Page 31 - Formation Damage during Improved Oil Recovery Fundamentals and Applications

14 Bin Yuan and David A. Wood

to the pressure drawdown and depletion in the reservoirs (Bianco, 1999);
(3) asphaltene precipitation and damage in the near-wellbore zones of the
reservoir formations, as the depletion of deepwater reservoirs progresses
below the asphaltene onset pressure (Gonzalez et al., 2012). Frac-and-pack
completions are often applied to deepwater wells, especially in unconsoli-
dated formations for sand production control (Sanchez and Packing,
2007). However, the excessive decrease of pressure in the near-wellbore
region can, in some cases, lead to the failure of well completion and sand
control systems.

1.12 SUMMARY

Here, we combine theoretical knowledge with field practices to
evaluate a wide spectrum of formation damage issues arising during
enhanced oil/gas and geothermal energy recovery. The problems of
formation damage in reservoirs caused by the changes to the chemical-
thermal-mechanical-physical-biological environment induced during
processes of enhanced oil/gas and geothermal recovery can lead to major
negative consequences for geosystems. However, in some instances, for-
mation damage can result in some benefits to enhanced oil/gas and geo-
thermal recovery. The various potential formation damage issues
associated with types of improved and enhanced petroleum and geother-
mal recovery methods, including low-salinity water flooding, chemical
flooding, CO 2 flooding, thermal recovery in heavy oil, and hydraulic
fracturing, are considered in terms of the types of reservoirs to which
they are applied, such as sandstone, shale, coalbed methane, deepwater
turbidite, and geothermal reservoirs. This information should provide
insight to formation damage issues and aid the formulation of integrated
and systematic designs to improve the efficiencies of improved and
enhanced oil/gas and geothermal recovery techniques and strategies.

REFERENCES
Aksulu, H., Hamso, D., Strand, S., et al., 2012. The evaluation of low salinity enhanced
oil recovery effects in sandstone: effects of temperature and pH gradient. Energy Fuels
26, 3497 3503.
Alagic, E., Skauge, A., 2010. Combined low salinity brine injection and surfactant flood-
ing in mixed-wet sandstone cores. Energy Fuels 24 (06), 3551 3559.