Pre-completion Wellbore cleaning
Pre-Completion Wellbore Cleaning: Reasons Why You Should Prioritize Wellbore Cleanups
Validation of wellbore cleanliness, prior to starting the completion phase, is vital for trouble-free operation and the lifespan of a well. A wellbore cleanup requires a dedicated trip-in hole, and therefore has an associated cost in rig time, tools and chemicals. Pressures on rig time and well cost sometimes result in the wellbore clean-out being curtailed, reduced, or even deleted from a drilling program. Ensuring that the casing and liner is free of debris should be a top priority. Our Oilfield Product and Business Development Manager Andy Moffat explains why…
At Shrieve, we understand the value of wellbore cleaning. Premature reductions (or complete loss) of well production due to debris was recognized as a recurrent problem over two decades ago by the likes of Shell and BP, and the solution, performing a dedicated wellbore cleanup, is still as relevant today as it was then.
Drilling and completion of a well is a complex and costly process, so investing enough time to ensure the drilled wellbore is clean is a worthwhile activity. Failure to perform a top-tier clean-up can have a direct effect on how well and how long a well maintains production.
Cleaning the wellbore removes residual drilling mud, settled solids, swarf, pipe dope, and any other foreign bodies from the wellbore, and allows displacement to a solids-free, inhibited, (usually) water-based packer fluid. The trip-in hole of the wellbore clean-out toolstring also provides validation that the wellbore is free of obstruction before running the completion assembly into the well and setting the completion packers or perforating and flowing the well.
SUMMARY OF WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS DO A WELLBORE CLEANUP
Before placing production equipment into the well it is necessary to remove (as much as possible) solids and oil-mud contamination. Pumping a wellbore cleanup pill train of powerful solvents and surfactants, with a dedicated toolstring (e.g. scrapers or magnets and junk basket), to remove mud residue and any other foreign bodies is a best practice.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Failure to do a good wellbore clean up can impair well productivity and shorten the lifespan of the completed well.
ANDY MOFFAT:
Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with several fluids and tool companies and was quietly aware of Shrieve chemicals (often in the shadows as a supplier to other companies). By prioritizing wellbore cleanups as a critical stage to include in their project, operators using our wellbore clean-up products can maximize well production and prevent premature equipment failures.
If you’d like to hear more about how Shrieve can help you, please get in touch.