Well stimulation techniques can improve the flow of hydrocarbons in a well by increasing permeability through cleaning the formation or creating fractures. Gas lift can also be used to start or repair a well. Chemicals and explosives are used to clean and fracture the formation.
The well stimulation process can be used to improve the flow of natural gas or crude oil into a well. This can be achieved through a variety of intervention techniques, most of which are designed to increase permeability outside the hole. The two main ways to increase permeability are to clean the formation or to increase the perforations and fractures in the reservoir. Another technique that can be effectively used in wellbore stimulation is gas lift, which can be useful for starting a well or extracting heavy compounds that have effectively killed it. All of these various well stimulation techniques can improve the production of an oil or gas reservoir by increasing the flow of hydrocarbons into and up the borehole.
When oil or gas is in an easily extractable form, it is usually in a reservoir. These reservoirs are porous or fractured rock formations that hold oil or gas. A well can be drilled in the formation to extract the hydrocarbons. The oil or gas will then tend to seep through the porous or fractured rock, into the hole and up to the surface. A common form of well intervention is the pacing process, which is intended to accelerate the rate at which hydrocarbons move through the formation.
One of the common well stimulation methods is to increase the permeability of the oil or gas reservoir. The permeability of the formation is often reduced due to the drilling process and chemicals can enter and block the porous rock. Drilling can also force rock fragments into cracks and crevices, further blocking the tank. To clean the formation, chemicals are often pumped into the hole to loosen blockages. Formic acid is often used in a process known as acidification, which can dissolve blockages and allow hydrocarbons to flow.
Another way to increase the permeability of a formation is to create additional cracks or fractures in the rock. Shaped charges are a type of wellbore stimulation that can increase the number of fractures near the wellbore. Another method is hydraulic fracturing, which can involve pumping fluids under high pressure down the well. Other explosive materials can also be used to release high pressure propellants into the formation, creating further cracks and fractures within the tank.
Gas lift is a well stimulation technique that can be used to start flow or to repair a well that has been killed. This technique typically involves circulating nitrogen or other substances using coiled tubing. Sometimes, this is done just to start the flow, after which the nitrogen circulation is stopped. In other cases, the same technique can be used to lift heavy substances, such as chemical descalers or water, that have lodged in the barrel and blocked the flow of hydrocarbons.
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