Simulation of sandstone formation damage caused by solid particle invasion

Abstract

During the drilling and completion process, the invasion of solid particles can have a serious impact on reservoir permeability, but there is a lack of effective prediction models for its impact. We developed a prediction model of solid particle invasion damage in response to the issue of reservoir damage induced by solid particle invasion during the exploitation of sandstone reservoirs. By considering the changes in pore permeability characteristics, particle migration and rock stress-strain state are coupled. The findings reveal that as filtration duration increases, the concentration of suspended particles and sediment particles increases, resulting in a progressive reduction in formation permeability around the wellbore. The greater the filtration coefficient, the greater the quantity of particle deposition, however, this also leads to a slowdown in the growth in deposition quantity. As the diffusion rate increases, particles are more likely to deposit. The concentration of suspended particles decreases progressively as tortuosity increases, as does the concentration of sediment particles. Large saturation sedimentation in the pore throat may cause more suspended particles to deposit, lower the effective seepage channel of the pore throat, and drastically impair formation permeability. The results of the impact factor comparison showed that filtration coefficient and medium tortuosity are the key factors. Improving the temporary plugging effect of solid particles in formations with large tortuosity of pore throats can effectively reduce reservoir damage. The findings of this study can help for optimization design of solid particles in drilling fluid for reservoir protection.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Mathematical model
• Particle migration
• Poroelasticity
• Reservoir protection
• Sandstone formation

Additional information

Funding

The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to the Science and Technology Cooperation Project of the CNPC-SWPU Innovation Alliance (No. 2020CX010501) Research Project of Southwest Oil and Gas Field Company of PetroChina (20230303-18).