CORROSION

Production Related Problems

• Are numerous (!) and included:
– water
– corrosion
REMEMBER
– wax precipitation
– asphaltene precipitation
PREVENTION
– hydrates IS
– Hydrogen sulphide BETTER
THAN
– fines migration CURE
– phase-related permeability reduction
– stress-induced permeability change
– scale
– emulsions
– gas production

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Production Related Problems - Water

• Water Production and its effects on profitability
How to recognise production related damage
Production Rate,
stb/day
6000
Natural decline due to drop in
4000 reservoir pressure- no production
related damage.
2000

0 Production Rate,
0 1 2 3 4 stb/day
Years of Production 6000

4000
Rapid decline due to production
related damage - productivity might
be restored by regular stimulation 2000
treatments (not always successful,
dependent on interval length and
cause of damage). 0
0 1 2 3 4
Years of Production

• How can we handle produced water more effectively?

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001
 CORROSION

Production Related Problems - Water

• Main culprit of production related damage
WATER
P r o d u c t io n W e ll PRODUCTION

It causes
→loss of lift energy
→extra treatment expense
→corrosion
→scale formation
→hydrates
→emulsions
→wells to be choked back
due to
facilities constraints

Some or all of the above problems may occur at the same time!
WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001
 CORROSION

Production Related Problems - Water

• Corrosion considerably increases the cost to well productivity

Increased roughness, hence bigger friction

Limited corrosion of tubing drops and lower rates.
Increasing Corrosion

Potential for formation/screens/perforation

Corrosion of injection pipework, plugging during bullheading or injection.
pumping equipment etc.
Difficulty in running intervention tools
(especially in ERD wells).

Difficult to set reliable plugs for gas/water/

Extensive corrosion downhole sand control.

Well has to be shut-in/loss of production/

e.g. Holes in production tubing injection until workover.

May be impossible to plug tubing and isolate

reservoir, therefore well may require killing
e.g. Parting of tubing
by bullheading with potential for permanent
formation damage.
e.g. Failure of liner
Water/gas/sand production loss in oil
production.
e.g. Failure of casing
May require well abandonment or a sidetrack.

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Production Related Problems - Corrosion

• CO2
– Combines with water to form Carbonic Acid
Not normally a
– Pitting
Not
problem
normally
witha
• H2S problem
the right
with the
– Sulphide stress cracking right
completion
metallurgy
– Hydrogen embrittlement metallurgy
• Completion and Intervention fluids
– Oxygen
– Microbiologically induced corrosion.
• Acids
– Severe corrosion without inhibitor
– May also react with sulphides to form H2S
– may require sulphide scavenger
• Solids
– Erosion
– Or erosion-corrosion
– Monitor rates and if need be choke back

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Water Injection - Source

• Seawater
– Quality varies with location, depth and time (e.g. algal blooms)).
– Monitoring may be required.
• River water -
– clearly the water quality will vary with location and time.
• Aquifer water - many fields use dedicated water production wells.
– The water may be fresh (with or without oxygen)
– Saline (again with or without oxygen).
– Contaminants may be introduced by extraction (e.g. if gas lift is used to lift the
water).
• Produced water -
– Oxygen free at the wellhead.
– The water may also contain dissolved salts, oil carryover, dissolved gas or
produced solids.
– Once separated from the oil, the water may also pick up oxygen.

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Water Injection Treatment

• Bacteria
– beware of bugs in Ineffective removal e.g.
inadequate gas rate
your water Oxygen introduced
through seals

– can plug pore throats Injection

pump(s)
Oxygen removal
– can cause H2S (eg. gas stripper)

• Corrosion (oxygen
control) Corrosion by
overdosing
Oxygen
introduced
through leaky
oxygen scavenger flanges Water injection wells
– major problem for or poor
deployment
many injectors
– maintain O2 levels
below 30 ppb
– many workovers
required because of
this

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Corrosion - Water Injectors

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Oxygen Control - The Reality

Any oxygen above threshold - even for

very short durations causes corrosion -
and over long time period
1 2 3 4 5 6
Time (days)

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Corrosion Monitoring
• Examination of recovered intervention toolstrings

• Detection of dissolved iron

• Finding a leak! (beware!)

• Corrosion probes (at surface)

• Corrosion logs (beware!)

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Intervention In Water Injectors

• Avoid?
run at normal rather
• Wireline or toolstrings can score semi-protective films
than reduced speeds
• Wireline or toolstrings can damage plastic coatings - - for slickline -
reduced speed for
especially at connections braided cable -
why?
• Coil?

• Use nylon roller stem

• Avoid burrs and sharp edges

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001

 CORROSION

Corrosion - Best Practices

REMOVAL OF “PROTECTIVE” FILM
• Adopt corrosion management strategy
• Be aware of corrosion
• Involve contractors in planning
• Develop maintenance programs, measure
corrosion
• Consider dedicated corrosion engineer
• Read relevant literature
• Use your eyes! - report corrosion
• Design your completion to minimise
corrosion
• Ensure inhibitors are compatible with corrosion in tubing exacerbated by
materials and the reservoir! erosion from wireline operators.
• If tubing corrosion is suspected, DO NOT
bullhead fluids in the formation

WELL INTERVENTION PRODUCTIVITY SCHOOL Nov 2001