Schlumberger Technology Corporation

Liz Morris

Mehmet Parlar

Yiyan Chen

Frank F Chang

Mathew M Samuel

Mark Brady

Martin Griffith

Paul A Price

Yerik Balabatyrov

A method of treating a hydrocarbon-containing formation including injecting a scale inhibiting well treating fluid into a well, wherein the well treating fluid includes a self-diverting acid that includes about 1% to 20% by volume of at least one viscoelastic surfactant selected from a family of compounds described by where Rcontains at least 10 carbon atoms, p=1-6, Rcontains 1-6 carbon atoms and Rcontains 1-6 carbon atoms; and up to about 20% by weight scale inhibitor.

Methods of chemical diversion of scale inhibitors

The invention provides a method for perforating a well with a perforating fluid comprising a viscoelastic surfactant that essentially stops fluid leak-off after perforation in an overbalanced condition. Another aspect of the invention provides the perforating fluid in itself. The well has a wellbore defined by a generally cylindrical casing in at least a portion of the wellbore (i.e., the wellbore is cased, although it is not necessary cased in its entire length). The wellbore passes through a subterranean formation that comprises hydrocarbon formation fluids (such as oil and/or gas), at least in certain strata. The method comprises placing a perforating device in a wellbore which includes at least one explosive perforating charge that can be detonated in order to perforate the casing and allow the formation fluids to enter the wellbore. The casing is located between the subterranean formation and the perforating device. A perforating fluid including at least one viscoelastic surfactant is placed in the wellbore between the perforating device and the casing, in at least a portion of the wellbore. In other words, the perforating fluid is present in the wellbore adjacent to the perforating device. The explosive charge(s) in the perforating device is detonated, such that the perforating device forms at least one perforation in the casing that permits the flow of hydrocarbon formation fluids from the subterranean formation into the wellbore. As a result of the detonation, at least a portion of the perforating fluid is put in communication with the subterranean formation.

Methods of perforation using viscoelastic surfactant fluids and associated compositions

A method is given for completing an interval of an open-hole injection well penetrating a subterranean formation when the interface between the wellbore and the formation includes a zone invaded by a filter cake that includes bridging materials and other embedded solid materials. The method includes the steps of injecting a clean-up fluid and contacting it with the filtercake for a period of time sufficient to loosen some of the other solids embedded in the filter cake; removing the loosened solids by a high-rate displacement fluid containing suspending additives; and then injecting a dissolving fluid containing a diverter and an effective amount of a salt or acid capable of dissolving the bridging material.

Method for removing filter cake from injection wells

A method is disclosed for using aqueous VES-based gravel carrier fluids in gravel packing operations using screens and shunt tubes that have been run into a well completed with an oil-based mud. With this method, the previously necessary but undesirable steps of first running in a perforated liner and then displacing the oil-based mud with an aqueous-based fluid in the region to be gravel packed are both avoided while the advantages of gravel packing with an aqueous-based fluid are retained.

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Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Liz Morris