Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids

Wellbore Cleanup
• On completion of the drilling process, and with the liner or casing cemented in
place, the well is usually left full of oily mud.

• The mud generally consists of an oily base fluid, to which water and clay have
been added for viscosity. Barite or dolomite is added as a weighting agent.

• It is suspended in the mud to raise the density, hence imparting a higher

hydrostatic pressure.

• The oil phase contains emulsifiers, which are powerful oil wetting agents.

• These ensure that all surfaces (tubulars, barite, formation) are oil wet and any
water is encapsulated as microscopic droplets.

• When displacing the well to water, not only does the oily mud require
displacing, but also the casing surfaces need to be changed from oil wet to
water wet.
 Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids
Wellbore Cleanup

The oily mud is removed by pumping solvents, to dissolve any oily residues, and
surfactants (surface active agents) to change the casing surface from oil wet to
water wet, i.e. counteracting the emulsifiers in the oily mud.

The chemical pills are pumped at maximum pump rate to generate turbulent flow,
with a 10-minute contact time desired.

The well is then displaced to inhibited freshwater, seawater or brine, depending on

the completion requirements. Water and or brine will be circulated until the
required standard of cleanliness is achieved.

Cleanliness is usually measured with a turbidity meter in units of NTU. This is a

measure of the clarity and suspended solids in the fluid

Newer methods involving Infrared technology are now coming into use
 Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids
Wellbore Cleanup Chemicals

2 Types used

Solvents

• Solvents are chemicals which dissolve the oily mud. The simplest solvents are the mud
base fluids themselves.
• Mutual solvents have both polar (water-soluble) and non-polar (oil soluble) parts.
• Both parts exert similar influence, so they are soluble in both oil and water. They are
usually pumped as dilute solutions in water. Dilute solutions of mutual solvent are effective
in removing thin layers of oily mud.

Surfactants

• Surfactants are surface-active agents. In the oilfield, surfactants are synonymous with
detergents.
• However, in reality, they include emulsifiers as well.
• They have polar heads, which are water-soluble and non-polar tails, which are soluble in
the oily layer.
• Surfactants encapsulate oil allowing it to be dispersed into the water and will displace oil
from surfaces, rendering the surfaces water wet.
 Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids
Wellbore Cleanup Chemicals
Shown below is a schematic of a surfactant molecule and a representation of
surfactant attack on an oil droplet.
 Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids
Wellbore Cleanup – Mechanical Tools
Mechanical tool strings comprising generally of a scraper, a brush or a
combination of both have been introduced over the years as an aide to the
chemicals during the clean-up process.

Scrapers and brushes

clean cuttings beds
and debris especially
in directional wells
 Brines, Completion & Workover Fluids
Wellbore Cleanup Planning

Each Cleanup should have a well specific program which will detail:-

• Pills to be pumped
• Pill Sequence if different products used
• Displacement Procedures
• Cleanliness requirements (NTU or equivalent)

Detailed pit management plans may also be provided OR will have

to be prepared on the rig. Fluids have to be separated.