Workover and Completion Fluids

Completion Fluid: A completion fluid is used at the time a well is completed or recompleted. It provides
primary well control during the completion process and is designed to minimize damage to the producing
interval of the reservoir.

Packer Fluid: A packer fluid is a completion fluid with a specific role. It is placed in the wellbore above a
packer in the annular space between the production tubing and the casing.

Packer fluids provide hydrostatic pressure to resist the well pressure force from below the packer, helping to
hold the packer in place. Packer fluids perform these additional functions:

• Offset the effect of the internal tubing pressure when the well is on production

• Provide a noncorrosive environment for the casing and tubing.

• Provide internal support for the production casing.

Workover Fluids: Workover fluids are used during operations such as killing the production tubing, displacing
the packer fluid, flushing out tubing scale or debris, and conveying fluid loss pills to the perfs. Workover fluids
provide hydrostatic pressure for primary well control and help lift and convey cuttings, scale, sand, and
contaminants out of the hole. They may also be used as solvents, dissolving crude oil by-products like wax,
asphaltenes, and paraffins, which restrict the tubing bore and affect production. Like completion fluids, they are
designed to minimize damage to the producing interval unless the interval is to be abandoned

Functions of Completion and Workover Fluids

The functions of completion and workover fluids can be divided into two basic categories: active functions and
preventive functions. Active functions involve such capabilities as moving materials through the well, providing
or resisting a force, and transferring energy or heat. Preventive functions involve inhibiting or impeding
corrosion, bacterial action, formation damage, and so forth.

Active Functions of Fluids

Active functions include the following:

 Primary well control : Workover fluids provide a level of hydrostatic pressure equal to or greater than
formation pressure to avoid kicks during the workover operation. When properly controlled and
monitored, fluid hydrostatic pressure may be considered as a barrier.
  Circulation and displacement: Fluids remove unwanted material such as sand, debris, cement, spent
acid, cuttings, or milled steel cuttings from the well. Fluids also help to spot or circulate cement, acid,
kill pills, gelled pills, or frac sand.
 Cooling and lubricating: In workovers that involve deepening or sidetracking a well, the fluid cools
and lubricates the drill bit. Some workover operations involve milling of downhole equipment like
packers and isolation plugs. The fluid allows the mill to function correctly by removing heat and
reducing friction while cutting.
 Operating downhole tools and equipment : The fluid transmits pressure from the pump to the
downhole tool or piece of equipment. For example, the pump pressure plus the fluid’s own hydrostatic
pressure help operate hydraulically set packers, test tools, and other tools and equipment.

Preventive Functions of Fluids

Preventive functions of completion and workover fluids include the following:

• Minimizing fluid losses to the formation.

• Loss of whole fluid into the formation must be controlled. Kicks will result if the fluid level falls and primary
well control is lost. In addition, the formation can be damaged by fluids, and workover costs increase when lost
fluid must be replaced.

• Drilling muds use solids to deposit an impermeable filter cake against the formation. This filter cake minimizes
the loss of whole fluid. These same fluids are sometimes used for workovers. The use of these fluids, however,

can result in formation damage due to the solids contained in them. More often, though, clear, solids-free fluids
are used to avoid formation permeability damage. These clear fluids have no solids to build filter cake with, so
they must prevent fluid loss by either their viscosity or by using additives to bridge across the formation.

• Maintaining stability over time and at varying temperatures. This applies particularly to packer fluids. The
fluid must be formulated to remain stable for years even at elevated temperatures. If solids separate from the
fluid and settle out on top of the packer, the packer may be impossible to retrieve during a workover,
necessitating an expensive fishing or milling operation. Furthermore, with the solids separated out, the fluid’s
hydrostatic pressure is reduced to that of its base fluid. This reduces the amount of backup it provides to the
internal flowing tubing pressure.

• Preventing formation damage such as oil wetting of reservoir rock, clay swelling, scale precipitation, and
solids blockage.
• Preventing bacterial action in the fluid itself and in the formation. Naturally occurring bacterial colonies are
sometimes found in the base fluids used to make up the completion or workover fluid. If the fluid contains a
polymer, the bacteria will attack it, degrading the fluid and rendering it useless. Bacterial infestations may occur
not only in the fluid but downhole, and these must be controlled as well.

• Preventing corrosion to tubing, casing, and completion components.

Completion and Workover Fluid Properties

The fluids engineer selects various components for the workover or completion fluid so that the fluid will
function as needed for a specific well. Each fluid consists of a base fluid plus a weighting agent. Then an
additive package is selected to condition the fluid to the individual requirements of the well. The fluids engineer
determines whether a fluid meets the job requirements by measuring the following properties:

 Density
 Viscosity
 Turbidity
 pH
 Crystallization temperature
 Fluid loss rate

Density

Density is the measure of the weight of a fluid per unit volume (ppg) or a ratio of the fluids weight to the weight
of fresh water, known as its specific gravity (s.g.). A related measure of oil density is API gravity, expressed in
degrees. An API gravity of 10 is equivalent to an s.g. of 1, which means the oil has the density of fresh water.

Table 5-1 shows the density ranges of various workover fluids.

Fluid Density (ppg)

Nitrogen Gas 0.01-2.6
Water foam 3.5–8.3
Methyl alcohol 6.6
Kerosene 6.7–7.0
Diesel 6.9–7.1
Xylene 7.2–7.3
Seawater 8.45–8.55
2% NaCl 8.45
20% NaCl 9.58
KCl brine 8.4–9.7
ZnBr2/CaBr2/CaCl2 brine 14.0–19.2
10° API crude 8.33
30° API crude 7.30
 50° API crude 6.48
Sized CaC03 8.4–14.0
Iron carbonate 8.4–18.0
Oil-based muds 7.0–19.0

The density of completion brines (inorganic salts and water) changes with temperature and must be corrected
so that the brine will have the sufficient density downhole to balance the formation pressure at a specific depth.

PPGRequired = [(BHT - Surface Temp) × Thermal Factor] + PPGFormation + PPGOverbalance

PPGRequired = Brine density to be mixed (at surface temperature)

PPGFormation = Formation equivalent fluid weight

PPGOverbalance = Desired overbalance

Bottomhole Temperature (BHT) = Formation temperature (degrees F)

Surface Temp = Surface temperature (degrees F)

Thermal Factor = Value from table below (based on brine density range)

Example:

Given: Surface Temp = 90°F, BHT = 205°F, Formation = 13.2 ppg

Find: Required density at surface (with 0.2 ppg safety margin)

Solution:

Thermal Factor for 13.2 = 0.0033

PPGRequired = (205-90) × 0.0033) + 13.2 + 0.2

= 0.379 + 13.2 + 0.2

= 13.78 = 13.8 ppg

Viscosity

Viscosity is the resistance of a fluid to flow. Different fluids have different viscosities. For example, tar has a
higher viscosity than water; 40W motor oil has a higher viscosity than 10W. Completion and workover fluids
normally have low viscosities. When required, viscosity is increased with various additives. Increasing viscosity
enhances the ability of the fluid to carry or suspend solid particles. It also helps prevent the fluid from flowing
into the perfs.
The workover crew takes two measurements of the fluid’s viscosity. The crew measures funnel viscosity by
pouring 1,500 ml of fluid into a Marsh funnel and recording the time (in seconds) that the fluid takes to flow
out of the funnel. The fluids engineer uses a device called a rheometer to measure the plastic viscosity in
centipoises (cp). Both measurements are important. Funnel viscosity can be used by the personnel mixing the
fluid to determine when the proper value has been reached and to monitor viscosity changes during the workover
procedure. A more detailed analysis done by the fluids engineer using the rheometer determines the cause of
the change in viscosity or monitors the results of fluid conditioning or chemical treatments.

Turbidity

Turbidity is related to the cleanliness of the fluid. This property is important when workovers are done in
damage-sensitive formations that require clear, solids-free fluids. If a fluid contains undesirable particles of silt,
clay, algae, and the like, it scatters light and appears turbid or cloudy. If a fluid is particle free, it appears clear,

the opposite of turbid. Turbidity is measured by a turbidity meter, and the measurement is commonly reported
in nephelometric turbidity units

pH

The pH of a fluid is a measure of its acidity or alkalinity. The pH scale ranges from 1 to 14, with 1 being the
most acidic. The fluids engineer measures pH with a pH meter or litmus paper. He monitors the pH and controls
it to limit corrosion downhole, inhibit scale formation, limit formation clay swelling, and ensure that the
components of a completion and workover fluid function together properly.

Crystallization Temperature

If the temperature of the fluid falls below a certain point, brine completion or workover fluids containing
dissolved salts will crystallize (freeze) or lose density as their salts fall out of solution. When crystallization
occurs, crystals give the brine the appearance of slush. The viscosity of the fluid may increase to the point where

the crystals plug the lines and the fluid becomes unpumpable. The crew needs to know at what point this
crystallization takes place. The fluids engineer or project engineer performs a test using the LCTD (Last Crystal
to Dissolve) method. In this test, the brine is stirred constantly as it is cooled below the point where the first
crystals appear. Then the fluid is warmed until the last crystal dissolves, which indicates its crystallization
temperature, or LCTD. At the crystallization temperature, the least soluble salt becomes insoluble and
precipitates out of the liquid. Cooling the brine below this temperature results in even more precipitation of
solids. This data is published for all the common brines used and can be found in the M-I Completion Fluids
Handbook.

The fluids engineer specifies a brine formula that takes into account the fluid’s crystallization tendencies and
the temperatures likely to be encountered in the workover operation.
Fluid Loss Rate

As stated earlier, drilling fluids use solids to deposit a filter cake against the formation. The fluid engineer can
check the effectiveness of the filter cake with a standardized API test called API water loss, which measures the
loss rate of the filtrate (liquid portion) of the fluid through the permeable filter cake left by the solids in the
fluid.

Components of Completion and Workover Fluids

Each fluid begins with a base fluid and a weighting agent. Then an additive package is selected to condition the
fluid to fit the specific characteristics of the well. The workover crew may use an oil-based fluid, a water-based
fluid, a clear brine, or another base fluid. Normally the base fluid chosen is the least expensive one that

satisfies two basic requirements:

• It must be capable of controlling the well.

• It must protect the formation from permanent permeability damage.

Base Fluid

Fluids have two basic components: a liquid or gas (the base fluid) and solids to condition the base fluid to meet
the requirements of the well. Workover crews may use oil, water, gas, or clear brine as the base fluid. Water is
the easiest to use and is less expensive than oil-based fluids or gas, but it is not always suitable for a particular
formation.

Water

The water in a water-based fluid may come from a variety of sources including produced water (lease saltwater),
fresh water, potable water, drinking-quality water, treated brackish water from marshes, or treated seawater.

Oil

Crude oil, diesel, mineral oil, or synthetic vegetable-based oil may be used as a base.

Gas

For gas-based systems, nitrogen gas is combined with water and a chemical called a surfactant to create stable
foam. Foams are used in workovers on wells that have very low formation pressures and therefore will not
support the weight of a column of liquid. Nitrogen densities range from 1 to 5 ppg.

Clear Brine
Clear brine is a fluid made up mainly of chemical salts, such as sodium, chloride, calcium, or potassium
chloride. This base contains little or no clay or other solid material and is virtually clear. It is used frequently
because it minimizes formation damage.

Weighting Material

The weighting material in the fluid can be barite (barium sulfate), limestone (calcium carbonate), or inorganic
salts such as zinc bromide, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, or potassium chloride.

Additives

Additives are used to condition the fluid to meet the well requirements. The most common fluid additives and
their basic uses are listed in Table 5-2.

Table 5-2 Common Additives and Their Uses

Additive Use
Viscosifiers Fluid loss control, gas migration control, suspending agent
Surfactants Aids in recovering fluid used to load hole, emulsifier
Bridging agent Fluid loss control
pH control Clay damage control, corrosion control, H2S inhibition
Inhibitors Scale and corrosion control
Bactericides Controls bacteria counts