Journal of Technology: Winter 2018
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Winter 2018 Saudi Aramco THE SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY Journal A quarterly publication of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company of Technology A Large Aperture Test Apparatus for Severe Lost Circulation Material Evaluation, see page 2 Advanced Corrosion and Scale Monitoring under Downhole Conditions with Applied Corrosion Inhibitor Batch Treatment in Sour Gas Wells, see page 59 On the Cover The industry standard testing equipment currently used for screening lost circulation material is limited to simulate fractures only up to 5 mm, whereas there are fractures and vugs more than 50 mm in diameter causing severe lost circulation. The new in-house designed test fixture will be able to simulate fractures/vugs of up to 40 mm. This will enable better screening and evaluation of lost circulation products and timely recommendations for field applications. MORE SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY ARTICLES AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET. Lost circulation is one of the primary contributors for nonproductive drilling time in drilling operations. Additional articles that were submitted for publication in the Saudi Aramco Journal Depending on the magnitude of the fracture, lost of Technology are being made available online. You can read them at this link on the circulation is classified as a seepage, partial or severe loss. Saudi Aramco Internet Website: www.saudiaramco.com/jot The Saudi Aramco Journal of Technology is EDITORIAL ADVISORS (CONTINUED) PRODUCTION COORDINATION published quarterly by the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, to provide Omar S. Al-Husaini Richard E. Doughty the company’s scientific and engineering General Manager, Drilling & Workover Operations communities a forum for the exchange of Abdul Hameed A. Al-Rushaid DESIGN ideas through the presentation of technical Chief Drilling Engineer information aimed at advancing knowledge Graphic Engine Design Studio, in the hydrocarbon industry. Ammar A. Nahwi Austin, Texas, U.S.A. Manager, Research and Development Center Complete issues of the Journal in PDF format are available on the Internet at: Ali A. Al-Meshari http://www.saudiaramco.com Manager, EXPEC ARC (click on “publications”). CONTRIBUTIONS SUBSCRIPTIONS Relevant articles are welcome. Submission ISSN 1319-2388. Send individual subscription orders, address guidelines are printed on the last page. changes (see page 70) and related questions to: Please address all manuscript and editorial correspondence to: © COPYRIGHT 2018 Saudi Aramco Corporate Communications ARAMCO SERVICES COMPANY Support Department EDITOR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED JOT Distribution No articles, including art and illustrations, Box 5000 William E. Bradshaw The Saudi Aramco Journal of Technology in the Saudi Aramco Journal of Technology Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia except those from copyrighted sources, Website: www.saudiaramco.com/jot C-11B, Room AN-1080 North Admin Building #175 may be reproduced or printed without the Dhahran 31311, KSA written permission of Saudi Aramco. Please EDITORIAL ADVISORS Tel: +966-013-876-0498 submit requests for permission to reproduce items to the editor. Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter Email: [email protected] Vice President, Technology Oversight and Coordination Unsolicited articles will be returned only The Saudi Aramco Journal of Technology gratefully acknowledges the assistance, Abdullah M. Al-Ghamdi when accompanied by a self-addressed envelope. contribution and cooperation of numerous Vice President, Gas Operations operating organizations throughout the company. Khalid M. Al-Abdulqader Amin Nasser General Manager, Unconventional Resources President & CEO, Saudi Aramco Nabeel A. Al-Jama’ Vice President, Corporate Affairs Fahad K. Dhubaib General Manager, Public Affairs Winter 2018 Saudi Aramco THE SAUDI ARAMCO JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY Journal A quarterly publication of the Saudi Arabian Oil Company Contents A Large Aperture Test Apparatus for Severe Lost Circulation Material Evaluation 2 Dr. Jothibasu Ramasamy, Dr. Md. Amanullah, and Mohammad K. Arfaj Pressure Conditioned Modeling: Application of of Technology Time-Lapse Shut-in Pressure Data to Map Connected Reservoir Regions for Conditioning of 3D Geomodel Property Distributions 10 Babatope O. Kayode, Mohammed A. Al-Saleh, Stig Lyngra, and Dr. Zeid M. Al-Ghareeb Systematic Approach to Develop Colloidal Silica-based Gel System for Water Shut Off 20 Dr. Jin Huang, Dr. Ayman M. Al-Mohsin, Dr. Mohammed A. Bataweel, Prasad B. Karadkar, Dr. Wengang Li, and Abrar A. Alshaikh Getting More Out of Your Multistage Fracturing Open Hole Completion 32 Kirk M. Bartko, Syed Muhammad, Maksim Oparin, Roberto Tineo, Fadhel A. Abu Al-Makarem, Ankur Desai, and Jasim Al Ulaiw Structural and Quantitative Phase Analysis of XRD Data of Sludge Deposits from Refineries and Gas Plants Using the Rietveld Method 41 Rasha Abdullah Al-Ghamdi and Dr. Husin Sitepu Optimization Study of Temperature Log for Fracture Height Evaluation and Field Application of Practical Examples after Pad Calibration 49 Adrian Buenrostro, Mohammed Al-Abdrabalnabi, Amro E. Mukhles, and Saad M. Al-Driweesh Advanced Corrosion and Scale Monitoring under Downhole Conditions with Applied Corrosion Inhibitor Batch Treatment in Sour Gas Wells 59 Dr. Tao Chen, Dr. Feng Liang, Dr. Fakuen F. Chang, and Amro E. Mukhles Material Overview for Electric Submersible Pumps: Part 1 — Metallic and Ceramic Materials 67 Dr. Jinjiang Xiao, Rafael A. Lastra, Brian A. Roth, and Dr. Woon Lee A Large Aperture Test Apparatus for Severe Lost Circulation Material Evaluation Dr. Jothibasu Ramasamy, Dr. Md. Amanullah, and Mohammad K. Al-Arfaj ABSTRACT the test cell, the ball valve connecting the test cell chamber and the reservoirs is closed. The test can be carried out up to 600 Failure to have a reliable and adequate evaluation method and psi to evaluate the blocking efficiency of the materials. The apparatus for materials used to combat severe lost circulation material passing through the slotted or circular hole containing causes significant nonproductive time (NPT) in the drilling discs will be collected through the outlet in the bottom of the industry, due to frequent failure to control moderate to severe test cell. The amount of material collected through the outlet loss circulation. Apart from losing whole drilling mud while will be used to evaluate the performance of the LCM. drilling, lost circulation can lead to additional problems such as The newly developed test method and apparatus will play a differential sticking, borehole instability and also well control vital role in the screening of different materials for lost circula- situations if not controlled properly. There are different types tion and selection of the right material based on the loss type. of lost circulation materials (LCMs) such as fibrous, flaky, par- Therefore, it is expected to have a positive contribution in trou- ticulate, and polymers, or their blends developed to mitigate ble-free and safe drilling operations. severe mud losses. Subsequently, the nonavailability of a reli- able apparatus for simulating the loss zone and an appropriate INTRODUCTION testing method for evaluation of materials for severe loss sce- narios make the selection of a proper loss control material very Lost circulation is the partial or total loss of drilling mud or difficult, and therefore, in most cases, treatment of severe lost cement slurries inside the wellbore during drilling, running circulation is addressed on a trial and error basis. Moreover, casing or cementing operations. Lost circulation is one of the the conventional severe loss control method has a very low frequently occurring challenges encountered during drilling probability of success. operations and it was reported that around 20% to 25% of To address this ongoing problem, there must be a method wells drilled around the globe encounter lost circulation1. Lost and apparatus to evaluate and validate products for lost circu- circulation can be encountered during any stage of the drilling lation based on the loss zone characteristics relevant to severe operation. It results when drilling fluid or drilling mud pumped loss circulation problems. The article describes a reliable test into a well returns partially, or does not return to the surface. method and apparatus capable of simulating fractures and While some fluid loss is anticipated, extreme fluid loss is unde- vugular zones up to 40 mm for screening and evaluating LCMs sirable from a safety, an economical, or an environmental point for moderate to severe loss of circulation problems. of view. It is one of the most difficult and expensive problems The test apparatus is made of several components, such as faced while drilling a well. Millions of dollars are being spent a test cell, a mud reservoir, a spacer/activator reservoir, and a each year owing to lost circulation and the detrimental effects it LCM reservoir. All of these components are engineered and causes. Lost circulation is also responsible for reduced produc- assembled in a systematic way using various fixtures such as tion in that loss zones resulted in the failure to secure produc- ball valves, relief valve, connecting pipes, pressure inlet, fluid tion tests and samples, while the plugging of production zones outlet and various discs with slotted and circular openings and/ have led to decreased productivity2. or holes to simulate various loss zones. The test cell is capa- Lost circulation is one of the major operation challenges of ble of holding a slotted metal disk having slots up to 40 mm drilling