TechLine

A Publication of BJ Services Company

Volume 10

Inside this issue

Chemical-free technology enhances production

10

Cementing approach minimizes corrosion threat

12

State-of-the-art tools benefit ultra-deepwater frontiers

14

Ultra-lightweight proppant improves production declines

18

Weak acid technique stimulates mature wells

23

N E W S B R I E F S

Simultaneous fracs promote production

A recent simultaneous re-fracture treatment in the Bakken formation of
Montana found BJ Services treating three horizontal wellbores separated
by 1300 ft (400 m), using the outer wells to pressure-divert the fracs on
the center well. After 60 days, the outer wells have two-fold increases in
production and the center well has another fold of increase. The customer
plans additional simultaneous fracs, including several four-well fracs and the
possibility of five- and six-well scenarios to further evaluate the technique.

New vessel
extends
services in Asia

On the cover:
A BJ Services crew member
aligns segments of a
ComPlete MST completion
system during a recent
installation offshore
Indonesia. Details of this
time-saving work are on
pages 6 and 14.

Technology expertise,
teamwork and a new
stimulation barge were the
keys to a successful two-stage
fracture stimulation in an
evaluation well in the South
China Sea, about 50 miles
(80 km) offshore Vietnam.
Because pre-frac reservoir
studies were limited, the
stimulation was designed to
be flexible and enable on-thefly changes based on realtime
downhole data, thereby
ensuring stimulation success.

Tools, fluids clean Middle East well

BJ Services introduced wellbore cleaning services in Saudi Arabia in 2009
with a successful gas well cleanup operation. The goals were to clean and
recover debris from the blowout preventer, scrape the liner and casing clean,
remove water-based mud from tubulars, and displace the well to clean water
for completion operations. In operation, the magnetic tools alone recovered
more than 5 lb (2.5 kg) of ferrous material. The drilling representative praised
the BJ teams professionalism after the work was completed ahead of
schedule and without safety incidents.

C o n t en t s

Selective solution:
Coiled tubing tools clean each
leg in multilateral wells.

BJ Services TechLine News

10

Quantum quality:
Electromagnetic waves
stimulate oil production.

14

Deepwater diversity:
Proven technologies and
integrated services improve
ultra-deepwater economics.

Chemical-free technology enhances production

10

Cementing in corrosive environments

12

Ultra-deepwater frontiers beckon

14

BJ in Action: Case histories from BJ Services

18

BJ Innovations: Novel solutions to oilfield problems

25

Enumerations: A whimsical look at numbers in the oilfield

27

BJTechLine is published
by BJ Services Company.
Comments and inquiries
should be submitted to:
Editor: Stephanie Weiss
11211 FM 2920
Tomball, TX 77375
Tel +1 (832) 559-1308
Fax +1 (832) 559-1319
E-mail techline@bjservices.com
Copyright 2009, BJServices Company.
All rights reserved.

Coflexip is a registered trademark of Technip.

Solvent system enables

acidizing after OBM
An operator in the Karachaganak field of Kazakhstan
was using water-base mud to drill wells, followed by acid
stimulation to bypass near-wellbore damage. The operator
wanted to change to an oil-base mud to improve drilling
performance and avoid formation damage from potential
content such as swellable clays.
The disadvantage of this approach is that when HCl acid
contacts oil-base mud (OBM), it forms a persistent, highly
damaging emulsion that essentially prevents production.
The operator drilled one well using the oil-base mud
and considered producing it without stimulation, but initial
productivity test results were far below expectation. Therefore,
the operator asked BJ Services for a plan to stimulate the
2460-ft (750 m) horizontal openhole.
Using core plugs and samples of the oil-base mud, BJ
lab personnel tested several solvent, demulsifier, surfactant
and acid combinations to find onea modified Paravan D
systemthat would break down the surface mudcake for
removal without creating other damage to the formation.
In operation, the well was displaced with diesel and flowed
back for a clean up. The Paravan mudcake breaker system was
then pumped as a preflush and allowed to soak for four to
six hours. After the soak, an acid wash was performed using
15% HCl. Fluids were pumped through coiled tubing with a
Roto-Jet tool configured to maximize the flow rate.
Operations have been successful. For example, Table 1
shows before and after results for the first horizontal well
treated using the technique and formulation.

Hammer sets piles

offshore Canada
BJ Services hydraulic hammers recently drove six
36-in. piles and 15 24-in. piles for an oil and gas
development in about 500 ft (155 m) of water
offshore Newfoundland. The work was completed
from a specialized support vessel, which required
design and extensive pre-job testing of a custom
hammer frame, power packs and control system
for the S-200 hydraulic hammer.

Table 1. Well A Results

Pre-Job

Post-Job

PI

Skin

For future wells, the cleanup and breaker systems may be

combined in a single operation.
MAURIZIO FRATUS, Kazakhstan

BJ prepares deepwater infrastructure

BJ Services strengthened its pipeline precommissioning record
this year with high-profile, deepwater projects offshore Nigeria
and India.
In the central Niger Delta region, pipeline services
specialists in the Agbami field performed flooding, cleaning,
gauging, hydrotesting and dewatering services for subsea
flowlines and water injection risers related to subsea wells
connected to a floating production storage and offloading
(FPSO) facility in about 4700 ft (1433 m) of water.
With engineering and procurement support from
Aberdeen, pipeline services personnel in Port Harcourt,
4

BJ TechLine

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Nigeria, coordinated the flooding of the water injection risers

and main flowlines as they were laid. A series of cleaning and
gauging pig trains in the production and gas injection loops
displaced the raw seawater with filtered, treated seawater.
In the Krishna Godavari basin offshore India, BJ Services
provided engineering, project management, cleaning, flooding
and pressure testing services for 8-in. production flowlines
and a 6-in. gas injection riser associated with a field at water
depths of up to 3937 ft (1200 m) in the Bay of Bengal.
Jacqueline LaCombe, Houston

Combined operation enables 44-zone horizontal frac

The Barnett shale was the venue for a record-setting OptiFrac
SJ multizone, horizontal completion combining state-of-the-art
coiled tubing and fracturing technologies.
BJ Services crews completed a record 44 zones in a
2800-ft (850 m) horizontal well in just 17 days of daylightonly operations. Three technologies were significant in
enabling this accomplishment:
The EasyCut abrasive jetting tool to create clean,
undamaged perforations through the casing
Annular hydraulic fracture stimulation using a slickwater
fluid system and ending each zone with a LitePlug
proppant slug that effectively isolates the zone
A final CT cleanout after all zones were completed,
using the patented Tornado process

Adaptable cement system

minimizes hurricane delay
When hurricane damage delayed a shipment of nitrogen and
pumping automation equipment to a deepwater rig in the
Gulf of Mexico, BJ Services was able to quickly redesign its
cement system to save rig time without sacrificing job quality
or safety.
The rig was drilling in about 7000 ft (2130 m) of water
in the Keathley Canyon area, which is known for having a
moderate to high potential for shallow water flow.
A common method used to mitigate shallow water or gas
flows is to foam the cement. The foams compressibility allows
it to offset the hydrostatic pressure loss that initiates water
or gas flow. In addition, foam cements maintain an internal
pressure that counteracts the loss of volume as the slurry
undergoes the transition between a liquid and set state.

The technology combination has been used to stimulate

hundreds of zones in Canada, with typical completions featuring
300-ft (100 m) zone spacings. Zone spacing for the recordsetting Barnett shale well varied from 50 to 80 ft (15 to 24 m).
A total of 4.2 million lb (1900 t) of sand were pumped for
the combined operation. All of the sand plugs performed as
designed. Surface treating pressures averaged 3500 psi
(24 MPa) and pump rates ranged from 10 to 18 bbl/min
(1.6 to 2.9 m3/min).
No other method available at the time could have enabled
44 treatments in the well, economically.
Juan Carlos Castaeda, Luis Castro, Steven H. Craig
and Chris Moore, Houston and Fort Worth

Enormous tool prepared

A large-diameter casing station with Salvo torqueturn monitoring capabilities helped BJ Services
completion assembly personnel prepare a 46-in.
circulating cap running tool for operations in the North
Sea. Two pieces of equipment were engineered and
manufactured for this work: A 22-in. power tong
to apply 100,000 ft-lb (149,000 N-m) of torque on the
6.5-in. drillpipe, and an adapter to securely grip the
massive tools on the casing station. After assembly, the
team pressure-tested the tools to 500 psi (3.4 MPa)
before third-party testing verified the assembly.
JEFF THOM, Aberdeen

Quick change of plans

Because of these benefits, BJ Services planned to mix DeepSet
cement at 15.2 lb/gal (1.82 g/ml) and use the automated
equipment to foam the lead slurry to 13 lb/gal (1.56 g/ml).
To ensure accurate density during pumping, an Automated
Foam Cement System was loaded onto a delivery boat with
the nitrogen. However, a hurricane swept through the area,
blocking the port with debris.
Rather than try to locate and ship another foam unit, the
operator asked BJ for a different cement solution. BJ engineers
designed a safe nonfoamed lead slurry using the DeepSet
cement system and liquid additives that could be quickly
delivered to the rig from a different port.
The job was pumped successfully with no shallow water
flow problems. In addition, the operator minimized the
nonproductive time on a rig that cost about $650,000 per day.
JOHN ST. CLERGY, Houston
www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

CT tools enable cleaning of

A unique combination of patented coiled tubing tools recently
enabled BJ Services to remove sand and mud from three lowpressure, multilateral wells in northwestern Louisiana.
The wells were completed openhole in a limestone
reservoir with bottomhole pressures around 1000 psi
(6895 kPa) at 5900 ft (1800 m) TVD, with the deepest total
depth of 13,400 ft (4085 m). Two wells were bilateral and
the third was drilled with four laterals.

Minimizing fluid on the formation

Previous cleanout attempts using conventional techniques had
taken more than one month per well to complete and resulted
in incomplete fill removal due to continuous loss of fluids to
the formation. For this reason, the Sand-Vac system was used
on a 2 x 1-in. concentric coiled tubing string.

InjectSafe technology was used to restore continuous production to a

liquid-loaded well in the North Sea.

Through-tubing solution
relieves liquid loading
BJ Services recently extended its InjectSafe technology record
by successfully relieving a liquid loading issue in the UK sector
of the North Sea.
Several gas wells on a large platform had stopped
producing. The operator considered several methods to restore
continuous production, but most of the economically viable
options would impede functionality of the wells surfacecontrolled subsurface safety valves (SCSSV).
Modeling and analysis of the first wells loading
characteristics, using BJs proprietary FoamXpert software,
confirmed that liquid loading was causing the wells impeded
production. Further analysis revealed that injecting foam to
the perforations could solve the problem.
To provide a clean path for foaming chemical treatment all
the way to the perforations, BJ proposed to install its InjectSafe
technology.
BJ crew members snubbed more than 16,500 ft (5029 m)
3
of /8 -in. capillary tubing into the well and connected the top
of the capillary string to an InjectSafe wireline-retrievable
SCSSV. The entire procedure was performed live, with a
production tubing pressure of at least 850 psi (5860 kPa).
The technology restored the well to continuous production,
and additional installations are scheduled.
Michael Taggart, Aberdeen

BJ TechLine

Single-trip completion
saves days of rig time
The award-winning ComPlete MST system recently saved an
estimated 14 days of rig timevalued at $2.1 millionfor a
well in Indonesia.
BJ Services installed a six-zone, 2764-ft (843 m)
bottomhole assembly in one trip to 13,428 ft (4092 m).
Despite 16 hours of nonproductive time (NPT) unrelated to BJ
equipment, the job was completed in 4.5 days, from picking
up the tools to finalizing the outer assembly with a 6000-psi
(41.3 MPa) test after the final pumping job.
During this series of three wells, BJ completed 16 zones
in 31 days with about 2 hrs of NPT. The total completion
operation time was only 14 days for all three wells. The
customer estimated that the combined operations saved at
least 50 days of rig time.
Chunming Li, Indonesia

CT, nitrogen service expands

BJ Services expanded its coiled tubing and nitrogen services
to Bolivia in October, beginning with two operations in the
Naranjillos field.
The first operation was a matrix stimulation treatment
using BJ Sandstone Acid system and Gas Zone Acid, which
increased gas production from 0 to 177 Mscf/D (5,000 sm3/D)
without water cut. The second was a sand and scale wash
using a Vortex nozzle.
JOS LUIS MORALES, Bolivia

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multilateral wells
The Sand-Vac tools proprietary jet pump system vacuums
solids into the tool, carrying them out of the wellbore through
the CCT annulus without the need for nitrogen to maintain
returns. In order to gain entry into the laterals, researchers at
BJ Services Coiled Tubing Research and Engineering Centre
in Calgary developed a bridge tool to attach the LEGS
multilateral entry system to the Sand-Vac tool.
During the campaign in early 2009, all eight lateral
junctions were located and entered with the combined tool
assembly. As a result, the operations were able to remove
approximately 25 bbl (4 m3) of drilling fluids, formation fines,
shale pebbles and proppant per lateral.
Heath Myatt, Kilgore, Texas

Coiled tubing technology is used to remove proppant and other fill

from a low-pressure, multilateral well in Louisiana.

HPHT frac boosts gas

Fracture treatments from BJ Services resulted in enormous
production increases in one of Indias most important gas fields,
despite the challenge of a hot, high-pressure formation.
An operating company drilled 15 appraisal wells in the
Krishna-Godavari basin in eastern India as part of an effort to
determine how to maximize recovery of the fields estimated
20 Tcf (566 million sm3) in reserves from a formation with
extreme temperatures and pressures.
In May 2009, BJ stimulated one of the appraisal wells to
quantify well deliverability from two zones of interest and to
help determine the necessity of hydraulic fracturing in the full
field development plan.
The well, located in about 230 ft (70 m) of water, was
directionally drilled to about 16,730 ft (5100 m) with a 42
deviation across the intervals of interest. Bottomhole static
temperature was 340F (171C), reservoir pressure 10,900 psi
(75.1 MPa) and formation permeability 0.15 md.
Planning for the frac began with fluid testing at the BJ
laboratory in Mumbai. The Medallion Frac HT fluid was
found to provide good friction reduction and suspension
of the resin-coated ceramic proppant under the expected
downhole conditions. HighPerm BR encapsulated breaker
was chosen to ensure controlled and complete polymer
degradation downhole.
The two zones were stimulated separately, each beginning
with a mini-frac and step-down test. Stabilized production
from the first zone increased from 0.7 to more than 4 MMscf/D
(20,000 to 113,000 sm3); production from the second zone
rose to 3.9 MMscf/D (110,000 sm3).
The Discovery stimulation vessel was used to frac a hot, highpressure formation offshore India, resulting in enormous production
improvements.

SERGEY STOLYAROV and GREG DEAN, India

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BJ TechLine

New CT tools increase horizontal frac stages, speed

Field-proven coiled tubing tools enable stimulation of more
frac stages in less time than alternative multizone technologies,
improving the economics of long horizontal wells, in particular.
The SureSet process* comprises abrasive perforating
down the coiled tubing, followed by annular fracturing, with
zonal isolation provided by a resettable packer on the CT
bottomhole assembly.
The proprietary assembly is run into the well and positioned
precisely using the EasyTag mechanical collar locator. Slips
and the packer are set with pressure and weight, isolating any
lower zones. Perforations are jetted using the EasyCut sand
jet perforator. Finally, the fracture treatment is pumped down
the annulus. After the treatment, the anchor slips and packer
retract, and the assembly can be moved uphole to the next
zone, where the sequence is repeated.
The process can be used in a variety of completion systems,
including conventionally cemented or expandable liners that
avoid costly and complicated completion hardware, such
as frac port systems. In addition, recovery from screenouts

is quick, and no
post-job milling is
required.
Finally, the
process increases
the number of
zones that can
be stimulated,
compared with
frac port systems
that are typically
limited to 20 ports
in a 4 -in. liner.
Some operators
want 50+ fracture
stages per
horizontal wellbore.
Recent case
histories include:
The proprietary SureSet assembly includes
a mechanical collar locator, anchor slips, a
A 22-stage well
resettable packer and a sand jet perforator.
in the Bakken
shale, treated with 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) of 20/40 Ottawa
sand per stage to a depth of 9500 ft (2900 m) in a single
trip of 51 hours.
A 30-stage well in the Bakken shale, treated with 11,000 lb
(5000 kg) of Ottawa sand per stage to a depth of 8500 ft
(2600 m) in a single trip of 66 hours. The job required the
use of a lubricant to allow the CT to apply enough force to
set the anchor and packer for the bottom zone.
A 12-stage well in the Viking formation, treated with
25000 lb (11,000 kg) of Ottawa sand per stage to a depth
of 4900 ft (1500 m) in a single trip of 17 hours.
*The process is licensed by ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company.

LYLE LAUN, Calgary

The field-proven process increases the number of zones that can be
stimulated, compared with frac port systems.

Cement additive stops losses

For a recent cementing operation in Libya, BJ Services
engineers designed lead and tail slurries based on the
operators expectations about the formationand then
redesigned them to meet actual downhole conditions and
stop severe fluid losses.
The original plan was to set the 7-in. casing at 3,600 ft
(1100 m) with a 12.5-lb/gal (1.50 g/ml) lead slurry and
15.8-lb/gal (1.89 g/ml) tail. During drilling, however, one
zone was weaker than expected, and the well began to
experience losses of the 9.2-lb/gal (1.10 g/ml) mud.
BJ personnel redesigned the slurry as a 11.7-lb/gal
(1.40 g/ml) lead and 14.5-lb/gal (1.74 g/ml) tail, including
8

BJ TechLine

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a fiber additive in the lead slurry to stop the losses.

While running the casing, losses increased to 100 bbl/hour
(16 m3/hour). Therefore, the BJ service supervisor added fiber
to the mud before batch mixing the slurries.
During the cementing operation, the losses dropped to
20 bbl/hour (3 m3/hr). By the time the tail slurry was finished
pumping, full returns were achieved.
The operator was pleased with the performance of the
fiber additive and with the cement bond log, especially across
the thief zone. The well has since been perforated successfully.
YACINE BABAAMER, HUSAM ELLIED and KHALIFA FITOURI, Libya

Capillary tubing used in

instrumented abandonment
BJ Services DynaCoil capillary tubing was recently used in an
Australian coalbed methane well for a unique instrumented
plug-and-abandonment operation.
Capillary services personnel from Kilgore, Texas, ran -in.
capillary tubing into the well with instruments attached at
several depths corresponding to coal seams in the reservoir.
A BJ pumping services crew from Perth then pumped cement
through the capillary to fill the casing to surface.
The operator benefited from the smaller equipment
footprint (compared with a normal plug-and-abandon
operation) and lower costs. In addition, the instruments,
cemented into the well, will continue to monitor pressures
from the coalbed methane reservoir and transmit data to
surface equipment.
BRYANT STOKES, Kilgore, Texas

B R I E F L Y

N OT E D

Congo Campaign
Recent stimulation treatments in the Republic of Congo
included StimPlus services, in which a Wax-Chek paraffin
inhibitor was pumped during hydraulic fracturing to prevent
damaging deposits as the well produces. (Johnny Falla, Congo)

Proppant Premieres
LiteProp 108 ultra-lightweight proppant was pumped in
several fracture treatments in Argentina and Colombia
marking the first use of BJs newest ultra-lightweight proppant
technology in those countries. In Colombia, the proppant was
used for the first time to prevent closure after an acid frac.
(Marcelo Valdivia and Roberto Sentinelli, Argentina; and
Ruben Castillo, Colombia)

Acid Achievement
Divert S acid, a self-diverting surfactant-gelled HCl system
for matrix and fracture acidizing, was recently pumped in
Brazil for the first time as the main treatment, successfully
stimulating a well in the Campos Basin. (Abraho Jardim
and Fernando Gaspar, Maca, Brazil)

Protective Pack
A screen prepacked with sand and 12/20-mesh ScaleSorb
solid chemical has been manufactured for a Gulf of Mexico
operator. The pack material comprises a scale inhibitor
adsorbed onto a solid substrate to provide long-term inhibition
in produced water. The material, field-proven in fracture
stimulation and frac-pack treatments, is also being used in
gravel packs. (Amit Singh and Steve Szymczak, Houston)
A novel approach to abandonment reduced the cost and footprint of
the operation and provided the operator with ongoing pressure data
to monitor reservoir drawdown.

Fast work serves operator

When an operator called one Sunday evening in October
with an emergency request for a safety valve, BJ Services
personnel responded by providing high-quality equipment
on a tight deadline.
During a recompletion of an offshore well, another
suppliers tubing-retrievable safety valve failed to operate
and had to be locked open. The operator called several
suppliers for a replacement wireline-retrievable valve, but
only BJ Services could meet the operators tight deadline.
A FlowSafe safety valve system was machined to order,
assembled, tested and delivered to the rig for installation in
just 46 hours with no safety incidents.
Max Mondelli, Houston

Better Borate
The new, high-yield Lightning Plus fluid has been pumped
in several fracture stimulation treatments for an operator in
Mississippi. The borate fluid system works with lower polymer
loading at relatively high formation temperatures, reducing
costs and gel residue. (Stan Craft, Columbia, Miss.)

Redesigned Retarder
A new high-temperature synthetic retarder, SR-34L, replaced
conventional lignosulfonate retarders in a recent Haynesville
shale cementing operation, providing more predictable
thickening time and better compressive strength. (Paul Zaher,
Bossier City, La.)

Vapor Variety
A recent fracture stimulation operation marked the first
VaporFrac treatment in the state of Arkansas. The technique
combines Liquid LiteProp technology with high-pressure
nitrogen to ensure good proppant transport with minimal fluid.
(Ryan Dent, Tulsa, Okla.)
www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

Chemical-free technology enhances production

Economical, ecologically benign
technology stimulates production
by altering near-wellbore chemistry.

Downhole

deposition causes

production declines and well failures

around the world. Traditional stimulation treatments remove damaging
deposits from the near-wellbore area,
perforations and tubing but may
create economic, environmental and
safety challengesor even cause new
near-wellbore concerns.
Instead, the new EcoWave
technology from BJ Services uses
tuned energy waves to alter molecular
bonds downhole, stimulating
production increases by disrupting
damaging deposits and altering
relative permeability in the nearwellbore area.

10

BJ TechLine

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Near-wellbore damage
A number of damage mechanisms can affect a
wells ability to produce.
Pressure and temperature changes in the nearwellbore area, perforations and in the tubing affect
the chemistry of the produced fluids: Paraffins
and asphaltenes begin to deposit from produced
hydrocarbons and from produced water. These
changes also cause hydrate and salt blocks that
affect production, downhole equipment and
surface equipment.
Produced water can also carry and create
other downhole problems: bacteria, fines migration,
clay swelling, emulsions, and corrosion.
Traditional solutions canif not properly
engineeredcreate additional problems. For
example, inexpensive hot oil and hot water
treatments are often used to melt waxy wellbore
deposits for easy removal. Typically, these
treatments affect only the upper 1000 ft (300 m)
of the tubing because the treatment fluid cools as it
falls, thus losing effectiveness. They also generally
affect only the lighter waxes, leaving heavier, more
persistent deposits that eventually must be resolved
with an expensive workover.
As another example, incompatible fluid
treatment systems (biocides, scale and corrosion
inhibitors, non-emulsifiers, etc.) can alter formation
wettability and relative permeability, thereby
inhibiting production.
Given the wide variety of downhole problems
and the potential for common solutions to
exacerbate one problem while treating another,
a main goal of any stimulation or remediation
treatmentand the focus of BJs BlueField
services for mature fieldsshould be to
first, do no harm.
Using energy waves
The latest addition to this fit-for-purpose
stimulation portfolio is the new EcoWave
technology, an environmentally friendly, chemicalfree means of stimulating hydrocarbon production
by removing near-wellbore damage. Instead of
chemical and mechanical energy, this safe and
economical technology uses directed energy waves
to alter downhole fluid chemistries.
The theory behind the technology is the use of
tuned energy waves as a means of altering proton
and electron spin states, which affects molecular
bonding (Becker and Brown, SPE 124144).
Calculations related to the process of wax
crystallization suggested that a low-energy system
tuned to ideal wavelengths could interfere with
static forces and hydrogen bonding. The result
is similar to that of typical oilfield threshold
inhibitors and surfactants: Potentially problematic
EcoWave technology from BJ Services stimulates
production without chemicals, providing ecological and
economic benefits compared with traditional treatments.

molecules stay in solution longer,

minimizing agglomeration, and
relative permeability to both
oil and water are affected in a
way that promotes additional oil
production.
To employ the technology (for
which a patent has been applied)
in the field, wave frequencies are
chosen to optimally target specific
chemical bonds. Using a fit-forpurpose antenna deployed on the
tree or into the annulus through
the wellhead, a treatment lasts
from 30 minutes to two hours.
Results have been demonstrated
to last as long as three months.
Ultimately, the EcoWave
systems greatest benefit is
economic: reduced lifting costs
and increased hydrocarbon production. After
extensive laboratory testing, the technology has been
used in more than 60 wells in Texas, Oklahoma,
New Mexico and Utah. Applications have included
both flowing and pump-assisted wells.

The EcoWave unit is compact,

portable and robust enough for
routine oilfield use.
.

Real-world improvements
Importantly, operators have reported production
increases from 20 to more than 120%, compared
with slight increases in chemically treated offsets.
All wells are being monitored to determine treatment
longevity, with benefits continuing more than 60
days after treatment in most wells.
The technology was recently used to stimulate
eight wells near Levelland, Texas. Historically, the
wells had been treated with hot water every 90
days to maintain production, and with occasional
workovers to remove deeper organic deposits.
Two months after the EcoWave treatments, oil
production had increased by as much as 20%, and
gas chromatography results indicated a significant
reduction in long-chain carbon molecules. All eight
wells produced continuously with no issues for the
three-month test period after the treatment.
In another example, the technology was used
in two wells near Hobbs, N.M. Historically, these
wells were treated with hot oil every 90 days to
maintain production. Fifteen days after an EcoWave
treatment, oil production from Well #1 had increased
by 57% and from Well #2 by 126%. The increased
production was sustained for at least 90 days. An
offset well that was treated only with chemicals
(dispersant, solvent and wetting agent) has recorded
mostly steady production.
This text is adapted from an article in the October 2009
issue of E&P magazine.
For more information, please contact BJ Services
representatives Carlos Camacho, Greg Darby or
J.R. Becker, or visit www.bjservices.com/techline
www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

11

Cementing in corrosive environments

New technologies and good cementing practices minimize the potential
for corrosive attacks from formation fluids, injected and in-situ gases,
and downhole chemical systems.

nternational interest in CO2 sequestration has

increased awareness of laboratory research
indicating that corrosive chemicals can attack
oilfield cements, reducing their effectiveness over
the long term.
The potential economic, health and
environmental consequences of cement failure
are severe. However, cement corrosion is not as
prevalent in real-world cementeven in wells
exposed to corrosive fluids for several decades
as it appears in the laboratory.
Furthermore, good cementing practices
and thoughtful slurry design can minimize the
opportunity for corrosion and ensure that the
resulting cement performs as expected for the
life of the well.
Damage mechanisms
The main purposes of the cement sheath are zonal
isolation and support for the casing, including
protecting the casing from formation fluids and
potential corrosion. Thus, damage to the cement
can result in loss of production, mingling of
producing zones, damage to the casing and even
collapse of the pipe, requiring abandonment.
The best way to maximize the life of a cement
sheath is to follow good cementing practices
when placing it: condition the hole, centralize the
pipe, and rotate/reciprocate during pumping to
ensure complete fill.
After a good cement sheath is in place, the two
most significant potential damage mechanisms are
mechanical stress and chemical attack.
Stresses and mechanical loads cause damage
Radial/Tangential Stress Field

quickly in response to specific events or changing

conditions: downhole pressure and temperature
changes, geological events such as salt migration,
or pipe movement. To avoid this type of damage,
its important to understand the reservoir and
consider events that may affect the cement over
the life of the well. For example, a well that
is likely to see high injection pressures from
stimulation or flooding operations may need a
cement with more flexural strength (Figure 1).
Chemical attacks, including corrosion, are
slow but can be exacerbated if the chemical
agents have access to greater cement surface
area, such as if the cement sheath has already
been damaged due to mechanical stress, or if a
poor primary cement job resulted in channels
or micro-cracks.
Chemical attacks can damage the cement
in two ways. Expansive attacks, such as those
from sulfate-containing formation fluids, create
poorly soluble products that increase pressure
within the cement until it cracksproducing
new surface area for additional chemical attack.
Dissolving attacks, such as those from acids or
magnesia-containing fluids, create water-soluble
products that can be removed from the surface,
creating voids and additional surface area for
further attacks.
For example, CO2 attacks set cement in a
three-step process (Figure 2):
1) CO2 reacts with water to form carbonic
acid.
2) Next, this acid reacts with portlandite in
the cement to create calcium carbonate
Radial/Tangential Stress Field

Figure 1. Tangential stress graphs comparing survivability of flexible PermaSet cement (left)
with conventional Class G cement (right), in a system where wellbore pressure increases by
500 psi (3450 kPa) and temperature by 80F (27C).

12

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Finally, recall that in

the second step of a CO2
attack, reaction of carbonic
acid with portlandite
creates water, which is
then available to react
with CO2 to create more
carbonic acid. Reaction
with the C-S-H phases does
not create the additional
water needed to carry on
the process. The C-S-H
phases are also critical
to developing strength
as the cement sets,
Figure 2. CO2 attacks cement in a three-step process. One way to slow the process is to whereas portlandite does
minimize cement water content and chemical reactions that create additional water.
not contribute to cement
and more water, or with the C-S-H
strength. Furthermore, the portlandite crystals
phases to create calcium carbonate and
disrupt the interlocking mechanism of C-S-H phases,
amorphous silica gel.
increase the brittleness of set cement and can be
3) Finally, additional carbonic acid reacts
easily leached out during corrosive attacks.
with the calcium carbonate, creating highly
Therefore, in the new CO2 corrosion-resistant
soluble calcium bicarbonate. The result is
PermaSet cement system, all portlandite is
a weakened, porous cement sheath, which
converted into C-S-H phases during the setting
allows deeper chemical attack and further
process. This and a lower water-to-cement ratio
dissolution.
reduce the cement permeability and ensure good
compressive strength with flexibility to vary other
Minimizing corrosion
mechanical properties to create fit-for-purpose
The chemical damage process sounds
designs. For the PermaSet systems, a significant
disastrousand can bebut it is typically very
amount of Portland cement is replaced by costslow. For example, a well in West Texas was
effective and CO2-free pozzolanic materials,
cemented with neat Portland cement around
resulting in an economical and environmentally
15.5 lb/gal (1.9 g/ml), and exposed to reservoir
sustainable cement system with technical
temperatures of 130F (54C) and pressure
advantages.
of 2600 psi (18 MPa) for 25 years, allowing
extensive hydration of the cement. It was then
C o nc l u s i o n s
exposed to CO2-brine in enhanced recovery efforts
To minimize corrosion of oilfield cement:
for 30 years. Finally, the cement was sampled,
and corrosion depth was found to range from
Follow good cementing practices, such as
0.07 to 0.4 in. (2 to 10 mm) (Carey et al., 2007).
engineered spacers, centralizing the pipe, rotating
CO2 has been injected into oil and gas wells
and reciprocating, etc.
as a stimulation or enhanced recovery fluid for
Improve cement bond and reduce formation
more than 30 years. In that time, no reports have
permeablity with a preflush of Surebond spacers
surfaced to show well failures or leaks that could
be attributed only to CO2 corrosion of the cement
Design the cement system with mechanical
sheath. Still, it is a risk that should be minimized.
properties that will accommodate reservoir
One way to accomplish that is to minimize
conditions and stressesincluding hydraulic
the water available to form the carbonic acid that
fracturingthat may affect the sheath over
begins the corrosion cycle. Because set cement
its lifetime
is a water-filled porous system, even a dry CO2
Use fit-for-purpose cements designed to minimize
flood can produce carbonic acid. However, good
specific corrosion attacks expected over the life of
mixing practices and careful attention to waterthe well
to-cement ratio during pumping will minimize
the capillary pores responsible for permeability.
For more information, please contact BJ Services
Reducing the permeability of the set cement
representative Andreas Brandl, or visit
means CO2 and other chemicals cannot easily
www.bjservices.com
diffuse into the cement matrix.

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BJ TechLine

13

Ultra-deepwater frontiers beckon

Enormous reserves have always been out there, under ultra deep waters around the
world. Whats new is the current obsession with developing them, and thats the result
of a perfect storm: operator economics driving developments of new, enabling technology
that creates new economic drivers for another cycle. From well construction
through completion and production, BJ Services fuels the storm with
state-of-the-art tools and services that improve economics, logistics
and safety for ultra-deepwater development.

rom Brazils Tupi field to the South China

Sea, in water depths greater than 5000 ft
(1500 m) and with target formations at 10,000 to
30,000 ft (3000 to 9000 m) below the mudline,
ultra-deepwater developments are an enticing
new frontier for both operators and service companies. However, these high-value properties
need new technologies to make them economical
and to maximize resource recovery.
Even in less challenging offshore wells, high
bottomhole pressures and temperatures, corrosive
fluids and long pay intervals have sparked
development of reliable well construction and
completion technologies, with much more under
way. Now, as water and well depths increase,
downhole systems that were typically rated for
10,000 psi (68 MPa) differential pressures a few
14

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years ago are now available to 15,000 psi

(103 MPa), with rugged 20,000-psi (138 MPa)
systems under design.
Rig costs are steep for these ultra-deepwater
projects, so reliable, synergistic technologies
and services that save rig timewithout
compromising safety or job qualityare important
to ensure development economics. In addition,
technologies that minimize fluid, proppant and
chemical volumes simplify the logistics related to
delivering materials far offshore.
Finally, workovers on these subsea
developments are prohibitively expensive, so
durable and reliable technologies are vital, as
are technologies that provide flow assurance
by inhibiting downhole problems such as scale
deposition or hydrate formation.

HPHT solutions
The initial challenge for ultra-deep wells has been
the combination of pressure and temperature.
Wells in the Gulf of Mexicos Lower Tertiary play
are expected to see initial bottomhole pressures
of some 20,000 psi (138 MPa) and temperatures
in the range of 400F (204C).
Individually, high pressure and temperature
are minor concerns for oilfield equipment, and
specialized tools are available for one condition
or the other. But combining both creates a
design nightmare. In addition to affecting
material strengthwhich affects pressure rating
high temperatures increase corrosion effects
and increase the chance for stress cracking.
Furthermore, the extreme depths increase
stretch on tool strings, altering their reactions
to mechanical manipulations such as picking up
and setting down weight.
For these reasons, oilfield equipment for ultradeepwater must be redesigned based on rigorous
evaluation to ensure that it is as reliableor even
more sothan prior generations of equipment.
The new CompSet II HP Ultra packer, for
example, is functionally the same as prior CompSet
packer technologies, but it was re-engineered for
extreme conditions, achieving an ISO 14310 V0
rating at a differential pressure of 15,000 psi (103
MPa) and temperature of 350F (177C).
The Ultra packer technology is used for gravel
packing, high-rate water packing, frac packing
and stimulation. Packers and completion systems
for even more extreme conditions are in the
research phase, with operators looking ahead
to developments that may see pressures up to
30,000 psi (207 MPa) and temperatures above
400F (204C).
Extreme well construction
Similarly, cementing technology is challenged
to meet the extreme deepwater requirements.
BJ Services has led this effort since 2004, when
a customer asked BJ to cement a well with
anticipated bottomhole temperature above 580F
(304C) and pressure above 35,000 psi (241 MPa).
The result was XtremeSet cement, which was
used successfully in the highest-pressure well
drilled to date in the Gulf of Mexico, and the
longest solid expandable tubing liner ever run
(see page 22).
For less-demanding well segments, DeepSet
cement provides early compressive strength
development to control shallow water and/or gas
(continued on page 16)
Saving days of rig time by completing several zones in
one trip, BJ Services personnel run the ComPlete MST
system into a well offshore Indonesia.
Facing page: A BJ Services pipeline dewatering spread
arrives at a deepwater location.
www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

15

Quality control and

continuous improvement
efforts ensure reliable, longterm performance from all
BJ Services screensshown
here being run offshore
Indonesia.

16

flow in deepwater drilling environments. Shallow

water flow is known to be a concern in many
deepwater regions, including the Caspian Sea,
Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, Mediterranean Sea,
North Sea, Norwegian Sea and the South China
Sea. It may also be a problem in the Adriatic Sea
and offshore northwestern Australia.
The Set for Life family of cement systems
is designed to be adaptable and ensure good
zonal isolation and casing protection for the
life of a well. The basic XtremeSet and DeepSet
systems meet typical deepwater needs, but the
design for a particular well might also include
components from the flexible DuraSet system,
the environmentally compliant EnviroSet
system, the lightweight LeanSet system, the
corrosion-resistant PermaSet system, or the saltcompatible SaltSet system.
To ensure high-quality cement pumping
operations, reliable and automated Seahawk
cement units are working on rigs around the
world. Each unit includes an integral precision
mixing system that accurately maintains slurry
density and consistency over a wide range of
requirements. For ultra-deepwater applications,
the high-performance 2300-bhp Seahawk unit
provides the power, accuracy and safety required
for next-generation wellbore isolation operations.

BJ TechLine

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Saving days of rig time

To achieve economic goals, deepwater wells
typically require long pay zones, which can be
difficult to complete for several reasons:
Safety. Perforating one long interval requires
running hundreds of feet of guns.
Reliability. Completion hardware must
operate after being bounced, scraped and
manipulated through long deviated segments,
and then continue to operate as expected for
the producing life of the well.
Logistics. Rigs and stimulation vessels have
a limited amount of payload for fluids and
proppant.
Economics. Rig time is expensive, and
nonproductive tripping time through deep
water adds up.
Operators avoid some of these issues by
completing and stimulating long pay zones as
several smaller zones using stacked frac packs.
The new retrievable ComPlete FP (frac pack)
system was designed specifically for ultradeepwater frac- or gravel-pack applications.
Based on the CompSet II HP Ultra packer,
the tool is specifically designed for extreme
conditions. Features include extended tool length
and positive weight indications for changes in
tool position.

I nte g ratin g for s y ner g y

Efficient ultra-deepwater
fluid systems include
weighted completion
and stimulation fluids,
pumped from fit-forpurpose stimulation
vessels, such as the
Blue Ray vessel
shown here.

Many operators have found that integrated systems and services

create synergies that exceed the value of individual components
and services. BJs Blue Wellbore teams combine personnel from
multiple service lines, working with operators to create time- and
money-saving solutions. For example, a deepwater integration team
can bring together:
Planning services, including Understand the Reservoir First studies
Cementing services to isolate the formation and protect the casing
Wellbore cleaning tools and fluid systems
Completion tools, sand control screens and related systems
Tubular services including nonmarking ChromeMaster tongs
and slips, and screen-running systems
Chemical systems for flow assurance and fines control
Pumping services for stimulation
Umbilical and pipeline precommissioning services
Coiled tubing services, including the DuraLink connector
Service tools

To minimize the potential for erosion even in

large treatments with abrasive gravels, the service
tool position is the same in the squeeze and
circulating positions. The Ultra system for larger
casing (9 5/8, 9 7/8 and 10 1/8 in.) has undergone
40-bbl/min (6 m3/min) erosion testing with more
than 1 million lb (450 t) of 16/30 bauxite.
Single-trip solutions
In many situations, traditional stack-and-pack
operations are undesirable, necessitating many
trips into the well, and increasing nonproductive
time and expense. As water and well depth
increase, tripping time becomes a significant
costoften the bulk of the well cost. Instead,
single-trip completion tools save rig time by
combining multiple functions.
For example, the ComPlete MST (multizone,
single-trip) system uses patented technology
to facilitate one-trip gravel- or frac-packed
completions across multiple production intervals.
To date, the system has been used to complete
25 shallow- and deepwater wells in the Gulf of
Mexico, India and Indonesia, with as many as
six zones isolated in one trip.
The result is an effective reduction in
completion cycle time and cost. For example,
in the Gulf of Mexico, a 9 5/8-in. ComPlete MST
system allowed crews to complete the well and
perform frac-pack stimulations in two distinct
zones, with operations lasting only seven hours

longer than previous one-zone completions

in the same area. The operator estimated the
system saved more than three days of rig time.
In another example, recent work in Indonesia
saved an operator more than 14 days of rig time
over three wells (see page 6).
One operator planning a project in the
Lower Tertiary area estimated that each fiveto six-zone well in the project would require
100 days to drill and 100 days to complete using
traditional technology. Using the ComPlete MST
system will save the operator about three weeks
of rig timemore than $10 million at current
deepwater rig day ratesper well.
Another single-trip solution, the fieldproven and reliable ComPlete HST (horizontal
single-trip) system, is designed to enable gravel
packing in long, openhole horizontal sections
that require sand control solutions.
Even with an efficient tool, gravel packing in
a horizontal deepwater well can be challenging.
Deepwater wells often have excessive fluid loss,
variations in hole stability and hole geometry,
and/or an extremely narrow pressure window
between bottomhole pressure and fracture
gradient. The narrow pressure window, in
particular, can be a significant concern because
high pump rates required for long-distance
proppant transport may fracture the formation,
causing fluid loss and a sand bridge during the
(continued on page 26)

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BJ TechLine

17

Ultra-lightweight proppant frac

improves declines in production
Value calculation
 Challenge: Stimulate
long-term production
from wells with a history
of rapid post-stimulation
declines
Solution: Design and
pump fracture stimulation
using LiteProp 108
ultra-lightweight
proppant placed in partial
monolayers
R
 esults: Achieve
highest cumulative
production among
comparable offsets with
the highest stabilized
monthly production rate

n operator looking for a long-term

stimulation solution for wells in
the Woodford shale of Oklahoma turned
to patented BJ Services technology.
Traditional fracture stimulation
using sand proppants would result in
production increases, but production
would decline rapidly, sometimes
after only a few months. As a means
of achieving more stable, long-term
production, BJ Services proposed to
fracture one of the wells using LiteProp
108 ultra-lightweight proppant (ULWP)
placed in a partial monolayer design.
ULWP has much lower specific
gravity than conventional proppant,
reducing its settling rate in water and providing
unprecedented proppant transport and longer
effective frac length. This transportability allows
the creation of proppant partial monolayers.
Conventional multilayer proppant packs are
typically designed at 1 to 2 lb/ft2 (4.9 to
9.8 kg/m2) to achieve about 10 to 12 layers
of proppant. Partial monolayers designed at

Fracture stimulation using LiteProp ultra-lightweight proppant has delayed

the production declines experienced in offset wells in an Oklahoma field.

A frac in the Woodford shale used LiteProp

ultra-lightweight proppant to achieve stable
long-term production.

0.3 to 0.6 lb/ft2 (1.5 to 2.9 kg/m2) have more

space around each proppant particle, resulting
in superior fracture conductivity with much less
proppant (Darin and Huitt, SPE 1291).
Better cumulative production
For the Oklahoma well, the fracture stimulation
was pumped in six stages with a total of 76,000
bbl (12,000 m3) of fluid, 1.1 million lb (500 t) of
sand and 33,000 lb (15,000 kg) of LiteProp 108
proppant. Production in the first six months met
operator expectations and was the second highest
among five comparable offsets wells drilled by
the operator. (The offsets were stimulated with
10,000 to 16,000 bbl [1600 to 2600 m3] of fluid
and 290,000 to >325,000 lb [130 to 150 t] of
proppant per stage.)
More significantly, after 14 months,
cumulative production from the well treated
using LiteProp 108 proppant exceeded that of
every offset well. Its production remained stable
around 26,000 Mcf/month (740,000 m3/month).
Production from the next-best cumulative
producerand highest initial producerstarted
higher but declined after only seven months to
a monthly production rate less than the well
treated using LiteProp 108 proppant.
For more information, please consult BJ Services
representative Scott Nelson or Rocky Freeman, or
visit www.bjservices.com/techline

18

BJ TechLine

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Optimized stimulation fluids

prevent emulsion, improve production
While drilling a 10,500-ft (3200 m) gas well in
the Gulf of Mexico, an operator lost more than
4200 bbl (670 m3) of synthetic oil-base mud
(SOBM) to an underpressured zone.
When smaller losses had occurred on
neighboring wells completed by another service
company, the SOBM, high-density completion
brines and frac-pack fluids created emulsions that
plugged the wells immediately after completion,
preventing production.
An attempt to clear the emulsion in one
well with an acid job was unsuccessful because
injectivity could not be established. Later,
expensive remedial coiled tubing interventions
with a solvent/surfactant chemical enabled
sub-optimal production with high drawdown.
Average production from the treated wells was
reported to be about 7.5 MMscf/D (212,000
sm3/D) with more than 6000 psi (41.4 MPa)
flowing tubing pressure.
To avoid these problems in the new well,
BJ Services performed detailed compatibility
studies with the SOBM, heavy brine and frac-pack

systems, to select an economical but effective

chemical and surfactant packagean optimized
Paravan systemto prevent emulsions.

Value calculation

Compatibility through chemistry

The Paravan system was pumped as a component
of all the fluid systems injected into the formation
during the completion. This allowed the chemical
package to accompany the fluids as they met the
SOBM in the formation, preventing emulsions
from forming.
Initial well production was more than 10
MMscf/D (283,000 sm3/D) at low drawdown,
which was better than the operators expected
potential. After three months, the well has shown
no indications of emulsions, and no remediation
or chemical treatment has been required. These
factors significantly improved the economics of
the well compared with the offsets.

 Challenge: Prevent
emulsions, related
remediation costs and
production impairment
after high losses of
oil-base mud
Solution: Pump
completion and
stimulation operations
with an optimized
Paravan chemical
system
R
 esults: Increase gas
production and reduce
drawdown without
chemical remediation or
intervention operations

For more information, please consult

BJ Services representative Amit Singh,
or visit www.bjservices.com/techline

To prevent emulsions from impairing production from a new Gulf of Mexico well,
BJ Services created an optimal Paravan surfactant and solvent package.

www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

19

Stimulation treatment delays

need for expensive intervention
Value calculation
 hallenge: Enable
C
steady, long-term
production from wells in
a field with high water
cut and severe sand
production requiring
frequent intervention
S olution: Remove
scale and other downhole deposits, and then
pump a screenless sand
control treatment
Results: Six months
of uninterrupted
production after a
treatment that cost 50%
less than conventional
gravel packs

Water flooding is the primary production

mechanism for the high-permeability Caballos
sandstone reservoir in Colombias San Francisco
oilfield. Pore pressure has declined and water
cut has increased, so wells produce at maximum
drawdown to achieve economics. Consequently,
sand production and proppant flowback have
become common problems in the field.
The problem is expensive, resulting in
frequent intervention operations. Additionally,
in some cases, the sand influx damages
downhole pumps, casing and other equipment.
To mitigate the problem, gravel packs have
been used in sand control completions, but gravelpacked wells usually show reduced productivity
index and higher chances of mechanical problems
(collapsed screens, corrosion, etc). For this reason,
BJ Services recommended an alternative strategy
in two challenging wells.
First well treated
Well A began filling with sand in early 2009.
By March, two interventions were needed
within just two weeks to maintain production.
During the first intervention, the lower
(openhole) zone was isolated, resulting in
production dropping, with continued high sand
production.
In the second intervention, BJ Services
recommended a new treatment: skin removal and
screenless sand control.
The operation began with removing scale and
organic deposits from the well using the S3 Acid
system and a solvent system, respectively. The
BJ team then pumped a customized SandChek
fines control system to stabilize the formation and
prevent fines migration. The treatment continued
with a skin bypass frac using city water and
Viking fluid with LiteProp 125 ultra-lightweight
Screenless Sand Control Results
PI
PI
before
after
(bbl/D/psi) (bbl/D/psi)

Sand
production
before
(lb/1000 bbl)

Sand
production
after
(lb/1000 bbl)

Well A

0.19

0.3

12

1.5

Well B

0.04

0.065

N.A.

<5

Fracture stimulation treatments designed to stabilize a

high-permeability sandstone formation and proppant
pack have enabled long-term, continuous production.

proppant to ensure deep proppant transport with

minimal frac height growth, and with FlexSand
proppant additive to stabilize the proppant pack.
AquaCon relative permeability modifier was used
during the pad for added water conformance.
After this screenless sand control treatment, no
additional intervention has been required for more
than six months, with production continuing as
this article was going to press.
Casing damage and rocks
Well B was producing 37 bbl/D (5.8 m3/D)
of oil when its sand control systems began to
fail spectacularly, requiring three intervention
operations in two months. In an early 2009
intervention, the wells lower zone was isolated,
dropping oil production without significantly
reducing sand production. During a sand
cleanout operation just weeks later, returns
included fragments of casing and formation
particles and rocks as large as -in. in diameter.
No scale or organic deposits were expected in
this well, so the screenless sand control operation
comprised a three-stage skin bypass frac. In two
stages, produced water from the field was used
with SpectraStar fluid to reduce job costs; in
the other stage, injection water was used. As
with Well A, the fluids carried LiteProp 125
ultra-lightweight proppant and FlexSand additive.
As this magazine was going to press, this
severely damaged well had been producing
continuously for 6 months without further
intervention.
For more information, please contact BJ Services
representative Rubn Castillo or Juan Manuel Rojas,
or visit www.bjservices.com/techline.

20

BJ TechLine

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Single-trip completion system

improves standalone screen run
An operator developing a field in the Gulf of
Guinea, about 25 miles (40 km) offshore Nigeria,
designed the well completions as openhole
wells with standalone screens. After running
the screen into the well, a coiled tubing operation
was typically required to remove the calcium
carbonate filter cake and oil-base mud from the
screen/openhole and screen/washpipe annulus.
The operation would have added expense and
nonproductive tripping time to the completion
costs.
Instead, the operator asked BJ Services to
provide a completion system that would have
washdown capability while running the screen
assembly into the well, and the ability to displace
the oil-base mud in both annuli.
The field-proven ComPlete HST system
could accomplish those tasks in one trip.

a horizontal single-trip system for standalone

screen applications by adapting reliable BJ
CompSet II HP packers, setting and releasing
tools, crossover tools, closing sleeves, and
horizontal washdown shoe assemblies.
After modifying the tools to suit the
application, the components were spaced out in
the completion workshop and function-tested
to ensure confidence in the systems ability to
achieve the customers objectives.
The system was first used in February 2009
for a 6-in. standalone screen completion in a
well drilled to about 11,400 ft (3475 m) TD
with a 940-ft (286 m) lateral. Over the course
of the five-day lower completion operation, the
screen was run, the packer set, outer and inner
acid treatments pumped to remove the mud
filtercake, and the flapper valve closed to ensure
a stable wellbore while
The efficient tool and process saved the
running the upper
assembly.
customer about U.S. $2.5 million plus three days completion
The efficient tool
and process saved the
of time on the semisubmersible rig spread.
customer about US$2.5
However, it is designed for single-trip horizontal
million by eliminating a coiled tubing operation
gravel- or frac-packing operations, so it contains
to stimulate the horizontal section, plus three
many components that are not needed for a
days of time on the semisubmersible rig spread.
simpler standalone screen application. As a
A second version of the system has been used
result, the operator asked for a less complex and
for an 8 -in. standalone screen completion.
more economical solution.
Reducing complexity and cost
To achieve the operators economic goals, the
BJ Services completion team in Nigeria developed

Value calculation
 Challenge: Improve
the economics for a
standalone screen
completion
Solution: Develop a
completion tool system
to run the screen and
remove oil-base mud in
one trip
R
 esults: Minimize
completion time and
save the customer
about U.S. $2.5 million

For more information, please contact

BJ Services representative David Subero,
or visit www.bjservices.com/techline

www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

21

Deep, hot liner cement job

sets record for expandables
Value calculation


 hallenge: Safely
C
and effectively cement
the worlds longest, solid
expandable tubular liner



S olution: Design and

pump a fit-for-purpose
XtremeSet slurry

 esults: Successful
R
cement placement, liner
expansion and leakoff
test operations, followed
by continued drilling

As the industry drills deeper, exploring for vast

new reserves, challenges become the normal
mode of operation. This increases the demands
on service companies to improve performance
and enable continued operations in environments
once considered too difficult to reach.
A recent example was a cementing operation
in the Gulf of Mexico. The operator had drilled a
9 7/8-in. hole to 21,165 ft (6450 m) and decided to
run a 6217-ft (1895 m) solid expandable tubular
liner from the prior casing shoe. These statistics
plus the bottomhole static temperature of 368F
(187C) made the operation the longest solid
expandable liner ever run.
Two additional factors complicated the slurry
design: the slurry would have to remain fluid for
15 hours at this high temperature while the liner
was expanded; and the liner would be set across
a 1700-ft (518 m) section of salt.
BJ Services industry-leading experience
with cementing high-pressure, high-temperature
wells led engineers to begin the slurry design
process with the XtremeSet cement system,
choosing additives based on extensive lab testing,
circulating temperature determination and
simulation data.

Automated equipment,
experienced personnel and
robust XtremeSet cement
were drivers behind
BJ Services recent recordsetting cement operations
in the Gulf of Mexico.

22

BJ TechLine

www.bjservices.com/techline

With mud weight of 18.0 lb/gal (2.16 g/cm3),

the cement for the liner was designed at 19.3
lb/gal (2.31 g/cm3) to perform at a bottomhole
circulating temperature of 354F (179C) with
zero free water, fluid loss less than 50 cm3/30
minutes, compatibility with the salt zone, and
adequate time to place and expand the liner.
To ensure good bonding with both liner
and formation, the cement was preceded by
a SealBond engineered spacer. The job was
pumped using best cementing practices, with
full returns and good density control. The plug
landed at the calculated displacement, and the
liner was expanded over the next 24 hours. The
cement maintained its fluidity, allowing the
expansion without issue.
After allowing time for the cement to cure,
the shoe was drilled out and 10 ft (3 m) of new
formation was drilled to perform a leakoff test.
No remedial work was required, which allowed
the operator to continue the exploration work.
For more information, please contact
BJ Services representative Bryan Simmons,
or visit www.bjservices.com/techline

Weak acid technique stimulates

mature Permian Basin wells
Carbonate formations are predominant in the
Permian Basin and are repeatedly stimulated
with acids to maintain productivity over the life
of a well. The success of an acid stimulation
is dependent on penetrating deeper into the
formation. Strong acids, such as hydrochloric,
are very efficient at creating wormholes into the
formation, but they react very fast. Therefore
when they encounter the surface area created
by a previous acid treatment, they spend before
achieving additional penetration (Figure 1).
A weak acid, such as acetic, is retarded enough
to achieve increased penetration where the strong
acids cannot. The new SloTreat process further
enhances this penetration of weak acid, as shown
in recent Permian Basin field studies.
Mature wells treated
The San Andres is a dolomitic formation with
average permeability over 9 md and average
porosity greater than 13%.

First treatment, 15% HCl

Second treatment, 15% HCl

SloTreat process

Figure 1. Unlike repeated strong acid treatments that

spend before they get past previously treated surface
areas, the SloTreat stimulation process creates new
pathways into the formation.

The keys to a successful stimulation treatment

here are deep penetration, staying out of water
and minimizing costs. Since these wells have been
acidized before, the effectiveness of a subsequent
acid treatment depends on making changes to
either rate, volume or type of acid system used.
Because rate is limited by the desire to avoid
stimulation of water zones and volume is limited
to minimize cost, a change in acid system is the
best option. An acid system with reactivity control
or retardation has to be used.

Three wells near Whiteface, Texas, were

originally completed more than 19 years ago to
about 4850 ft (1480 m). All were acidized on
initial completion with 15% hydrochloric acid.
Later acid treatments and pump replacements are
surmised based on production results, but actual
well history is unknown.
Because all are presumed to have experienced
a number of acid treatments and therefore a large
surface area for acid exposure, a new treatment
was designed for the wells using concentrated
weak acid: a small HCl injection to ensure good
fluid entry into the perforated intervals followed
by 2000 gal (8 m3) of 30% acetic acid solution,
and flushed with 40,000 gal (150 m3) of fresh
water. The wells were treated at a low injection
rate to minimize the increase in water production.
After treatment, oil production increased by
an average of 145% and water cut by an average
of only 12% on Wells #2 and #3 and by only 1%
on Well #1.

Value calculation
 Challenge: Increase
oil production in five
mature wells that were
previously stimulated
with strong acid, without
significantly increasing
water production
Solution: Treat wells
by pumping slow-reacting
acetic acid solution at
low rate
R
 esults: Increase oil
production by average
of 125% and water cut
by only 6%

Oil production gains

Two wells in a second area were originally
completed 12 years ago to about 5400 ft
(1650 m). They were acidized initially with 4000
to 5000 gals (15 to 19 m3) of 15% hydrochloric
acid with smiliar long but largely unknown
treatment history.
Recently, the wells underwent the SloTreat
process, using 2500 to 3000 gal (9 to 11 m3) of
30% acetic acid solution with ball sealers for
diversion, followed by a flush with approximately
40,000 gal (150 m3) of fresh water.
These treatments resulted in an average oil
production increase of 106% with water cut
increase of 2%.
For all five wells, production increases
ranged from 9% to more than 300%, for an
average increase of 125%. At the same time,
low treatment rates and the slow-reacting acid
controlled water cut changes from 0% to 12%
with an average change of 6%.
For more information, please consult
BJ Services representative Steve Metcalf,
or visit www.bjservices.com/techline

www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

23

Efficient process restores flow

to sand- and liquid-loaded well
Value calculation
 Challenge: Restore
production to a
J-shaped well clogged
with fine sand and
loaded with liquid
Solution: Perform
a sand cleanout using
coiled tubing with
patented Tornado
technology and
energized fluid
R
 esults: Double
production and enable
natural flow, using 40%
less fluid and at least
seven fewer hours of
operations compared with
conventional cleanouts

An operator with a J-shaped well off the

northeastern coast of The Netherlands needed
help to restore continuous production to a liquidand sand-loaded well.
The well had been flowing at 17.7 MMscf/D
(500,000 sm3/D) at 290 psi (20 bar) flowing tubing
head pressure. After a short shutdown, the wells
production dropped by half, and the well was
found to contain about 160 ft (50 m) of sand.
The well started to produce intermittently
but was limited because sand covered more than
70% of the perforations. To restore the wells
performance, BJ Services proposed a coiled tubing
cleanout operation using its Tornado process.
Less fluid, shorter job
BJ Services proprietary CIRCA simulation
software showed that a conventional sand
cleanout would leave sand in the well even after
pumping large amounts of fluid over more than
20 hours. The software showed that the Tornado
process, washing forward on the way into the
well and jetting rearward on a wiper trip out
of the well, could clean the well completely in

less time and with 40% less fluidminimizing

the chance of killing the well and requiring an
additional lifting operation.
While running into the live well, nitrified
fluid was pumped through the coiled tubing
and the Tornado tool in forward-jetting mode to
fluidize the sand, enabling penetration through
two consolidated sand bridges before reaching
total depth.
After reaching the target depth, the tool
was switched to rearward jetting by increasing
the pumping pressure and the nitrogen volume
fraction. One 13-hour wiper trip was sufficient to
remove all of the sand from the well.
The well produced hydrocarbons throughout
the operation, and was able to flow unassisted
after the job without additional lifting operations.
Production increased from 7.8 to 19.4 MMscf/D
(220,000 to 550,000 m3/D).
For more information, please consult BJ Services
representative Manuel Navarro, or visit
www.bjservices.com/techline

One wiper trip was enough to remove 160 ft (50 m) of fill from a J-shaped well offshore in the The Netherlands, where
operations take place under green lights designed to minimize the impact of oilfield operations on migrating birds.

24

BJ TechLine

www.bjservices.com/techline

Gel isolates zones, formation

eplacing mechanical annular isolation systems

and temporary cement, the new GelBlock
temporary diverter gel offers a unique solution for
uncemented multizone horizontal well completions.
The gel system is designed for use in horizontal
wells to isolate zones of interest for fracture stimulation.
The chemical gel system can also be used as a nondamaging, temporary sealant (disappearing cement)
between casing and a formation. A patent application
has been filed for the technology.
The system is designed to control the hydration and
crosslinking of a polymer for up to several hours. It can
be broken with conventional breakers in a controlled
fashion. The gels can be designed to provide
isolation for several hours or several days.
Development testing has been performed for
application in the Bakken and Marcellus
shales at 150 to 250F (66 to 121C).

Gravel-pack system provides

economical option

pplicable in either circulating or squeeze

sand control operations, the EZPack
gravel-pack (GP) system provides customers
with an economical choice for sand control
completions. The system can be customized
based on the particular needs of the well.
Applications include vertical and deviated
wells in land and inland water locations where
economics are critical. The system is also useful
in wells that cannot hold a full column of fluid.
The system can be run with a variety of
production packers and other accessories, and
can use a full-opening TST3 service packer for
gravel-packing operations.

Surfactants enhance oil recovery

y releasing trapped oil from the rock matrix, the

new StimMax surfactants enhance oil recovery.
StimMax C surfactant is designed for enhanced
oil recovery from carbonate formations and StimMax
D surfactant from diatomaceous formations. Both are
particularly effective in naturally fractured, vuggy and
high-permeability formations that are bounded by
capillary forces.
The systems provide two production benefits: The
fluid is spontaneously imbibed into the rock matrix,
improving oil displacement; and the rock surface
changes from oil- to water-wet.
As a tertiary benefit in acidizing applications,
the surfactants function as a chemical acid retarder,
enabling deeper treatment penetration or improved
fracture etching properties.

Slickwater fluid systems

offer environmental benefits

esigned for use in the hydraulic fracturing of

extremely low-permeability rocks, typically gas
shale reservoirs, HydroCare slickwater fluid systems
are specifically formulated to ensure proper treatment
of either fresh or salt water during fracturing
operations. These systems help ensure optimal reservoir
protection and environmental compliance.
The systems include a formulation of high-quality
friction reducers, biocides, clay stabilizers and/or
surfactants tailored to specific fracture treatments and
well conditions.
Types and concentrations of additive packages
have been carefully engineered to ensure cost-effective,
ecological compatibility with fresh or salt water and
fracturing and formation fluids.
Salt compatibility includes 2% KCl, KCl substitute
and produced water or flowback water after appropriate
testing.

Freeze jacket material

aids pipeline operations

hermoBond freeze jacket bonding compound

is a laminated polyester hydrophilic material (fabric
blanket), which forms a water-activated, thermallyconductive bond between a freeze jacket and a pipe.
Improper bonding during a pipe freeze operation can
limit the heat energy a freeze jacket can extract from the
liquid inside the pipe, negatively influencing the freeze
time and potentially causing failure of the freeze plug.
Instead, the ThermoBond material ensures tight
bonding of the freeze jacket to the pipe outer wall
allowing good conductive heat transfer, minimizing
job time and enhancing safety. It can also reduce the
amount of liquid nitrogen required for the operation.
The material is manufactured from inert,
nonhazardous materials, and any residue left after
removal of the freeze jacket is easily cleaned with water.

Completion tools described

he new, comprehensive catalog of BJ Services

completion tools includes technical descriptions,
features and benefits for more than 80 commercially
available oilfield products.
Catalog sections include single-trip completion
systems, fluid loss and zonal isolation systems,
production flow control systems, sealbore packers and
accessories, tubing-run packers and accessories, safety
systems and well screens.
The catalog is available as a printed document and
on a mini-CD for easy searching and electronic retrieval.

www.bjservices.com/techline

BJ TechLine

25

Ultra-deepwater frontiers beckon

(continued from page 17)

alpha stage or an early screenout in the beta stage.

To avoid these problems, LiteProp ultra-lightweight
proppant can be used as gravel in the LitePack
openhole gravel services approach. Ultra-lightweight
gravel settles out of fluids much more slowly than do
heavier conventional sands. This buoyancy greatly
extends the length of the open hole that can be packed
at a given pump rate. In addition, pump time can be

The reliable, automated Seahawk cement unit provides

the power, accuracy and safety required for next-generation
wellbore isolation operations, such as this one offshore Brazil.

cut in half, compared with conventional gravels. The

concept has been used to enable long, horizontal gravel
packs in wells around the world, including the Gulf of
Mexico, Brazil and West Africa.
Saving time with fluids
Completion and stimulation fluids must also be carefully
designed for these wells, ensuring compatibility with
completion tools, tubulars and formation fluids, and
considering rig pump pressure limitations. Pumping large
volumes of fluid is another source of nonproductive time
that most operators would like to minimize.
Weighted fluids are an efficient solution. For
example, in a recent deepwater Gulf of Mexico
completion, the operator used 15.4-lb/gal (1.84 g/ml)
synthetic oil-base mud to drill a sidetrack to 16,700 ft
(5090 m). After displacement to 15.2-lb/gal (1.82 g/ml)
ZnBr2 completion fluid, the well was to be completed
with a frac pack.
In a conventional indirect displacement, mud is
displaced to seawater and then to the desired completion
fluid. In traditional direct displacements, cleaning spacers
are built in water and the completion brine follows the
cleaning spacers. For this well, however, the hydrostatic
pressure difference for either of these options would
have required extremely high pump pressures to achieve
the annular velocity required to achieve good cleaning
efficiency. (And a clean well is critical to ensuring that
high-performance completion tools can function as
designed!) Furthermore, the rig pump limited the pump
26

BJ TechLine

www.bjservices.com/techline

rate significantly, adding 30 hours of displacement time to

the job, plus any additional time that might be required for
cleanup due to the reduced efficiency.
Instead, BJ completion engineers proposed a weighted
displacement procedure designed to directly displace mud
to brine with premixed cleaning spacers, and to clean
the wellbore without time-consuming filtration cycles. To
achieve efficient cleaning, the displacement used weighted
spacers with robust brushes and scrapers.
After the displacement was pumped and the completion
fluid was in place, it was circulated for one hole cycle
before being considered clean. Total pump time was eight
hours, saving an estimated 15 hours of nonproductive time
valued at ~$200,000.
Similar time and pump horsepower savings are possible
during stimulation by employing weighted fracturing fluids,
such as our BrineStar fluid systems.
Another option is to build a fit-for-purpose ultradeepwater stimulation vessel, as BJ has done with its
new Blue Dolphin vessel, which will join the Blue Ray
and Challenger vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. The first
20,000-psi (138 MPa) pressure-rated stimulation vessel
specially designed for Lower Tertiary conditions, the
Blue Dolphin vessels mission-critical hardware includes
multiple Coflexip reeled flexible umbilical lines, eight
skid-mounted 3000-bhp Gorilla frac pumps and storage
capacity for 2.75 million lb (1250 t) of proppant, 11,800 bbl
(1880 m3) of fluids or completion brines, 12,600 gal (48 m3)
of raw acid and 6300 gal (24 m3) of solvent.
Planning for flow assurance
Even after completion, ultra-deepwater wells face problems.
The pressure and temperature extremes at the bottom of
the well increase the potential for pressure crystallization
and hydrate formation as produced fluids rise. Even for
wells that will be produced only to the seabed, cold water
temperatures create a potential for flow assurance problems.
In some cases, specialized packer fluids, such as the
InsulGel family of fluids, can minimize temperature-related
flow assurance problems. These thermally insulated fluids
help minimize heat transfer from produced fluids, reducing
opportunities for paraffin and asphaltene deposition, and
hydrate formation, even during long shut-in periods.
Because the Lower Tertiary play is expected to be
consolidated rock, experts expect hydraulic fracturing
to be a standard stimulation technology. This opens an
opportunity for long-term flow assurance: StimPlus
services, which combine stimulation with long-lasting,
solid chemicals that inhibit scale, paraffin, asphaltene,
salt and/or corrosion.
Because the solid inhibitor is placed with the proppant
during the frac, it reaches deep into the reservoir to prevent
flow assurance problems before they affect production.
The treatment has negligible effect on the cost of a typical
stimulation treatment; however, delaying and/or avoiding
intervention reduces operation expenses and improves
project economics, especially in deep water.

Enumerations

1.75

Maximum working pressure, in psi, of the

Blue Dolphin deepwater stimulation vessel

20,000

W Y O M I N
G

Mass, in millions of pounds,

of TerraProp intermediate-strength
ceramic proppant pumped in
42 Wyoming wells between
January and July 2009

Number of 12 x 12-in. ceramic floor tiles

combined to weigh 1.75 million lb

525,000
Area, in square
kilometers, those tiles
would cover

6.84

Height, in meters,
of the stack of tiles

15

Maximum differential
pressure, in psi, for a
ComPlete FP single-trip,
retrievable frac pack
completion system

15,000

Maximum recommended
chamber pressure, in psi,
for a .38 Special handgun

17,000

Height in meters, of
the Rock of Gibraltar

426

Burst pressure,
in psi, of a
blood vessel

300

Length, in miles, of oil & gas

pipelines inspected by
BJ technology and people
around the world each year
Distance, in miles,
driven each year
by BJ Services light
and heavy vehicles

Area, in square
kilometers, of Gibraltar

7.02
5334

Pressure, in psi, of a
household pressure cooker

155 million

12,400
Years
required
to inspect
a pipeline
from the
Earth to
the moon

Time, in minutes,
required for
light to travel
155 million miles
Flight distance,
in miles, from your
current location to
its antipode

12,400

20

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BJ TechLine

27

Real World. World Class.

Worldwide.

Briefs (p. 2)
News (pp. 4-9)
Technology in Focus (pp. 10-17)
BJ in Action (pp. 18-24)
Enumerations (p. 27)

BJ TechLine magazine is a periodical publication of BJ Services Company.

Its editorial mission is to inform readers about new and emerging oilfield
technology solutions available to operators in more than 50 countries around
the world. The map above locates subjects of articles in the current issue.
For articles ending with a , more information is available online at
www.bjservices.com/techline. To request information about other technologies
described in this issue, or to make comments or suggestions about TechLine,
visit the website and click on the
icon or the e-mail link.