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Acidizing Safety and Environmental Protection2
Acidizing Safety and Environmental Protection2
Contents
1Safety
2Environmental protection
3Quality control
o 3.1Injection testing
o 3.2Sampling and titration
4Job supervision
5References
6Noteworthy papers in OnePetro
7External links
8See also
9Category
Safety
The main safety precautions for those on site during an acid treatment concern
detection of leaks and proper handling of acid. Pressure tests are performed with water
or brine to ensure the absence of leaks in pressure piping, tubing, and packer. Leaks on
the surface can endanger service personnel, and subsurface leaks can cause
subsequent corrosion of tubing and casing in the annulus. Anyone around acid tanks or
pressure connections should wear safety goggles for eye protection. Those handling
chemicals and valves should wear protective gauntlet-type, acid-resistant gloves. Fresh
water and spray washing equipment should be available at the job site. In case of acid
contact with the eyes, immediately flush eyes with clean water and consult a physician.
If acid contacts the skin, wash the area of contact with water for 15 minutes. Consult a
physician immediately after flushing if hydrofluoric acid comes in contact with skin or
eyes. Wear self-contained, full-face, fresh-air masks when potential hydrogen sulfide
gas hazards exist. Also, testing equipment and appropriate safety equipment should be
on hand to monitor the working area and protect personnel in the area. Special
scrubbing equipment may be required for removal of toxic gases. Further information on
safety with acid can be found in API Bull. D15, Recommendations for Proper Usage
and Handling of Inhibited Oilfield Acids[1] and in Data Sheet 634, Safe Well Stimulation
by Acidizing from the National Safety Council. [2]
Environmental protection
Proper handling and disposal of acid and spent acid products should be observed.
Often, environmental hazards can be reduced or prevented by the proper choice of
chemical additives at optimum concentrations. The acid flowbacks are normally
processed in a test separator. Oil goes to the water/oil separation system, and the
aqueous phase is filtered and treated with activated carbon for overboard disposal in
accordance with regulatory guidelines of oil and grease measurements. This process,
used in many offshore operations, is described in an article by Ali. [3] Regulatory
guidelines[4] are available to control and monitor discharges of well workover fluids
containing oil or grease. Overboard discharges must meet 42 mg/L daily maximum and
29 mg/L monthly average oil and grease limits. There are no acute and chronic toxicity
measurement requirements at present.
Quality control
Quality control checks before, during, and after pumping increase the probability of
acidizing success. Onsite supervisors are encouraged to check the equipment.
Inspect all tanks that will be used to hold acid or water. The tanks must be clean.
Small amounts of dirt, mud, or other debris can destroy any acid job.
Make sure the service company has the equipment to circulate the acid tank prior to
pumping. This must be done to avoid emulsion problems and to protect the tubing.
Acid corrosion inhibitors and other additives can separate to the top of the tank in as
little as 2 hours.
The line to the pit or tank should be laid and ready to connect to the wellhead so the
acid can be backflowed immediately after the end of the overflush.
Field supervisors are focusing more on acid quality control. Guidelines are provided by
King and Holman[4] and elsewhere. [5]
Injection testing
When in doubt that the formation will take acid, inject a compatible “superclean” filtered
brine to test the ability of the formation to take fluid. If the test shows severe damage,
the operation may be changed to include an acid minisqueeze prior to the main acid job
to make sure that the formation is open to fluid. Zhu and Hill [6] showed that a
pretreatment test could be used to evaluate permeability and skin factor prior to
treatment. The monitoring program followed evolution of skin even with diversion
effects. The program is reliable and flexible for:
Job supervision
The key to successful job execution is thorough and effective job supervision. The
operating company responsible for supervising the job must:
Prepare the well before the service company administers the acid treatment
Monitor the progress of the project before, during, and after the treatment
Properly evaluate the results
The most important tasks associated with job supervision are those related to safety,
well preparation, and quality control.