SPE Production & Operations
Volume 24, Number 3, August 2009, pp. 459-564

SPE-113926-PA

Development of a New Polymer Inhibitor Chemistry for Downhole Squeeze Applications

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DOI  More information 10.2118/113926-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/113926-PA

Citation

  • Montgomerie, H., Chen, P., Hagen, T., Vikane, O., Matheson, R., Leirvik, V., Frøytlog, C., and Sæten, J.O. 2009. Development of a New Polymer Inhibitor Chemistry for Downhole Squeeze Applications. SPE Prod & Oper  24 (3): 459-465. SPE-113926-PA. doi: 10.2118/113926-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 5.5.1 Asphaltenes, Hydrates, Precipitates, Scale, Waxes (Inhibition and Remediation)

Summary

Scale inhibitor squeeze treatments have regularly been conducted to prevent both sulphate and carbonate scale depositions in a specific North Sea field for more than 10 years. However, some wells, in which the fluid is producing from the "clean" sandstone formation, have experienced relatively short squeeze lives, when squeezing a conventional phosphonate scale inhibitor treatment. A research program has been conducted to develop a novel polymer scale inhibitor chemistry, which combines performance in a number of laboratory static and dynamic tests, with improved scale inhibitor adsorption properties on "clean" sandstone formations. Field trials have also been conducted with satisfactory results.

This paper outlines the concept of how novel scale inhibitor chemistry was developed by incorporating a special monomer to make the final copolymer scale inhibitor. The monomer was introduced to enhance the inhibitor adsorption properties, because it carries a special functional group to improve the scale inhibitor affinity for the reservoir rock. This special functional group plays a key role for the newly developed scale inhibitor, to give improved and acceptable squeeze lives. A critical aspect of the program included optimizing the monomer content to achieve a good adsorption/desorption balance, to ensure that the scale inhibitor would be desorbed/released from the reservoir rock to meet the requirements of an acceptable squeeze program. An added bonus was that the environmental properties of the scale inhibitor polymer were also improved because of the introduction of the special monomer. A number of beaker and dynamic loop tests were conducted and the inhibitor showed an excellent efficiency in both sulphate and carbonate scale inhibition performance tests under the test conditions adopted.

This paper also presents detailed laboratory and field data; the treatment design strategy and deployment method adopted for the scale inhibitor.

© 2009. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

  • Original manuscript received: 9 March 2008
  • Meeting paper published: 11 November 2007
  • Revised manuscript received: 25 November 2008
  • Manuscript approved: 3 December 2008
  • Published online: 19 February 2009
  • Version of record: 8 September 2009