Skin Factor and

Wellbore Storage
Characterizing Damage and
Stimulation
Characterizing Damage and Stimulation
Instructional Objectives

1. List causes of damage skin

2. List causes of geometric skin
3. Calculate skin from pressure drop
4. Calculate flow efficiency from skin
5. Calculate skin factor and wellbore
radius
6. Convert skin to fracture half-length
Damage Caused by Drilling Fluid

Mud filtrate
invasion
Damage Caused by Production

p < pb p > pb
Damage Caused by Injection

“dirty” incompatible
water water
Reservoir Model of Skin Effect

Bulk
Altered formation
zone

ka k
h

rw

ra
 Reservoir Pressure Profile
2000
Pressure, psi

1500

1000
ps

500
1 10 100 1000 10000
Distance from center of wellbore, ft
Skin and Pressure Drop

0.00708 k h
s p s
qB
Skin and Pressure Drop

141.2qB
p s  s
kh
Skin Factor and Properties
of the Altered Zone

k   ra 
s    1 ln 
 ka   rw 
Skin Factor and Properties
of the Altered Zone

k
ka 
s
1
lnra rw 
Effective Wellbore Radius

 rwa 
s   ln 
 rw 
s
rwa  rw e
Minimum Skin Factor

 re 
smin   ln 
 rw 
Minimum Skin Factor Example

 re   745 
smin   ln    ln   7.3
 rw   0.5 
Geometric Skin - Converging
Flow to Perforations
Geometric Skin - Partial
Penetration

hp

h
 Partial Penetration

h1 ht
s sd  s p
ht hp
hp
 Partial Penetration
Apparent Skin Factor
h1D  h1 ht 1
A
h1D  h pD 4
h pD  h p ht

1
1
2 B
rw  kv  h1D  3h pD 4
rD   
ht  kh 

 1   1  h A  1
1
2 
   pD   
sp   1 ln  ln  
 h pD  2rD h pD  2  h pD  B 1 
   
Geometric Skin - Deviated
Wellbore
s  sd  s

h
 h sec
 Deviated Wellbore
Apparent Skin Factor

 kv
1 
 h kh
 w'  tan tan w  hD 
 kh  rw kv
 

2.06 1.865
  w'
   w'  hD 
s       log 
 41   56   100 
   
Geometric Skin - Well With
Hydraulic Fracture

Lf
Skin Factor and Fractured Wells

Lf
rwa 
2
L f  2rwa
 Completion Skin
rw

s  s p  sd  sdp
kdp rdp
rp
kR

Lp  h  rdp  k R k R 
sdp   ln   
kd  L p n  rp  k dp k d 
   

rd
After McLeod, JPT (Jan. 1983) p. 32.
Gravel Pack Skin
Cement

k R hLg
s gp  2
2nk gp rp

Lg
Productivity Index

q
J
p  p wf
 Flow Efficiency

Jactual p  p wf  p s
Ef  
Jideal p  p wf
Flow Efficiency and Rate

Efnew
qnew  qold
Efold
 Exercise 1
Damage and Stimulation
Calculations
• Calculate
1. Pressure drop
2. Flow efficiency
3. Apparent wellbore radius
4. New skin factor
Wellbore Storage
 Wellbore Storage
Instructional Objectives
• Define wellbore unloading
• Define afterflow
• Calculate wellbore storage (WBS)
Coefficient for wellbore filled with A
single-phase fluid
• Calculate WBS coefficient for rising
liquid level
Fluid-Filled Wellbore -
Unloading

Surface Rate

Rate
Bottomhole
Rate

Time

dpw


q  qsf B 
dt 24Vwb cwb
Fluid-Filled Wellbore - Afterflow

Surface Rate
Bottomhole

Rate
Rate

t=0
Time

dpw


q  qsf B 
dt 24Vwb cwb
Rising Liquid Level

Surface Rate

Rate
Bottomhole
Rate

t=0
Time

dpw

 

q  qsf B  5.615  wb  g



dt 24  144 A  g 
 wb  c 
 Wellbore Storage

Fluid-filled dpw

 
q  qsf B
wellbore dt 24Vwb cwb

Rising dpw

 
q  qsf B  5.615  wb  g 
  
liquid level dt 24  144 A  g 
 wb  c 

dpw  
q  qsf B
General 
dt 24C
Wellbore Storage Definition

C
q  qsf B
dpw
24
dt
Fluid-filled Rising
wellbore liquid level
144 Awb g c
C
C  Vwb cwb 5.615  wb g
Awb
 25.65
 wb
 Exercise 2
• Calculate WBS coefficient for a
wellbore filled with a single phase
liquid
 Exercise 3
• Calculate WBS coefficient for a rising
liquid level
 Exercise 4
• Calculate WBS coefficient for a
wellbore filled with a single phase gas