Oilfield scale formation is dependent upon the production of water and naturally most scale inhibitors are water-soluble and are usually deployed in aqueous media. Squeezing low watercut wells with aqueous and oil miscible inhibitor treatments can cause problems, however for low watercut wells that are water sensitive, squeezing may result in significant and costly damage to the formation.

This study describes the development of a range of truly oil soluble scale inhibitors, which precludes any aqueous phases. The products have been screened for use in two fields that are known to exhibit sensitivity to the application of both aqueous and oil miscible scale inhibitor squeeze formulations. The paper describes chemical development and blending issues and also the inhibitor evaluation protocol - which differs significantly from conventional aqueous screening techniques, and includes a new coreflood procedure for oil soluble chemicals. Finally the paper discusses the implications of the test work for field application.

Subject
Scanning electron microscopy, Water, Inhibitor performance, Permeability, Scale inhibitors, Kerosene, Solubility, Pores, Partitioning, Scale formation, Brines, Crude, Oil
Keywords:
oil soluble, scale inhibitor, low watercut, squeezing, water sensitive, coreflooding, barium sulfate, strontium sulfate
© 2004 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2004
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
You do not currently have access to this content.