Sick Well Analysis

3.
SICK WELL ANALYSIS &

REMEDIAL MEASURES
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SICK WELL ANALYSIS & REMEDIAL MEASURES
What is a sick well ?
 low oil or gas production
 high gas-oil ratio
 high water cut
 mechanical problems
Problems in injection or disposal wells
-- high injection pressures and low injection volumes
-- mechanical problems
Often, a quantifying limit (e.g. a min. oil production rate) is
used as a basis for declaring a well as “sick”
2
Comprehensive sick well analysis

-- an ideal approach before the decision for work over
A periodic sick well analysis helps in

-- identifying production problem
-- taking the requisite corrective measure
-- increasing oil production
-- also helps in a better resource planning
3
REASONS OF WELL SICKNESS & REMEDIAL MEASURES
(A) 1. Inflow restrictions

-- wellbore plugging
-- perforation choking
-- formation damage
Damage may be indicated by

-- production logs
-- production well tests
-- pressure buildup and drawdown tests
-- comparison with offset wells
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2. Wellbore plugging
-- sand/ clay/ fines
-- scale
Removal by
-- bailing
-- hole proving (by Coiled tubing, etc)
-- scale dissolving chemicals
-- mechanical means of scale removal
5
3. Perforation choking
-- Formation debris
-- scales
-- external chemicals
Removal by
-- reperforation
-- perforation wash/ surging
-- acid job
-- creating “short fat” fractures
6
4. Formation Damage
Impairment of well productivity/ injectivity
-- Drilling mud
-- Completion / workover fluid
-- well treatment fluids
-- Paraffins and Asphaltenes
-- Emulsion and water blocks
-- fines
Degree of form. damage quantifiable in terms of skin
7
Factors inducing formation damage
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5. Formation Damage
Repair by
-- acidisation
-- fracturing (acid frac/ hydraulic frac)
-- solvent Treatment
-- surfactants
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(B). Outflow restrictions

Increase backpressure, limit drawdown and reduce
production
Tubing size selection critical for proper outflow

-- undersize : causes excess friction, needing more
energy
-- oversize : causes slippage & well loading
Inflow & outflow curves : to get suitable tubing size
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(C) Reservoir problems
Include :
 Low reservoir permeability
Diagnosis by
-- pressure transient tests
-- PLT/ selective testing
Remedy :
-- deep penetrating acid job
-- fracturing
-- drainhole/ horizontal well
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(D) Reservoir problems
 Low reservoir pressure
Diagnosis by
-- periodic subsurface pressure measurements
-- PLT
-- production trend
Remedy :
-- augmenting pressure support by water/ gas
injection
-- controlled production
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(E) Water production problems
May result from :
-- Natural water drive/ Water flood, aggraveated
by fingering or coning
-- Extraneous sources (casing leak, poor
cementing)
-- Fracturing or acidizing into adjacent water zone/
below oil-water contact
Increases lifting, processing & disposal costs
14
Water production mechanisms
 Channeling through high permeability path
• Common in heterogeneous
limestone and sandstone
reservoirs.
• Significant amount of oil gets
bypassed.
• “Fingering” in heavy oil fields, due
to mobility contrast of water &
heavy oil.
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 Edge water encroachment
Common
in
reservoirs
with edge
water
drive.
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 Water coning
-- Vertical upward movement of water in

a producing formation due to large
pressure drawdown
-- May be severe in high vertical
permeability reservoirs
-- Once established, may become
relatively stable due to the increased
relative permeability to water
17

 Water channeling
-- Vertical movement of
water through a faulty
primary cement job
-- These channels can
occur at any time in the
life of the well, but are
often observed
immediately after
completion or a
stimulation treatment18
(F) Water production problems
Diagnosis :
-- PLT/ temperature log indicates behind casing
channeling
-- water control diagnostic plots : identifies
channeling, coning, injection water breakthrough
-- Cement evaluation logs (CBL-VDL, USIT)
19
Methods to reduce water production :
-- Cement/ gel squeezing or block cement/gel job : for
channel behind casing
-- Formation of barrier/ sealants : for coning
-- Plug back : for wells with injection water breakthrough
-- Straddle packer application : to isolate the lower water
producing zone
-- Re-completion : for coning/ high permeability
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Methods to reduce water production :
-- Stimulation/Re-perforation : to reduce pressure

drawdown
-- High volume artificial lift installation : when layer has high
water cut and cement squeeze is ineffective
-- Injection profile modification : for injection water
breakthrough (waterflood). Job by gel/cement squeeze.
-- Well Planning : for coning in a steeply dipping reservoir
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(G) Gas problems
Sources of gas production :
-- Gas dissolved in oil

-- Expansion of Gas cap (primary/ secondary)
causing gas cusping/ coning
-- Gas flow from zones above or below producing
zone
The gas production mechanisms (except release of

dissolved gas) are akin to that of water production.
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Diagnosis :
-- Production and reservoir pressure trend
-- Gas control diagnostic plots
-- PLT/ temperature log
Remedy :
-- gel/ cement squeeze : for gas channeling
-- recompletion : for gas cusping/ coning
-- controlled production : for gas cusping/ coning
-- augmentation of water injection support : for
excessive pressure depletion
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(H) High viscosity oil

Very high viscosity (>200 cp) can cause serious flowing
and pumping problems.
Typical in heavy oil fields
Remedy :
-- Thermal stimulation (e.g.steam injection)
-- Hot oil circulation
-- Installation of bottomhole heater
-- Mixing with lighter crude
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(I) Sand control

Sand production causes problems in artificial lifting,
bean cutting, tubing erosion.
Remedy :
-- sand screen, including Gravel pack (most
popular)
-- sand consolidation with plastic resin
-- rate control (for reducing pressure drawdown)
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(K) End of Self flow life

Due to either/ both :
-- reservoir pressure decline
-- water cut increase
Remedy :
-- Artificial Lift installation
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(L) Mechanical failure in wells
Production loss due to :
-- Primary cement channeling
-- Casing/ tubing/ packer leak
-- Artificial lift equipment malfunction
-- Failure of well equipment (wellhead, SSSV, sliding
sleeve)
Remedy :
-- work over for repair/ replacement
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(M) Terminal well sickness

When
-- well cannot be economically revived
-- all recoverable oil produced from the well
Remedy :
-- Plugging and abandonment
Options to check before abandonment :
-- conversion to injector/ effluent disposal well
-- provision of cathodic protection to other wells
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Methodology of Sick Well analysis
 Apparent well problem

 Analysis of well history
 Reservoir considerations
 Comparison of performance with nearby wells
 Special checks/ surveys
 Analysis of other productive zones
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Sick well Analysis : Flow chart

UNDERSTANDING OF OVERALL RESERVOIR
PERFORMANCE & TRENDS
IDENTIFY POOR PERFORMING AREAS
USE OF TOOLS FOR INDIVIDUAL WELL

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
DEVELOP SOLUTION, IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR
30

Sick Well Analysis

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3.

SICK WELL ANALYSIS &

Comprehensive sick well analysis

A periodic sick well analysis helps in

REASONS OF WELL SICKNESS & REMEDIAL MEASURES

(A) 1. Inflow restrictions

Damage may be indicated by

(B). Outflow restrictions

Tubing size selection critical for proper outflow

Inflow & outflow curves : to get suitable tubing size

Increases lifting, processing & disposal costs

-- Vertical upward movement of water in

Water production mechanisms

(F) Water production problems

Methods to reduce water production :

-- Stimulation/Re-perforation : to reduce pressure

-- Gas dissolved in oil

The gas production mechanisms (except release of

(H) High viscosity oil

Typical in heavy oil fields

(I) Sand control

(K) End of Self flow life

(M) Terminal well sickness

Methodology of Sick Well analysis

 Apparent well problem

Sick well Analysis : Flow chart

IDENTIFY POOR PERFORMING AREAS

USE OF TOOLS FOR INDIVIDUAL WELL

DEVELOP SOLUTION, IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR

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