Use of inhibitors for scale control in brine-producing gas and oil wells

Conference · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:7076740

Tomson, M B; Prestwich, S

Field and laboratory work have shown that calcium-carbonate scale formation in waters produced with natural gas and oil can be prevented by injection of phosphonate inhibitor into the formation, even if the formation is sandstone without calcite binging material. Inhibitor squeeze jobs have been carried out on DOE's geopressured-geothermal Gladys McCall brine-gas well and GRI's co-production wells in the Hitchcock field. Following the inhibitor squeeze on Gladys McCall, the well produced over five million barrels of water at a rate of approximately 30,000 BPD without calcium-carbonate scaling. Before the inhibitor squeeze, the well could not be produced above 15,000 BPD without significant scale formation. In the GRI brine-gas co-production field tests, inhibitor squeezes have been used to successfully prevant scaling. Laboratory work has been conducted to determine what types of oil field waters are subject to scaling. This research has led to the development of a saturation index and accompanying nomographs which allow prediction of when scale will develop into a problem in brine production.

• Research Organization: Rice Univ., Houston, TX (USA); Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 7076740
• Report Number(s): EGG-M-24786; SPE-15457; CONF-861080-6; ON: TI87000484
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
CONTROL
ENERGY SYSTEMS
GEOPRESSURED SYSTEMS
Geothermal Legacy
INJECTION
INTAKE
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHONATES
SCALE CONTROL
WELLS