Predicting Results of Sandstone Acidizing

J. R. Gatewood, Halliburton Serviees

B. E. Hall, Halliburton Services
L. D. Roberts, Halliburton Services
R. M. Lasater, SPE-AIME, Halliburton Services
Introduction
Treatment of sandstone formations by mixed hydro-
fluoric-hydrochloric acids has been used as a means
of removing damage caused by the presence of clays.
The removal of such damage results from the dissolu-
tion of clay by reaction with the hydrofluoric acid:
36 HF + Al,Si,O,,(OH), + 4H,SiF, + 12 H,O
+ 2HAIF,.
The acid will also react with sand and other siliceous
minerals:
6 HF + SiO, ~ H,SiF,, t 2 H,O.
These reactions, though they appear simple, are
itd!y very cemp!ex. Further reactions may take place
that produce insoluble reaction products. It is for this
reason that excess hydrochloric acid should be main-
tained in the mixture and dilute hydrochloric acid
solutions are used as preflushes ahead of the mixed
acids. A discussion of these reactions and their effect
on productivity has been presented by Smith and
Hendrickson. An awareness of these possible prob-
lems allows us to approach such treatments with
proper design to circumvent undesirable results.
Another equally important aspect of successful acid
application is that of adequately describing the effect
of hydrofluoric acid reaction on depth of acid penetra-
tion. It is this aspect that ultimately determines the
extent of damage removal and subsequent produc-
tivity increase.
Relatively little has been done in the area of in-
vestigating the reaction rates of hydrofluoric acid, or
the mixed acids, on silica and silicates. It has been
t
generally stated that the reaction is faster on clays
than it is on sand, but without quantitative work the
desired calculations have not been possible.
It has long been assumed by some that these acid
systems could be injected into a sandstone formation
to dissolve clay at almost any depth from the wellbore,
and that the reaction on sand is so slow that little
reaction takes place.
It has been our purpose to investigate the reaction
rates of hydrofluoric-hydrochlonc acids on silica,
various clays and mixtures thereof, and then to deter-
mine mathematically the amounts of both sand and
clay removed from formations at various depths, as
a function of acid reaction. Also, theoretical increases
. .. ..
,.,,]fi,,f t~~ i-m the ha+q of
in pro(lucuvny have bseii La ~u,a.tiu, - ._ -_L..
the penetration determinations, for the cases of un-
damaged and mud-damaged formations and for for-
mations naturally damaged by clay.
Reaction Rate Studies
Experimental
The determination of reactant concentrations has
been a problem in following the HF-silica reaction
and probably accounts for the meager data available
in the literature. Development of a specific ion elec-
trode for fluoride ions by the Orion Corp. has enabled
us to obtain much information accurately and rapidly.
The analytical procedure and equipment have been
previously described by Gatewood.
Data
Rate studies of the reaction of hydrofluoric acid on
This work proposes to investigate the reaction rates of hydrofluoric-?~ydroch!oric wids 1
on silica and various clays and mixtures thereof, and then mathematically to determine
the amounts of both sand and clay removed from formations at various depths. Also
calculated are theoretical increases in the productivity of undamaged and mud-damaged
formations and of formations naturally damaged by clay.
X-P-I--
693
TABLE 6-REACTION OF HF - HCI ON SILICA AT 150F
TABLE lDATA FOR SAMPLES STUDIED
Sample
OklahomaNo. 1 sand
Silica Flour
Kaolinite
Albite
Microcline
Oligoclase
Formula
Sioz
Sioz
A14(OH)4 SiaOZO
At4(OH)aSi4010
ixaAisi3 88
I(AIsi308
90 penxnt NaAlS$ 08
10 percentC6AIZS1206
SurfaceArea
183 aqcm/g
3,770 w cm/g
750 actm/g
29 aq m/g
?.0emmlu
f-.# q ,,,,~
29 aqm/g
29 aqm/g
TABLE 2REACTION OF 3 PERCENT HF -12 PERCENT
HCI ON CLAYS AND FELDSPARS
Time
Residual HF (percent)
(rnrni Montmoril -
IOnite Kaolinite Albite Oligocl.ase Microcline
.
0 3.0 3.0 G 3.0 3.0
5 0.90 0.31 0.86 0.85 0.88
10 0.88 0.30 0.84 0.86 0.85
15 0.85 0.25 0.84 0.86 0.85
20 0.85 0.20 0.84 0.86 0.86
25 0.85 0.26 0.84 0.86 0.86
30 0.85 0.22 0.84 0.86 0.86
TABLE 3-REACTION OF 6 PERCENT HF -9 PERCENT
Hcl ON CLAYSAND Fmixmm
Time
(min-
utes)
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Residual HF (parcent)
6.0
1.24
1.20
1.18
1.18
1.18
1.20
Kaolinite Al bite
6.0 G
0.24 1.15
0.23 1.14
0.22 1.14
0.22 1.14
0.22 1.16
0.21 1.14
Oligoclase
6.0
1.23
1.23
1.16
1.16
1.16
1.19
Microcline
6.0
0.99
1.02
0.87
0.92
0.96
0.90
TABLE 4-REACTION OF 9 PERCENT HF -6 PERCENT
HCI ON CLAYSAND FELDSPARS
Time
(min.
Utes)
a
5
10
15
20
25
30
Residual HF (rmment)
9.0
1.15
1s3
1.13
1.13
0.99
~aa:~~~ee
9.0
0.17
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
0.15
~! ~ ::
-iF
1.47
L47
1.48
1.51
1.49
1.48
Illiundsm
. . . . . . . . . .
9.0
1.53
1.49
1.51
L47
1.48
1.51
Microcline
9.0
1.35
1.27
1.35
1.24
1.27
1.22
TABLE 5-REACTION OF HF - HCI ON SILICA AT 75F
Residual HF (percent)
-.1- B1. I ~;!~=
0!!12. b 1 Silica Crkl;a:;. 1 y; ~me U.l;a:;. .
Flour Sand Flour
.
0 min. 3.0 3.0 6.0 G.o 9.0 9.0
30 min. 2.91 1.92 5.46 2.46 8.55 4.93
1 hr. 2.88 1.59 5.21 1.50 8.28 1.98
2 hr. 2.76 L48 4.55 1.26 7.30 1.80
3 hr. 2.43
4 hr. 2.35 L24 4.26 1.16 5.86 1.(%
8 hr. L77 1.08 2.94 1.08 3.58 1.03
694
Residual HF (percent)
Okl:a::. 1 ;/:: Okl:a:: 1 Silica
Time
Okl$a$.1
Flour

O min. 3.0 3.0 6.0 6.0 9.o
5 min.
15 min.
30 min.
1 hr.
l~z hr.
2 hr.
4 hr.
8 hr.

1.80 5.94 3.36

2.51 1.42 5.47 2.70 8.46
2.47 L24
1 77
5.18 *.J J
~.~~
2.34 1.12 4.44 1.26 6.93
2.22 1.06 6.19
2.10 1.04 3.36 1.17 5.22
1.71 1.02 2.76 3.24
1.27 0.96 1.41
silica and selected silicates were conducted
mixed solutions of hydrofluoric-hydrochloric
The solutions were reacted on samples of Oklahoma
No, 1 sand, silica flour, kaolinite, montmorillotite,
and the three feldspars: albite, microcline and oligo-
clase. Table 1 shows pertinent information concern-
ing the samples used in these studies. Data for the
reaction of mixed 3 to 12 percent, 6 to 9 percent and
9 to 6 percent HF-HC1 on clay and feldspar samples
at 75 F are shown in Tables 2,3 and 4, respectively.
Tables 5 and 6 show the reaction data for 3 to 12
percent, 6 to 9 percent and 9 to 6 percent HF-HC1
systems reacting on Oklahoma No. 1 sand and siIica
flour at 750 and 15UF, respectively. Figs. ] thiO@h
----- -
3 illustrate these data in graphical form.
Silica
Flour
K
4.88
3.80
~=fj5
1.62
1.41
1.30
1.23
0.95
using
acid.
Discussion
These data reveal that the reaction of mixed HF-HC1
on clays and feldspars is complete within 5 minutes
at 75 F. The surface-area: volume ratio used in these
tests was 108 sq cm/cu cm for montmorillonite. If
this is translated to a sandstone formation containing
10 Percent clay, the surface-areavolume ratio is aP-
pro~mately 10 sq cm/cu cm. Thus, the reaction r&e
would be increased bv a factor of 10, and spending
would then take plac; in a maximum of 30 seconds
(no data were taken at corresponding times less than
this). The conclusion is drawn that the reaction of
HF on clays and feldspars is virtually instantaneous
7
1
. .
26
/ 5t- ~.... - -
54 -
..*. _L --- - - -
OKLA. NO. I SANO
g
SILICA FLcuR
z
:
$2
TIME [ HCURS)
Fig. lReaction of 3 percent HF-12 percent HCI on
Oklahoma No. 1 sand and silica flour.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY
at such surface-area: volume ratios, even at low tem-
peratures. As a result of the extremely fast reaction
at 75 F, tests at higher temperatures were not con-
ducted with clay and feldspar.
Reaction rate constants were calculated for silica
from the foregoing data, assuming first-order kinetics
as determined by Blumberg.4 The average reaction
rate constant at 75 F, when corrected for surface-
area: volume ratio of the test conditions was
K,,. = 3.89 X 10- ~ .
When units are converted for comparison, we see
that
K,,. = 3.89 X 10-
= 6.6 x 10-
This latter figure agrees
rate constant
Z& = 5.4 x 10-
as reported by Blumberg
g SiO,
sec-sq cm HF molality
very well with the reaction
P SiO.
~-..
sec-sq cm HF molality
and &rivrinOU.5
The reacfion rate constant determined in the
present work can now be modified for the surface-
area: volume ratio of the formation by utilization of
the Kozeny -Carman Eq. 6.
s=
d
+
-!%
(1)
. ,.. L
. - I . : I Jt i r ; - . r.m (1~-~ = 9.869
wnere ~ E. me permGdulllLy .U .q . ... ,.
x 10- sq cm). Therefore the experimental rate con-
stant, K,, corrected to the surface-area: volume ratio
of the formation is:
K, = 3.89 X 10-
d
4
4.934 X 10-lk(md)
. . . . . . . . . . . (2)
It is now possible to extrapolate the corrected reac-
0:--+- .~ -~ -Q- +44
TIME (HOURS)
,Fig. 2Reaction of 6 percent HF-9 percent HCI on
Oklahoma No. 1 sand and silica flour.
tion rate constant to formation temperature using the
Arrhenius equation.
(3)
where the value of E, the activation energy, is taken
as 5.21 Kcal/mol.
Method for Determining Amount of Sand
and Clay Dissolved by I-IFas a Function
of Depth of Penetration
Sandstone with No Clay
By using the reaction rate constants for the reaction
of HF-HC1 mixtures on sand, the following deriva-
tion is used to determine the amount of formation
dissolved as a function of depth of penetration.
Consider acid being pumped into a formation ma-
trix. The amount of sandstone dissolved at a specific
depth of penetration will depend on two conditions.
1. The volume of acid passing a specific increment
and its change in concentration while flowing across
that increment.
~ ~- =mqyt of ~c~d remaining static ill that
L. Ll,ti Lb... .-. -
increment at the conclusion of pumping and its change
in concentration.
The volume of acid that passes across the nth incre-
ment (vn) is given by
V. = 7.481 ~ mh(r. r.) , . . . (4)
Vn=vtvn+l. . . . . . . . (5)
Therefore, the volume of acid that occupies the nth
element is
iivn= Vm+] Yi n...=.... (6)
The change in concentration of HF being pumped
through a specific increment of formation is depend-
ent upon the amount of time the acid is in contact
with the formation and the initial concentration of the
acid. The amount of time the acid is in contact with
the nth increment (At) can be related to the distance
to the nth increment and the acid pump rate by the
following equations.
Fig. 3--Reaction of 9 percent HF-6 percent HCI on
Oklahoma No. 1 sand and silica flour.
6!35
t. = $ ~ h(r~ r02)/i , . . . . . (7)
tn+l = + IT h[(r. + Ar) r~2]/i , . . (8)
At = fnfn+l . . . . . . . . (9)
The change in concentration for acid being pumped
through the nth increment (ACJ is given by the fol-
lowing relation:
c
n+l
ce-kAt, . . . . . . . . (10)
Acn = Cnen+, . . . . . . . (11)
The static HF concentration in the nth increment is:
,. (12)
Therefore, the amount of sandstone dissolved by
the HF in the nth increment (AWfi) is
Awl = 0.083527 V* AC. , . . . . (13)
Aw, = 0.624963 C. A~n , . . . . (14)
Awn = Aw~+Aw, , . . . . . . (15)
where AWf is the weight of sandstone dissolved by
flowing acid (lb) and AW, is the weight of sandstone
dissolved by static acid (lb).
In this method it is assumed that the surface-area:
volume ratio remains constant, which implies that the
rate of reaction on sandstone is always the same from
the first pore volume to the last pore volume, and it
is also assumed that there is always formation present
for the HF to react on. This method further assumes
that the Kozeny<arman equation can approximate
the surface-area: volume ratio of a formation.
Sandstone with Clay
The derivation of the amount of sandstone and clay
dissolved as a function of depth is essentially the same
as that for the sandstone formation without clay,
except that the clay is assumed to spend instantane-
ously upon contact with the acid.
Assuming the acid spends instantaneously on the
clay and complete removal is obtained, then the
change in concentration of HF (AC.) due to clay
removal alone is
Acn =
747.8108 p /3mh(2rnAr + Ar)
v;
9
(16)
Cn=cn Acn . . . . . . . (~~)
The change in HF concentration for sandstone (Acn)
is now given by:
ACn, = C~ C~ e-kht . . . . . (18)
The static concentration of HF in contact with
sandstone (since clay is assumed to be completely
dissolved) can be expressed as:
C.; = \/[Cn2 + (C. Acn Acnq)2]/2
. . . . . . . . . . (19)
Therefore, the weight of sandstone dissolved in the
nth increment is given by the following equations.
AWf2 = 0.083527 V. AC, , . . . . (20)
AW82 = 0.624963 C., Avn , . . . . (21)
Awnz = Awf2+Awa2, . . . . . . (23
and the amount of clay removed in the nth increment
is:
Awn = 0.083527 V* AC~ . . . . . (23)
Production Increase for Undamaged
Formations
Core anaiysis data obtained from 36 pio~titifi~
sandstone formations were used to determine a rela-
tionship between porosity and permeability. A least-
squares analysis was made on the data, and the fol-
lowing equation gave the lowest standard deviation.
k = 0.040256 e3s*$. . . . . .
(24)
The improvement in porosity achieved by reacting
HF with sandstone and clay for the nth increment is
equal to the volume of sandstone and clay removed.
This can be expressed by the following equations.
Vflt= 7.481 ~h(2r@ + Ar) , . . . (25)
where Vnt is the volume of increment under consid-
eration (CUft). Therefore, the improvement in per-
meability for the rzth increment is:
kn = 0.040256 essz~. . . . . . (27)
From Darcys equation for predicting production
increase ratio, the following relationship is obtained
for treating an undamaged sandstone formation.
J/J. =
h r./rO
k ; In(rn + l/r,,)
(28)
0
n= 1 rn
This procedure makes it possiiiie to determine tile
theoretical production increases resulting from HF
treatment of an undamaged sandstone formation
containing a known percentage of clays. The valid-
ity of this method is dependent upon the following
assumptions.
1. The formations to be treated are homogeneous.
2. Clay content (expressed as a weight percent)
is uniformly dkibuted throughout the formation.
3. HF penetrates the formation uniformly through-
out the treated zone.
4. The treated formations efi~hit m damage d??e
to clay minerals.
5. Darcys equation for fluid flow through a porous
medium is a valid expression.
6. Permeability and porosity can be related by
Eq. 24 for sandstone formations containing clay.
7. Sandstone formations may contain clays; how-
ever, no limestone is present in the formation.
Damaged Formations
From production data, pressure buildup curves or
drillstem testing, a damage ratio can be determined
for damaged formations. Thk damage mtio is a
measure of the degree of damage that is present in
the formation.
Mathematically the damage ratio can be expressed
asg
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY
DR = ]o/jdOr k./&, . . . . . . (29)
., . ..
.- ....~.mmm=d frwmati~~
where JOn proaucnon from all U~u~,,,~6-- . . . . . . . . .
i.
--A.-:- #m
and Jd is prc mlddl .ra ------- ~
2 dam a~etj formation. Pro-
duction resulting from complete removal of damage
is equal to l..
Jo =
(DR)(td) . . . . . , . . (30
The theoretical production increase is therefore equal
to the damage ratio.
PI={./~~=DR . . . . . . . (~i)
If acid is used to remove clay damage, an additional
production increase is usually obtained because of
the improvement in formation permeability resulting
from the reaction of HF on that part of the formation
not contributing to damage (sand, feldspars, etc.).
Damaged formations resulting from the presence
of clays can be classified into two basic types, depend-
ing upon the factors contributing to the cause of the
damage. We have classified these as mud-damaged
formations and naturally damaged formations.
Mud-Damaged Formations
Mud damage is most commoniy the resuit of d~fiiifig
mu<. -
-...+: - th mnr~ qnamx of the formation
b PGlU1caL~15-me ~u. - .r -----
adjacent to the wellbore. The degree of damage is
usually dependent upon drilling time, permeability of
formation, type of drilling mud, and the number of
trips that are made during drilling operations. Gen-
erally, the maximum penetration of drilling mud
particles into the interstices of the formation is shrd-
10W, about I in. or less.11 However, additional dam-
age may result when mud filtrate leaks into the
formation and contacts naturally occurring formation
clays. In formations with a high percentage of water-
sensitive clays (i.e., montmorillonite), filtrate damage
could be as severe as the damage caused by mud
particle invasion. In order to make the derivation,
the following assumptions were made.
1. Mud damage is limited to a zone extending 1
in. from the wellbore.
2. All mud damage is the result of clay-particle
invasion.
3. No damage occurs when mud fltrate contacts
water-sensitive clays.
Fig. 4 is a diagram of such a muddamaged con-
dition. The damage ratio now can be used to deter-
mine the permeability
the following mannen
. . ..
Zd= ko/DR .
+
WELL BORE
of the damaged zone (kcl) in
. . . . . . .
. @j
L)
I
+$ KO
A
kd Re
DAMAGED
ZONE
Fig. 4-Mud-damaged wellbore.
From Darcys equation,
i. _
inr,/ro
d (l/kd) in rd/ro + (l/kO) in re/rd
(33)
Solving Eq. 33 for kd gives
kd =
h rd/ro
(1/~~) In r./rO (l/kO) h r,/rd
(34)
It is now possible to determine in the following man-
.. ,
.6 JJII.-,. -,,A /A~) t~~? ~a~ ~nemated
ner me vomtne m ul-~ In.u ~w,
C~e ~~terstices of the formation face.
From k = 0.040256 e~ the porosity of the dam-
aged zone (~d) is
~d = ln(k~/O.040256)
38.22.
(35)
Therefore, the volume of drilling mud that has in-
vaded the formation is
+= +O +,1, . . . . . . .
(36)
and the weight of drilling mud that has invaded the
formation is
Wm = 62.4 ~hp$(2rfiAr + Ar2) . . . (37)
The ch~ge in HF concentration due to the re-
moval of drdhng-mud damage is
Acnm=
w.
0.083527 V.
. . . . (38)
By correcting the initial acid concentration to com-
pensate for the removal of drilling mud, the improve-
ment in formation permeability can be calculated by
the same procedure as was used for undamaged
formations. Production increase for a mud-damaged
formation is given by
J/J,j = in rdro +
{
kd ~~o [(h ri / r. ) l/ki
+ (h rd/ri) l/kcl
}
+ (In r./rd) l/k~ . . . . . (39)
Naturally Damaged Formations
Naturally damaged formations exhibh a reduction in
virgin permeabfity as a result of swelling or migra-
tion of sensitive clays to plug the formation flow
channels.lz -14 TMs can occur after a well has been
exposed to fresh water, brines, acid or completion
fluids, or after mud filtrate has leaked into the forma-
tion during drilliig. Natural damage is usually thought
to exist to a depth of 2 or 3 ft from the weiliiore; iioii-
ever, in some extreme cases it can extend 7 or 8 ft
from the wellbore.1 For the purpose of this deriva-
tion, it was assumed that all natural damage is limited
to a zone extending 3 ft from the wellbore. This
damage is assumed to be homogeneous throughout
the damaged zone. Fig. 5 illustrates such naturrd
damage.
The perrneabtity of the naturrdly damaged forma-
tion averaged over the we~ drainage radius, Ed, is
defined by the damage ratio as
~d=k@R. . . . . . . . . (40)
.- .--,,
697
I
3
///
f Kd
K.
/i
~kd
Re
DAMAGED
ZONE
Fig. S-Naturally damaged wellbore.
8.0
T - ~fi~ DAMAGED F~MATION
DAMAGE RATIO = 6.0
~
r 6.0
%
< WL1.ME OF 3 /oHF =200 GALLON / FOOT
g 5.0
g
~ 4.0
c
g> o
a
0
E 2.o-
1
I I
10 Is 20 25
OEPTH OF HF ACIO PENETRATION IIN
Fig. 6-Effect of depth of penetration of 3 percent HF
.4 -- -- .-I....*.... ;f...a=ea
~CiU WI pioUUb LIUIl 11,-, =-s .,.
15 -
r ------~
I I
OR 2.0
1
f
I [
I 1
,L- 1 I I 1
10 30 m 5(SI I000
VOLUME OF 3% HF (GALLONS/ FOOT OF FORMATION
Fig. 7M~d-damaged formation, 2 percent clay,
3 percent i-iF-i2 pereent HCX.
38!
36~
I
~
se~ -- --
c 32(
: 30+
# 28
$26
~ 24,
$22
E 20
a
: 1,s
u
14
12
I 9,0
34 100
VOLUME OF 3% HF (GALLONS/ FCUF OF FORMATION
Fig. 8-Naturally damaged formation, 2 percent clay,
3 percent HF-12 percent HCI.
.,, .
The permeability of the damaged zone can be de-
termined by solving Eq. 33 for k?.
kd =
b rdr.
(41)
l/~a in r,/ro I/k. in re/rd . .
Since the damage was assumed to have resulted
from the swelling or migration of natural formation
clays and no new clay was introduced into the forma-
tion, the depth of penetration of live acid will be the
same as that in an undamaged formation. Also, all the
damage caused by the clay will be removed for the
entire depth of penetration of live acid because of
the assumed instantaneous reaction of HF on clay.
Therefore, the same amount of sandstone and clay
will be dissolved by equal volumes and concentrations
of acid in both undamaged and naturally damaged
formations, and the improvement of virgin perme-
ability resulting from acidiziig will be the same for
undamaged and naturally damaged formations. The
production increase ratio for stimulation of a naturally
damaged formation can now be expressed as
J/Jo = in rdr~ +
{
& i~o [(~ rn/ro) l/ki
+ (ln rd/rn) 1/kcl]
}
+ (hI r./rd) l/ko , . . . .
(42)
where ki is calculated in the same manner as for un-
damaged formations.
~~ .A - Tk.a.dballw ~dssrslinrs
lmlec t d 1 U=um=Lmw-~J - -.-= -e
HF-HC1Mmtures
The effect of depth of penetration of live acid on the
production increase obtained for undamaged, mud-
damaged and naturally damaged formations is shown
in Fig. 6. It is apparent from these data that the treat-
ment of an undamaged sandstone formation with HF
is not highly beneficial. HF is, however, effective for
treatment of damaged formations.
When removing clay damage with HF, the most
efficient treatment should be obtained by the smallest
volume of acid that will entirely penetrate the dam-
n.A 7nnP
u~u .-.
h Lhe c ase of mud-damaged formations
(1 in. depth), t.hk volume is about 25 gal of acid per
foot of zone to be treated @lg. 7); however, if addi-
,.
I... ,.- --a heeallc e Of rn-u~ fi!trates
uorid damage llds w-d. l.- ...- . . . .
contacting natural clays, a larger volume of acid may
be required. For naturally damaged formations, where
the depth of damage is assumed to be 3 ft, an ex-
.-
tremely large volume of acid will be required to pene-
trate the damaged zone (Fig, 8).
From Fig. 9 we can determine the effect of clay
concentration on the penetration depth of live acid.
As clay concentration is increased, the depth of pene-
tration of live acid is significantly decreased. Conse-
quently, for naturaiiy damaged formations or fmma-
tions with damage resulting from mud filtrate, a high
concentration of clay will usually prevent the acid
from completely penetrating the damaged zone. Those
. . . - ...zAI-. _ h:-h~~+ eln., rnnrpntratinn d]
formanons WIUI t.hG LU511V=C .-J -w..-+______
probably have the most severe natural damage, and
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY
in these formations the distance that live acid can be
pumped into the wellbore will be the shortest.
Since clay is the mineral that causes most of the
damage in sandstone formations, the most efficient
treaf@ system would be one in which the reaction
is only with clays. This system can be approached by
retarding the rate of reaction of HF on sandstone,
thereby allowing more of the acid to be used for clay
removal. Fig. 10 shows the effect of retarding 3 per-
cent HF-12 percent HCI for the stimulation of a
naturally damaged formation containing 2 percent
clay and having a damage ratio of 6. A treatment of
1,000 gal of 3 percent HF-12 percent HC1 per ft of
zone will be improved 234 percent by retarding the
rate of reaction tenfold. Consequently, while the un-
retarded acid will give a theoretical production in-
crease of 3.2, retarding the acid will improve the
theoretical production increase to 7.5. This additional
theoretical production increase is accomplished with-
out any increase in acid volume.
Conclusions
From calculations made with the derivations pre-
sented in this paper, the following conclusions can
be drawn.
~. Production increases are most significant for
interstitial acidizing of damaged formations. Produc-
tion increases resuiting from EIF treatnwnt of i,iiidain-
aged formations would not in most cases be significant
enough to justify the cost of the stimulation treatment.
2. In formations with drilling-mud damage result-
ing from clay-particle invasion, volumes of acid suffi-
cient to remove only the clay contained within a l-in.
radius of the wellbore should yield the most economi-
cal production increases. This applies only if no
natural damage has occurred as a result of mud
filtrates contacting water-sensitive clays.
3. When treating formations with natural clay
damage, the production increase realized is directly
dependent upon the distance which live HF can be
pumped into the formation, The penetration of this
live HF is dependent upon the foiiowhig factors:
(a) clay concentration, (b) formation temperature,
I I I I I I 1 1 I I I I
I
i I I I I I I I I I 1 L-
0024661012 1416!820
CLAY CONCENTRATION (WT. PERCENTI
Fig. 9-Penetration radius of live acid
vs clay concentration.
(c) inhial HF concentration, (d) rate ot HF reaction,
and (e) pump rate.
4. As the clay concentration is increased, the
penetration radius of live acid is decreased.
5. As the formation temperature is increased the
penetration radius of tinspect acid is decreased.
6. Greater depths of penetration will be obtained
by increasing the initial HF concentration.
7. Retarding the rate of reaction of HF on silicates
will facilitate greater penetration of live acid into the
formation. With greater depths of penetration, a
higher production increase for formations with natural
clay damage will be achieved. Undamaged forma-
tions or formations with damage resulting from mud
invasion will not benefit from acidizing with retarded
HF as much as will a naturally damaged formation.
8. As the depth of damage increases, the need for
a retarded acid system becomes more desirable.
9. Increasing the pump rate will slightly increase
the penetration radius of live acid.
Nomenclature
C = initial HF concentration (mol/liter)
AC. = amount of acid used to dissolve clay
under flowing condhions in the nth
increment
ACno = amount of acid used to dissoive sand
n _.-.: --- -
-~+: -c ;ri the .q~h
under m w IIIg Volld Llch= -. ....
increment (formation initially con-
tained clay)
C., = concentration of HF acid in contact with
sand under static conditions in the
nth increment (formation initially con-
tained clay)
AC. = amount of acid used to dissolve sand
under flowing conditions in the nth
increment (formation contained no
clay)
C* = concentration of HF acid in contact with
sand under static conditions in the
nth increment (formation contained
no clay)
7.0
g
~ 60
r
#
~ 5.0
g f
z 4. 0
0
~
g ~, o
E ~- ;MP RATE =O.,, ,,./,,
+---- ~
4. FORMATION TEMP : 150- F
DAMAGE RATIO = 60
I
II
I
I
~!
01.0 5.0 10
RETARDATION FOLD
Fig. 10-Effect of retarding 3 percent HF-12 percent HCI
acid for treatmant of naturally damaged formations.
699
amount of acid used to remove damage
due to clay particle invasion
damage ratio
activation energy, Kcal/mol
height of formation, ft
pump rate, bbl/minute
improved production
]d = damaged production
.TO=
k
=
kd =
Ed =
b=
,.~
k. =
K, =
Ki =
p~ =
rd =
r~ =
rn =
rO=
R=
Ar =
t. =
T, =
At =
v. =
V$=
v., =
Avn =
undamaged production
permeability, md
permeability of damaged zone, md
permeability of damaged formation, md
~em.eabfi~ty Of nth increment after acid-
iziig, md
undamaged permeability, md
rate constant at temperature Tf
rate constant at temperature T]
....fi~,le+;fiminrrfqc e ratin
pluuutiu.. . ..... -.4.-...
depth from formation face to end of
damaged zone
drainage radius of well
depth from formation face to nth incre-
ment
wellbore radius
gas constant, Kcal/mol-K
size of increments
time to reach rzthincrement
formation temperature, K
amount of time acid is in contact with
the Mb increment, minutes
volume of acid that passes through nth
increment, gai
total volume of acid, gal
volume of clay and sand removed in nth
increment, cu ft
pore volume of nth increment, gal
Awf = weight of sand dissolved by flowing acid,
lb
A W, = weight of sand dissolved by static acid,
lb
AWn = total weight of sand dissolved, lb
Awf2 = weight of sand dksolved by flowing acid
information containing clay, lb
AW,z = weight of sand dissolved by static acid in
formation containing clay, lb
A W.z = total weight of sand dissolved by acid in
formation containing clay for nth in-
~~~m-@ lb
Awn = total weight of clay removed in nth incre-
ment, lb
Wm = weight of drilling mud that invades for-
mation, lb
@= weight percent of clay in the formation
p = density of formation, gin/cc
4 = porosity, fraction
~d = damaged porosity, fraction
~~ = po::ctyo:nthincrement after treatment,
~. = undamaged porosity, fraction
# = porosity occupied by mud damage, frac-
tion
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the management of Halliburton
Services for permission to publish this paper and also
those of this organization who made helpful sugges-
tions and comments.
References
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Book Co., Inc., . ..
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] 3. Baptist, O. C. and Sweeney, S. A.: Effect 0$ Claw on
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1453. J PT
Original manuscript received in Society of petroleum Engineers
office July 7, 1969. Paper (SPE 2622) waa praaented at SPE 44th
Annual Fall Meeting, held in Denver, COIO.. SePt. Zs-oct. 1? 1969.
0 Copyright 1970 American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and
Petroleum Engineers, Inc.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY