Impact of Successive Squeezes on Treatment Lifetime and Well Productivity: Laboratory and Field Evidence

Abstract Over the lifetime of a well it is possible that several squeeze operations will be performed depending on scaling severity. Downhole squeeze operations have been performed for many years and have on the whole been an effective scale management tool. However, the long term impact that successive squeezing has on treatment lifetime and well productivity has received little attention. This paper will address these issues by comparing the results from a unique sequence of long term corefloods that were designed to replicate five successive treatments on the kaolinite rich, Middle Tarbert core from the StatoilHydro operated field, Oseberg Sør. Relatively few squeeze treatments have been performed on this field, and the coreflood results have been up-scaled to provide a potential prediction of the effects of long term squeezing and well productivity on Oseberg Sør. Furthermore, the laboratory results have been cross-checked by comparing with the Heidrun field that has been squeezed for many years. Heidrun is an analog of Oseberg Sør with kaolinite rich producing intervals and similar productivity issues related to kaolinite mobilisation.