, Denver, CO, 5 - 8 October.
12. Meyer, B.: “MFRAC - a 3D Fracture Design and Analysis
Program,” Meyer & Associates, Natrona Heights, PA.