Oil & gas well stimulation using acidizing and acid stimulation processes

Well stimulation materials: extending the life cycle of oil & gas production

As new sources of oil & gas become increasingly difficult to access, oilwell stimulation has become a key leverage to increase the capacity of existing wells and prolong their production life cycles. These techniques seek to increase the flow of oil & gas by opening new channels to efficiently direct all available resources from the production area into the wellbore. This makes existing wells more cost effective and profitable, but also enables idle wells that were no longer feasible to restart production to meet growing demand. This is crucial in increasing supply while new sources are being explored and developed. Elkem offers a full oil & gas stimulation product portfolio, expert advice and a laboratory to support customers in analysing reservoir characteristics and their potential.

Elkem oilwell stimulation products focus on acidizing and acid stimulation. 

In acid stimulation the objective is to remove or bypass damage:

• In sandstones, to restore natural permeability.
• In carbonates, to create a highly conductive flow system that bypasses damage to yield a higher production rate than that obtained in the natural, or undamaged, state.

We do this by accurately diagnosing the damage through mineralogy studies to help identify the type of harm: mineral or organic.

Once the damage is identified, a well treatment fluid is designed to deal with the problem. The Elkem Oil EOC stimulation portfolio offers a wide range of chemicals tailored to treat these damages.

Elkem also performs core sample testing to decide on the most effective options to stimulate oil & gas production.  

Ensuring results in oilwell and gas stimulation

The Elkem Oilfield portfolio includes a comprehensive, efficient, cost-effective and safe range of chemicals and fluid systems to stimulate and enhance well production. This includes tailored mixes, new technologies and support services to help customers meet specific challenges.

The Elkem Oilfield R&D laboratory in Kristiansand, Norway is dedicated to creating new products upstream and to provide advice and expertise on daily operational challenges throughout the oil & gas industry.

Here is an overview of products available to help customers meet specific challenges:

• Acid Corrosion Inhibitors and Intensifiers are used to reduce the corrosion rate of metals and extend their lifetime. These surface-active agents protect pipes, radically slowing down corrosion by reducing the reaction rate of acid with iron and steel, known as pitting. Other additives, such as surfactants and mutual solvents, are boost long-term protection.
  
  
• Self Diverted Acid Additives are gelling agents used to acidize damaged perforations, by enabling greater fracture penetration, slowing reaction rate, and reducing fluid loss, improving acid coverage and increasing production and permeability.
  
  

  

  Products include:
  • AGA-100, an acid gelling agent that improves the effectiveness of matrix and fracture acidizing treatments and provides improved viscosity and thermal stability to enhance acid treatment in carbonate formations.
  • HEC-10 is a linear, non-ionic, polymer used in viscosifying water-based fluids in well stimulation, coiled tubing, cleaning, completion and workover operations.
  • XG-100 is a gelling agent for suspending weighting agents in space systems, effective over a wide range of bottom hole circulating temperatures (BHCT).
  • VES-1000 is a polymer-free, surfactant-based acid gellant designed for use in self-diverting acidizing applications.
  • Guar Gum Grade 35 is a chemically modified low-residue guar gelling agent used in aqueous fracturing fluids, effective at bottom hole circulating temperatures (BHCT)
    
    
    
    
• Iron Control Agents are products that eliminate Fe(III) ions either by a sequestering and complexing process or by a reduction process.
  • ICE-100 and ICE-100L CE-100 and ICE-100L are the solid and liquid versions of Elkem Oilfield iron control agents, designed to maintain a low pH throughout the acid treatment period, acting as complexing agents.
  • ICE-200 and ICE-200L are solid and liquid organic iron-sequestering agents for sour applications used in acidizing applications in water injection wells to prevent precipitates and potential plugging when high concentrations of iron oxides are present.
    
    
• Specialty Surfactants are oil-soluble group or water-soluble surface-active agents that lower the interfacial tension between immiscible fluids and can alter the natural wettability of rock.
  
  
• Specialized Solvent Systems are soluble in oil or water and are very effective in sandstone acidizing, where it is important to keep all solids water-wet. They improve the solubility of corrosion inhibitors in the spent acid in the formation and, with emulsion preventers and other additives, they absorb of corrosion inhibitors on residual clay particles to help maintain water-wetting for maximum oil & gas flow after acidizing, facilitating cleaning.

Our experts and dedicated service teams are always available to support you, discuss technical information and processing issues and provide samples and quotes. Please feel free to get in touch.

See below for an overview of our portfolio.