Insights of Wormhole Propagation During Carbonate Acidizing: A Comparison Between Constant Injection Pressure Versus Constant Volumetric Rate

Abstract

Acidizing of carbonate reservoirs is a common technique used to restore and enhance production by dissolving a small fraction of the rock to create highly conductive channels. Literature review reveals that most acidizing studies are focused on acid injection at a constant volumetric rate (CVR) instead of at a constant injection pressure (CIP). Therefore, the primary objective of the present work is to investigate the benefits and recommended applications of each technique. The study analyzes dissolution patterns and wormhole propagation rate. A coreflood study was conducted using different Indiana limestone cores to assess both techniques. Additionally, a two-dimensional (2D) wormhole model was used to mathematically describe the acidizing phenomena. The algorithm is based on a 2D radial flow system that iterates time to quantify wormhole propagation and injection rate. Wormhole velocity is calculated by an empirical laboratory model that depends on two parameters measured from core flow testing. Therefore, the algorithm captures the essential physics and chemistry of the acid reaction in a carbonate porous medium. The study confirmed that conical, wormhole, and branched types of acid dissolution patterns exist for both techniques (CVR or CIP). Unlike in the CVR technique, dissolution patterns during the CIP technique can change and tend toward a branched dissolution regime. The CIP technique required a lower acid volume to achieve a breakthrough in the conical dissolution regime and a higher acid volume to achieve a breakthrough in the branched dissolution regime compared to the CVR technique. In a dominant wormhole pattern, both techniques required nearly the same acid volume for a breakthrough. A computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed that the CIP technique developed a uniform wormhole at a low initial injection rate. For the CIP technique, the acid injection rate increased exponentially with the volume of the acid injected. The CIP technique is recommended for a low-permeability reservoir where acid injection at a high rate is not possible to avoid face dissolution wormhole patterns. On the other hand, the CVR technique is recommended for a medium—to the high-permeability reservoir where high acid injection rate can be achieved.

Effect of acid treatment on the geomechanical properties of rocks: an experimental investigation in Ahdeb oil field

“…Acid treatment is an effective and efficient well-stimulation technique, and it has been applied extensively to stimulate carbonate reservoirs (Gomaa et al 2018;Guo et al 2014;Ituen et al 2017;Zhu et al 2015). In acid stimulation, fracture acidizing and matrix acidizing are two distinct subcategories.…”

Influence of Matrix-Acidizing Design on Oil Recovery and Economics in Carbonate Reservoirs Undergoing Waterflooding Offshore in Brazil

“…The result of a higher oil production for the damaged well than for the stimulated wells seems controversial, but it may be explained by two points: (1) this only happens for wells in a range of flow capacities for which the PI is already very high, even if the well is left damaged; (2) as the acid tends to be injected first in the high-permeability regions and the more-damaged regions are also the more-permeable regions, the damaged well tends to have a more evenly distributed flow when compared to the stimulated well. To better clarify point (2) above, it should be noted that for these simulations, the initial formation damage was used according to the historical average for these reservoirs and is a greater skin factor in more-permeable regions. In other words, the formation damage helps to balance the permeability imbalance, restricting the flow rate in the more-permeable layers, improving the sweep efficiency, and, thus, allowing an increase in oil production in the long term as long as the well has a high PI, even when damaged.…”

“…The wells in these carbonate reservoirs are usually matrix acidized to remove formation damage and stimulate the wells, increasing the wells' injectivity/productivity. The injection of acid dissolves the carbonate minerals, creating high-conductivity channels that open preferential pathways known as wormholes, which are significantly more permeable than the original porous medium [2][3][4][5].…”