AquaPac Shale Stabilizer

Additive to minimize destabilizing effects of water-base fluids on shales

APPLICATIONS AquaPac* shale stabilizer, part of the gravel-pack permeability. In a worst-case
■■ Long, openhole completion intervals Transcend* AquaPac water-packing scenario, excessive formation collapse can
with reactive shales system, is an additive that minimizes adverse lead to premature screenout and incomplete
■■ Vertical, inclined, and horizontal interactions between water-base completion screen coverage.
wellbores fluids and exposed reactive shales.
When fluids used to install the lower
■■ Onshore, shelf, and deepwater Openhole completions often expose shale completion are treated with AquaPac* shale
developments sections and stringers that can react with stabilizer, the adverse interactions between
water-base completion fluids. This condition water-base completion fluids and exposed
BENEFITS
can limit the success of water packing. reactive shales can be eliminated.
■■ Reduces completion process risks
associated with exposed shales along When shales swell or collapse, they can Extensive studies and tests of AquaPac shale
the path of openhole intervals block the wellbore or annulus where a gravel stabilizer have demonstrated its ability to
■■ Minimizes the shale-destabilizing pack is to be placed. If this occurs before inhibit interactions between most types of
effects of water-base fluids used during screens are run, the screens will have limited brine water-base completion fluids or gels and
completions operations or no wellbore access; if it happens after a wide array of shales and claystones.
the screens are run, it will cause incomplete
FEATURES gravel packing. Testing has also shown that AquaPac shale
■■ Controls shale and matrix clay swelling stabilizer does not damage the formation or
■■ Minimizes shale spalling and dispersion Shale spalling, or breaking up, and the reduce gravel-pack permeability, nor does it
resultant wellbore enlargement during gravel- affect brine proprieties, such as viscosity, so it
■■ Reduces enlargement of wellbore in
pack operations can also lead to completion allows complete gravel deposition in alpha-
shale layers
failure when the shale particles plug the beta water packs in horizontal wells.
■■ Is effective for a wide array of shales screen or mix with the gravel and impair the
and claystones
■■ Functions in almost all types of brine and
water-base completion fluids and gels 100 1,000

■■ Does not damage producing formations 80

■■ Does not interfere with filtercake cleanup
Mass of 60
■■ Does not interfere with the function of original Hardness, 100
gf
gels and viscosifers shale, % 40

■■ Does not affect brine properties 20

(viscosity) or gravel deposition in alpha-
beta water packs in hori­zontal wells 0 10
Shale KCl Brine Shale KCl Brine
stabilizer only stabilizer only

Laboratory testing found that treating brine (NaCl,
9.4 ppg) with AquaPac shale stabilizer reduces
shale dispersion more effectively than both KCl at
the same concentration and the brine by itself.
Surface hardness measurements of synthetic shale
discs show that using AquaPac shale stabilizer is most
effective in preserving the strength of the shale. This
result is relevant because the harder the shale is, the
more likely it is to survive the completion process.

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