Formation damage refers to a reduction in reservoir permeability near the wellbore caused by drilling and completion fluids. The presentation discusses formation damage causes such as swelling clays, fines migration, and wettability changes. Formation damage indicators include permeability impairment and reduced well performance. Common cleaning methods involve simple cleanup flows, though the timing of damage removal is not fully understood. Prevention focuses on controlling operations that can lead to damage like drilling, cementing, and perforating.

1. Formation Damage Causes, Prevention and Remediation
By
Abd Al Rahman Ibrahim Soliman,
Senior Geoscience Student ,
Faculty of science, Alexandria University.
abdalrahmanibrahim209@gmail.com

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Agenda
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o What is formation damage definition?
o What are Formation Damage Causes?
o What does formation damage do?
o What are Formation Damage Indicators?
o How we Clean Formation Damage?
o Open Discussion and Questions
o Feedback

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ROCK
Reservoir
Non-Reservoir
Hydrocarbon
bearing
Water bearing
Gas bearing
Oil bearing
Hint
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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What is Formation Damage Definition?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
Formation damage: A reduction in the permeability of reservoir rock
caused by penetration of drilling fluid and treating fluids into the
section adjacent to the wellbore.
Simulation to the
Formation Damage
problems in
specialized
laboratories.

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Where is the Damage?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Where is the Damage?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Where is the Damage?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
KH…Horizontal Permeability
KV…Vertical Permeability
Effect of Anisotropy and Stress on
Damage Zone

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Agenda
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o What are Formation Damage Causes?
o What does formation damage do?
o What are Formation Damage Indicators?
o How we Clean Formation Damage?
o Open Discussion and Questions
o Feedback

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Damage Causes
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Obstructions in the natural flow path in the reservoir.
o “Pseudo” damage such as turbulence -very real
effect, but no visible obstructions
o “Structural” damage from depletion –matrix
compression, etc.

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Flow Path Obstructions
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Swelling Clays
Rock-fluid incompatibility (clay swelling, etc.)

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Flow Path Obstructions
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Particulate Plugging = Fine grain migration

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Flow Path Obstructions
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Asphalten and Sludge Deposition

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Flow Path Obstructions
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Wettability = Water blocking

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“Pseudo” Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Turbulence

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“Pseudo” Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Fluid-fluid incompatibility (emulsion generation, etc.)

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“Structural” Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Scale Inorganic Precipitates

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“Structural” Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Potential Sources of Formation Damage During History of Well
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Formation Damage Caused by Water-Based Muds
o Formation Damage Caused by Completion Workover Fluids
o Damage During Perforating and Cementing
o Formation Damage Resulting From Gas Breakout
o Bacterial Plugging
o Drilling (emulsion block, wettability change, mud damage,
mechanical damage)
o Cementing (pH change, scale formation)
o Perforating
o Completion

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Agenda
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o What does formation damage do?
o What are Formation Damage Indicators?
o How we Clean Formation Damage?
o Open Discussion and Questions
o Feedback

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What Does Formation Damage Do?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
 Reduction of reservoir productivity
 Non-economic operations
 Although we do not have the ability to control
reservoir rock properties and fluid properties,
we have some degree of control over drilling,
completion, and production operations.

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What Does Formation Damage Do?
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Formation Damage Indicators
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Permeability impairment
o Skin (near wellbore Pressure) damage
o Decrease of well performance.

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Formation Damage Indicators
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Observations on Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Shallow damage is the most common and makes the biggest
impact on production.
o It may take significant damage to create large drops in
production
o The problem, however, is that the highest permeability zones
are the easiest to damage, and that can have a major impact
on productivity.

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Observations on Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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Agenda
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o How we Clean Formation Damage?
o Open Discussion and Questions
o Feedback

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Cleaning Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Most damage is removed by simple clean-up flow

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Cleaning Damage
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o We don’t know enough about timing of damage removal.

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Conclusion
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Formation damage mechanisms vary depending on the well
operation types and reservoir and fluid conditions.
o Oil and gas recovery can be enhanced by minimizing and
controlling of formation damage.
o Formation Damage can cause significant decreases in well
productivity and worldwide yearly lost production due to
Formation Damage is equivalent to billions of dollars in lost
revenue. Identification and reduction of Formation Damage
problems can lead to immediate returns in the form of increased
production rates and extension of the life of any field.

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Conclusion
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Damage is usually shallow.
o Remove it or by-pass damage if it really causes a problem.
o Not every “damage” is in the formation.
o Not every drop in production is caused by damage.
o First, remove the pressure drops, everything else will take care
of itself.

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Agenda
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
o Open Discussion and Questions
o Feedback

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Conclusion
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
Special Core analysis

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Conclusion
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation
Special Core analysis
o Formation Factor
o Resistivity index
o Wettability
o Relative Permeability
o Reservoir condition flood test
o Acoustic velocity measurements
o Water sensitivity test
o Overburden measurements
o Capillary pressure measurements
o FDT

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Conclusion
Formation Damage Causes, Prevention, and Remediation

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