Fluid diversion: a paradigm shift in acidizing

Abstract

In the petroleum industry, reservoir and drilling engineers always give special attention to formation damage, which is also known as wellbore damage. Formation damage can restrict or prevent effective depletion of crude oil from a reservoir. Contact with a foreign fluid is the basic cause of formation damage. This foreign fluid may be drilling mud, completion or workover fluid, stimulation or well treating fluid, or even reservoir fluid itself if the original characteristics are altered. The research study done by Krueger [1] found that most field operations such as well drilling, well completion, production, and well stimulation are potential sources for formation damage. Nowadays, there are various methods can be used to combat formation damage. One of them is acidizing. The oil and gas industry has been acidizing oil and/or gas bearing formations since the 1890s. Acids may be used to reduce damage near the wellbore in all types of formations. Inorganic, organic, and combinations of these acids are used in variety of well stimulation treatments.