POTASSIUM FORMATE WITH MICROMAX ® DRILL-IN AND COMPLETION FLUIDS SINCE 1994 John Downs Formate Brine Ltd www.formatebrine.com
Jul 02, 2015
POTASSIUM FORMATE WITH MICROMAX®
DRILL-IN AND COMPLETION FLUIDS SINCE 1994
John Downs
Formate Brine Ltd
www.formatebrine.com
Gullfaks C-18 – first use of potassium formate brine
with Micromax in 1994
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1st page from original
C-18 well recap
Gullfaks C-18 – first use of potassium formate brine with
Micromax in 1994
2nd page from original
C-18 well recap
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Gullfaks C-18 – first use of potassium formate brine with
Micromax in 1994
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3rd page from original C-18
well recap
Formate brines
Sodium
formate
Potassium
formate
Cesium
formate
Solubility in
water
47 %wt 77 %wt 83 %wt
Density 1.33 g/cm3
11.1 lb/gal
1.59 g/cm3
13.2 lb/gal
2.30 g/cm3
19.2 lb/gal
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Formate brines – Properties that make them
excellent drilling and completion fluids
• Density up to SG 2.3
• pH 9-10
• Only monovalent ions (Na+, K+, Cs+, HCOO-)
• Stabilise shales (K, Cs and low water activity)
• Protect polymers at high temperature
• Less corrosive than other brines
• Good lubricity
• Non-toxic and readily biodegradable
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Formate brines are compatible with polymers-
so they can be used as drilling fluids
Component Function Concentration
Formate brine
Density
Lubricity
Polymer protection
Biocide
1 bbl
XanthanViscosity
Fluid loss control0.75 – 1 ppb
Lo- Vis PAC and modified
starchFluid loss control 4 ppb each
Sized calcium carbonate Filter cake agent 10 – 15 ppb
K2CO3/KHCO3
Buffer
Acid gas corrosion
control
2 – 8 ppb
A traditional low-solids formate drilling fluid formulation
This simple formulation has been in field use since 1993 – good to 160o C
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Formate brines launched as low-solids drilling
and completion fluids in 1992
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Property Typical values
pH 9 – 10.5
PV [cP] 15 - 20
YP [lb/100ft2] 8 - 15
10” gel 2 - 5
10’ gel 3 - 6
HPHT fluid loss [mL] < 10
API fluid loss < 3
Service company brand names and
launch date:
IDF : IDSALT-F (1992)
Baker Hughes : CLEAR-DRILL (1994)
M-I : FLOPRO (1995)
Baroid : BRINEDRIL
Filter cake on aloxite disc
8
Addcon’s potassium formate plant in Norway has
been supplying the oil industry since 1994
Production Site
ADDCON NORDIC AS
Storage tanks for raw
materials
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Potassium formate production by Addcon
• The first and largest producer of potassium formate
- Brine production capacity : 800,000 bbl/year
- Non-caking powder capacity: 8,400 MT/year
• Direct production from HCOOH and KOH
• High purity product
• Large stocks on quayside location
• Fast service – by truck, rail and sea
• Supplier to the oil industry since 1994
50 % KOH
4,500 m3
6,300 MT
94 %
Formic acid
5,000 m3
Feedstock storage tanks in
Norway
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Saudi Aramco have been drilling HPHT gas wells
with potassium formate brine since 2003
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Saudi Aramco use of formate brines, 2003-2009
• 7 deep gas fields
• 44 HPHT wells drilled
• 70,000 ft of reservoir
drilled at high angle
• 90,000 bbl of brine
recovered and re-used
• Good synergy with ESS,
also OHMS fracturing
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Summary from Aramco’s OTC paper 19801
Aramco consume around 300 m3/month of K formate brine
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SPE 132151 (2010) “Successful HPHT Application of Potassium
Formate/Manganese Tetra-Oxide Fluid Helps Improve Drilling
Characteristics and Imaging Log Quality”
SPE/IADC 147983 (2011) “Utilization of Non-damaging Drilling Fluid
Composed of Potassium Formate Brine and Manganese Tetra Oxide to
Drill Sandstone Formation in Tight Gas Reservoir
SPE 163301 (2012) “Paradigm Shift in Reducing Formation Damage:
Application of Potassium Formate Water Based Mud in Deep HPHT
Exploratory Well”
Potassium formate brine weighted with Micromax®
used for HPHT drilling in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia
Good results in the first 11 wells (TKMN 4 ,
RA286, AD 53, SA 297, LH 03, MU 15, AJ 03,
SBG 02, NMN 01, LH 04, RH 03) with 16 ppg
fluids in fractured carbonates and sandstone
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Reasons why KOC use potassium formate brine
weighted with Micromax® for HPHT drilling
• Non-hazardous and satisfies environmental requirements
• Minimises formation damage in carbonates
• Compatible with hardware/tools and elastomers
• Better resolution and quality from wireline logs
• Elimination of solids sag at high downhole temperatures
• Micromax® is acid soluble
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KOC use K formate brine weighted with Micromax® for
drilling deep HPHT fractured carbonate wells
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First well drilled by KOC with KFo Micromax®
- Raudhatain field in 2009 (SPE 132151)
• Jurassic reservoir, light oil and gas, HPHT with CO2
and H2S. Vertical well. BHST : 280
oF
• 7-inch hole in fractured limestone/anhydrite
- 16 ppg K formate Micromax fluid (12.5-13.5% v/v Micromax)
- 472 metres drilled (14,790-15, 262 m) in 48.5 hours = 9.7 ft/hour
- 20-30% anhydrite/70-80% limestone
- No losses !
• 6-inch hole in fractured limestone/anhydrite/shale
- 1,278 metres drilled (15,262-16,530 m) @ 6-33 ft/hour
- Shale/anhydrite/limestone
- Low losses
- ROP comparable to OBM
- No hole cleaning problems. Low ECD and pump pressures
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First well drilled by KOC with KFo Micromax®
- Raudhatain field in 2009 (SPE 132151)
In conventional formate fluids low-vis PAC is added to flocculate clay fines
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Component , in order of
addition
Mixing time
(minutes)Concentration
Potassium formate brine,
SG 1.50 - 0.79 bbl
Sodium carbonate 5 0.2 ppb
Viscosifier 10 0.15 ppb
“Starch Plus” 10 5 ppb
Starch 10 4 ppb
Sized marble 5/50/150 5 30 ppb
Micromax 10 281 ppb
KFo Micromax fluid formulation – 17.5 ppg, pH 11
First well drilled by KOC with KFo Micromax®
- Raudhatain field in 2009 (SPE 132151)
In conventional formate fluids low-vis PAC is added to flocculate clay fines
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Component , in order of
addition
Mixing time
(minutes)Concentration
Potassium formate brine,
SG 1.50 - 0.79 bbl
Sodium carbonate 5 0.2 ppb
Viscosifier 10 0.15 ppb
“Starch Plus” 10 5 ppb
Starch 10 4 ppb
Sized marble 5/50/150 5 30 ppb
Micromax 10 281 ppb
KFo Micromax fluid formulation – 17.5 ppg, pH 11
First well drilled by KOC with KFo Micromax®
- Raudhatain field in 2009 (SPE 132151)
Bridging agent added continuously through a hopper to reduce fluid loss
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16 ppg KFo Micromax fluid properties during use
Property Typical values
PV [cP] 42-64
YP [lb/100ft2] 20-25
10’ gel 7-8
HPHT fluid loss [mL] 5-6
API fluid loss <0.8-2.0
Manganese tetraoxide (% by volume) 12.5-13.5
KOC use K formate brine weighted with Micromax® for
drilling deep HPHT fractured carbonate wells
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HPHT exploration well drilled by KOC with
KFo Micromax® in 2011 (SPE 163301)
• Marrat formation in deep Jurassic reservoir, light oil
and gas with CO2
and H2S. Vertical well. BHST 300
oF
• 7-inch hole in fractured limestone/anhydrite
- 15.9 ppg K formate Micromax fluid
- 1,534 ft drilled (15,516-17,040 ft) in 11 days
- Marrat formation (anhydrite/limestone )
- “ “Drilling was carried out without any of the complications
faced while drilling … with OBM”
- Good cement bond behind 5-inch liner casing
• Image Log quality in formate fluid was better than
the image log recorded in OBM
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HPHT exploration well drilled by KOC with KFo
Micromax® in 2011 – Conclusions from SPE 163301
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17,566 ft TD well drilled by KOC with 17.4 ppg KFo
Micromax® Production rate increased 3-fold
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KOC review of using K formate brine weighted with
Micromax® for drilling deep HPHT wells (SPE 170472)
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Potassium formate brine weighted with Micromax®
for drilling deep HPHT fractured carbonate wells
“The results were extraordinary when compared to wells
drilled with ..OBM” – Production rates x 3 higher
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KOC – Lessons from using KFo Micromax® for
HPHT drilling (from SPE 170472)
• Keep viscosifier levels very low (< 0.25 ppb) and YP < 30
• KFo Micromax fluids foam badly if contaminated with OBM
• The pH buffering additives (but not formate) react with cement
• Stuck pipe should be released by spotting formic acid pills
• Excessive build up of LGS reduces the fluid lubricity
• Do not let the brine density drop below 12 ppg (soft cuttings)
• The Micromax became self-supporting after shearing through bit,
so high gel strengths not required.
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