Title: Removal of water-based filter cake and stimulation of the formation in one-step using an environmentally friendly chelating agent

Authors: Salaheldin M. Elkatatny; Hisham A. Nasr-El-Din

Addresses: 3000 Woodland Park Drive APT. #1201, Houston, Texas 77082, USA ' Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, 3116 TAMU – 407 Richardson Building, College Station, TX 77843-3116, USA

Abstract: Chelate solutions, GLDA (pH of 3.3 to 13) and HEDTA (pH of 4 and 7) were incompatible with α-amylase over a wide range of temperatures. GLDA (pH 3.3) and HEDTA (pH 4) can be used to remove the filter cake in one step. GLDA (20 wt% in a 200 g solution and pH of 3.3) and HEDTA (20 wt% in a 200 g solution and pH 4) had 100% removal efficiency of the filter cake. The retained permeability was 110% and 106% for Berea sandstone and Indiana limestone cores, respectively when using GLDA (13.3 wt% in 300 g solution and pH of 3.3). The retained permeability was 115% and 100% for Berea sandstone and Indiana limestone cores, respectively when using HEDTA (20 wt% in 200 g solution and pH of 3.3). No core damage was observed when using GLDA and HEDTA solutions as a breaker to remove water-based filter cake. [Received: October 11, 2012; Accepted: December 25, 2012]

Keywords: water-based filter cake removal; permeability retention; alpha-amylase; removal efficiency; environmentally friendly chelating agents; Berea sandstone; Indiana limestone.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2014.059277

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2014 Vol.7 No.2, pp.169 - 188

Received: 13 Oct 2012
Accepted: 25 Dec 2012

Published online: 24 May 2014 *

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