J. Mike Brown and Steve Szymczak, BJ Chemical Services
Mineral scale formation is a problem for oil and gas operators that can result in deterioration of assets, increased lifting costs and lost production. Scale which forms in or at the perforations can only be prevented by placing scale inhibitor in the producing formation via some type of reservoir displacement technique commonly referred to as a squeeze. Operators desire inhibition that will last as long as possible and minimize the production interruption for treatment. In reservoir formation types that exhibit known scaling problems, scale inhibition treatment can be initiated during the completion stage using a solid inhibitor integrated into the hydraulic fracturing program. Treatments of this type can result in deep reservoir placement of inhibitor without large amounts of introduced water frequently needed with traditional squeeze treatments. Data presented in this paper illustrate the superior performance and longevity of these types of treatments.