Water well activation with application of clay minerals disintegration agent

Abstract

While drilling a well using rotary drilling method with drilling mud application, permeability damage of aquifer layers in near-well zone takes place. It is caused mainly by inflow of both solid phase and filtrate originated from the mud into pores or fractures of drilled rock. In consequence of this phenomenon, pressure drawdown increase and well hydraulic efficiency decrease can be observed, what leads to exploitation capacity diminution. For the reparation of formation damaged permeability in near-well zone, new agent for disintegration of clay minerals called SKINAUT was developed at the Drilling, Oil and Gas Faculty of AGH-UST Krakow. In order to confirm its effectiveness in industrial conditions, it was conducted test of well activation for water intake from loose formation. Applied agent allowed to counteract the clogging of pore spaces and to reduce the hydraulic resistance of well thereby decreasing pressure drawdown and considerably improving well efficiency.