Acid-rock interaction investigation and the influence of fractures during matrix acidizing in carbonate rocks

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of chemical dissolution on the properties of reservoirs by matrix acidizing, using synthetic carbonate rocks with and without fractures, prepared with limestone powder, epoxy resin (chemically inert) and fractures represented by non-woven geotextile strips positioned perpendicular to the fluid flow direction, to check their influence on the dissolution process. A system was developed using an acid injection cell to carry out acidizing tests, applying a solution of acetic acid and distilled water at constant pressure, to observe the organic acid-rock interaction for contact times of 36, 72 and 108 h. Chemical and petrophysical tests, as well as image analyses using X-ray micro-computed tomography were conducted to characterize the acidizing effects. Changes in rock properties were observed as the contact time increased, particularly the increase in porosity and permeability. Was observed the formation of CO₂ and calcium acetate as reaction products between calcite and acid solution. Ramified wormhole and uniform dissolution patterns were noted; moreover, fractures influenced the dissolution in regions where they were inserted, increasing the branches present along their structure and deviating the fluid flow to a perpendicular direction to the injection direction, especially observed at 72 h, highlighting the use of geotextile as a material that reproduces the fractures' transmissivity in synthetic samples. The methodologies used contributed to presenting the effects of mineral dissolution on the properties of reservoir rocks post-stimulation, emphasizing the importance of chemical/petrophysical aspects and the contribution of fractures to better understand the matrix acidizing efficiency in field.

Keywords

Matrix acidizing / Acetic acid / Wormholes / Carbonate rocks / Fractures / Geotextile

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Yago Ryan Pinheiro dos Santos: Writing-original draft, Validation, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Igor Fernandes Gomes: Writing-review & editing, Writing-original draft, Validation, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Analice Lima: Writing-review & editing, Writing-original draft, Supervision, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Marcos Allyson Felipe Rodrigues: Writing-review & editing, Supervision, Formal analysis. Ernani Dias da Silva Filho: Methodology, Data curation. José Antonio Barbosa: Writing-review & editing, Formal analysis. Antonio Celso Dantas Antonino: Writing-review & editing, Formal analysis. Daniel Amancio Duarte: Validation, Methodology, Data curation. Aline Flávia Nunes Remígio Antunes: Writing-review & editing, Methodology, Formal analysis.

Availability of data and materials

Data will be made available on request.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the support from Petrobras (PETROLEO BRASILEIRO), Maccaferri Do Brasil and Federal University of Pernambuco.

References

[1] M. Krebs, B. Lungwitz, A. Souza, A. Pépin, S. Montoya, P. Schlicht, et al., The first visualization of acid treatments on carbonates with 3D nuclear, Magn. Reson. Imag. (2014), https://doi.org/10.2118/168198-MS.SPE168198-MS.

[2] M. Karimi, M.M. Shirazi, S. Ayatollahi, Investigating the effects of rock and fluid properties in Iranian carbonate matrix acidizing during pre-flush stage, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 166 (2018) 121-130, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2018.03.002.

[3] S. Zhang, Z. Fang, Permeability damage micro-mechanisms and stimulation of low-permeability sandstone reservoirs: a case study from Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China, Petrol. Explor. Dev. (2) (2020) 374-382, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1876-3804(20)60054-4.

[4] X. Zhou, Z. Xu, Y. Xia, B. Li, J. Qin, Pore-scale investigation on reactive flow in porous media with immiscible phase using lattice Boltzmann method, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 191 (2020) 107224, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2020.107224.

[5] H. Su, F. Zhou, A. Zheng, L. Wang, C. Wang, F. Yu, et al., Heavy oil recovery by alkaline-cosolvent-polymer flood: a multiscale research using micromodels and computed tomography imaging, SPE J. 27 (3) (2022) 1480-1492, https://doi.org/10.2118/204766-PA.

[6] H. Jafarpour, J. Moghadasi, A. Khormali, D.G. Petrakov, R. Ashena, Increasing the stimulation efficiency of heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs by developing a multi-bached acid system, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 172 (2019) 50-59, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2018.09.034.

[7] R. Khalil, H. Emadi, F. Altawati, Investigating the effect of matrix acidizing injection pressure on carbonate-rich Marcellus shale core samples: an experimental study, J. Pet. Explor. Prod. Technol. 11 (2) (2021) 725-734, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-020-01047-4.

[8] K. Furui, T. Abe, T. Watanabe, K. Yoshioka, Phase-field modeling of wormhole formation and growth in carbonate matrix acidizing, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 209 (2022) 109866, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2021.109866.

[9] C.N. Fredd, H.S. Fogler, Optimum conditions for wormhole formation in carbonate porous media: influence of transport and reaction, SPE J. 4 (3) (1999) 196-205, https://doi.org/10.2118/56995-PA.

[10] M.A. Buijse, Understanding wormholing mechanisms can improve acid treatments in carbonate formations, SPE Prod. Facil. 15 (3) (2000) 168-175, https://doi.org/10.2118/65068-PA.

[11] L. Wang, J. Mou, S. Mo, B. Zhao, Z. Liu, X. Tian, Modeling matrix acidizing in naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 186 (2020) 106685, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2019.106685.

[12] H. Yoo, Y. Kim, H. Jang, J. Lee, Propagation characteristics of optimum wormhole in carbonate matrix acidizing using micro X-ray CT imaging, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 196 (2021) 108010, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2020.108010.

[13] M.A.F. Rodrigues, G.M. Arruda, D.C. da Silva, F.M.F. da Costa, M.F.P. de Brito, A. C.D. Antonino, et al., Application of nonionic surfactant nonylphenol to control acid stimulation in carbonate matrix, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 203 (2021) 108654, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2021.108654.

[14] Y. Wang, F. Zhou, Y. Zhang, Y. Wang, H. Su, R. Dong, et al., Numerical studies and analysis on reaction characteristics of limestone and dolomite in carbonate matrix acidizing, Geoenergy Sci. Eng. 222 (2023) 211452, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211452.

[15] H. Jafarpour, H. Aghaei, V. Litvin, R. Ashena, Experimental optimization of a recently developed matrix acid stimulation technology in heterogeneous carbonate reservoirs, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 196 (2021) 108100, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2020.108100.

[16] C.N. Fredd, et al., Microemulsion applications in carbonate reservoir stimulation, in: Properties and Uses of Microemulsions, InTech, 2017, https://doi.org/10.5772/65973.

[17] C.N. Fredd, H.S. Fogler, Alternative Stimulation Fluids and Their Impact on Carbonate Acidizing, SPE, 1996, https://doi.org/10.2118/31074-MS.

[18] C.R.S. Lucas, J.R. Neyra, E.A. Araújo, D.N.N. Silva, M.A. Lima, D.A.M. Ribeiro, et al., Carbonate acidizing-a review on influencing parameters of wormholes formation, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 220 (2023) 111168, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2022.111168.

[19] G. Daccord, E. Touboul, R. Lenormand, Carbonate acidizing: toward a quantitative model of the wormholing phenomenon, SPE Prod. Eng. 4 (1) (1989) 63-68, https://doi.org/10.2118/16887-PA.

[20] C.N. Fredd, H.S. Fogler, Alternative stimulation fluids and their impact on carbonate acidizing, SPE J. 3 (1) (1998) 34-41, https://doi.org/10.2118/31074-PA.

[21] F.N. Harris, Applications of acetic acid to well completion, stimulation and reconditioning, J. Petrol. Technol. 13 (7) (1961) 637-639, https://doi.org/10.2118/63-PA.

[22] M. Buijse, P. de Boer, B. Breukel, M. Klos, G. Burgos, Organic Acids in Carbonate Acidizing, SPE, 2003, https://doi.org/10.2118/82211-MS.

[23] O.O. Akanni, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, Modeling of wormhole propagation during matrix acidizing of carbonate reservoirs by organic acids and chelating agents, SPE (2016), https://doi.org/10.2118/181348-MS.

[24] H.A. Nasr-El-Din, J.D. Lynn, K.C. Taylor, Lab Testing and Field Application of a Large-Scale Acetic Acid-Based Treatment in a Newly Developed Carbonate Reservoir, SPE, 2001, https://doi.org/10.2118/65036-MS.

[25] T. Huang, L. Ostensen, A.D. Hill, Carbonate Matrix Acidizing with Acetic Acid, SPE, 2000, https://doi.org/10.2118/58715-MS.

[26] J. Chen, J. Xu, S. Wang, Z. Sun, Z. Li, W. Jia, et al., Dissolution of different reservoir rocks by organic acids in laboratory simulations: implications for the effect of alteration on deep reservoirs, Geofluids (2021) 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6689490.

[27] M.Z. Jora, R.N. Souza, E. Lucas-Oliveira, C. Speglich, T.J. Bonagamba, E. Sabadini, Static acid dissolution of carbonate outcrops investigated by 1H NMR and X-ray tomography, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 207 (2021) 109124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2021.109124.

[28] J.C. Chatelain, I.H. Silberberg, R.S. Schechter, Thermodynamic limitations in organic-acid/carbonate systems, SPE J. 16 (4) (1976) 189-195, https://doi.org/10.2118/5647-PA.

[29] L. Alhamad, A. Alrashed, E. al Munif, J. Miskimins, A review of organic acids roles in acidizing operations for carbonate and sandstone formations, SPE (2020), https://doi.org/10.2118/199291-MS.

[30] F.F. Chang, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, T. Lindvig, X.W. Qiu, Matrix acidizing of carbonate reservoirs using organic acids and mixture of HCl and organic acids, SPE (2008), https://doi.org/10.2118/116601-MS.

[31] W. Wang, J. Yao, Y. Li, A. Lv, Research on carbonate reservoir interwell connectivity based on a modified diffusivity filter model, Open Phys. 15 (1) (2017) 306-312, https://doi.org/10.1515/phys-2017-0034.

[32] M.D. Hudson, P. Sheperd, J. Ricci, Flexible cement slurry survives multistage hydraulic fracturing treatment, SPE (2017), https://doi.org/10.2118/185068-MS.

[33] Y. Wu, J. Kou, S. Sun, Matrix acidization in fractured porous media with the continuum fracture model and thermal Darcy-Brinkman-Forchheimer framework, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 211 (2022) 110210, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2022.110210.

[34] P. Liu, J. Yao, G.D. Couples, Z. Huang, H. Sun, J. Ma, Numerical modelling and analysis of reactive flow and wormhole formation in fractured carbonate rocks, Chem. Eng. Sci. 172 (2017) 143-157, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2017.06.027.

[35] N. Qi, G. Chen, C. Liang, T. Guo, G. Liu, K. Zhang, Numerical simulation and analysis of the influence of fracture geometry on wormhole propagation in carbonate reservoirs, Chem. Eng. Sci. 198 (2019) 124-143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2018.12.047.

[36] A.M. Asl, B. Sedaee, A.E. Kandowjani, Fracture and vug effects on wormhole pattern during acidizing of triple porosity carbonate rocks, Geoenergy Sci. Eng. 232 (2024) 212417, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.212417.

[37] S. Ishutov, F.J. Hasiuk, D. Jobe, S. Agar, Using resin-based 3D printing to build geometrically accurate proxies of porous sedimentary rocks, Groundwater 56 (3) (2018) 482-490, https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12601.

[38] L. Kong, M. Ostadhassan, B. Liu, C. Li, K. Liu, Multifractal characteristics of MIP-based pore size distribution of 3D-printed powder-based rocks: a study of post-processing effect, Transport Porous Media 129 (2) (2019) 599-618, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-018-1152-9.

[39] A.G. Almetwally, H. Jabbari, Experimental investigation of 3D printed rock samples replicas, J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 76 (2020) 103192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103192.

[40] T.N.C. Dantas, A.C. de Oliveira, T.T.C. de Souza, C.R.S. Lucas, E.A. Araújo, P.T. P. Aum, Experimental study of the effects of acid microemulsion flooding to enhancement of oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs, J. Pet. Explor. Prod. Technol. 10 (3) (2020) 1127-1135, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-019-00754-x.

[41] J.Y. Fu, X. Yue, B. Zhang, Methodology for concurrent multi-parametric physical modeling of a target natural unfractured homogeneous sandstone, Processes 8 (11) (2020) 1448, https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8111448.

[42] Z. Wang, R. Wang, F. Wang, H. Qiu, T. Li, Experiment study of pore structure effects on velocities in synthetic carbonate rocks, Geophysics 80 (3) (2015) D207-D219, https://doi.org/10.1190/geo2014-0366.1.

[43] H. Yu, L. Gong, Z. Qu, P. Hao, J. Liu, L. Fu, Wettability enhancement of hydrophobic artificial sandstones by using the pulsed microwave plasma jet, Coll. Interf. Sci. Commun. 36 (2020) 100266, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colcom.2020.100266.

[44] T.E. Mohammed, D.R. Schmitt, Preliminary experiments towards understanding the influence of fractures on the anisotropy of electrical conductivity, J. Appl. Geophys. 182 (2020) 104197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2020.104197.

[45] H. Shaked, I. Polishchuk, A. Nagel, Y. Bekenstein, B. Pokroy, Long-term stabilized amorphous calcium carbonate — an ink for bio-inspired 3D printing, Mater. Today Bio 11 (2021) 100120, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2021.100120.

[46] P. Tillotson, J. Sothcott, A.I. Best, M. Chapman, X. Li, Experimental verification of the fracture density and shear-wave splitting relationship using synthetic silica cemented sandstones with a controlled fracture geometry, Geophys. Prospect. 60 (3) (2012) 516-525, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2478.2011.01021.x.

[47] K. Amalokwu, A.I. Best, J. Sothcott, M. Chapman, T. Minshull, X.Y. Li, Water saturation effects on elastic wave attenuation in porous rocks with aligned fractures, Geophys. J. Int. 197 (2) (2014) 943-947, https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu076.

[48] L.K. Santos, J.J.S. de Figueiredo, D.L. Macedo, A.L. de Melo, C.B. da Silva, A new way to construct synthetic porous fractured medium, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 156 (2017) 763-768, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2017.06.044.

[49] Y.R.P. dos Santos, I. Gomes, A. Lima, J. Barbosa, O. Correia Filho, A.C. D. Antonino, D. Duarte, M. Rodrigues, Production of synthetic carbonate rocks using limestone mining waste: mineralogical, petrophysical and geomechanical characterization, Resources 13 (6) (2024) 78, https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13060078.

[50] T.S. Miranda, R.F. Santos, J.A. Barbosa, I.F. Gomes, M.L. Alencar, O.J. Correia, et al., Quantifying aperture, spacing and fracture intensity in a carbonate reservoir analogue: Crato Formation, NE Brazil, Mar. Petrol. Geol. 97 (2018) 556-567, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.07.019.

[51] Y. Guo, J. Hu, X. Zhang, R. Feng, H. Li, Flow behavior through porous media and microdisplacement performances of hydrophobically modified partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, SPE J. 21 (3) (2016) 688-705, https://doi.org/10.2118/178921-PA.

[52] A. Rawal, T.H. Shah, S.C. Anand, Geotextiles in civil engineering, in: Handbook of Technical Textiles, Elsevier, 2016, pp. 111-133, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-78242-465-9.00004-5.

[53] J.P. Giroud, Geotextiles and geomembranes, Geotext. Geomembranes 1 (1) (1984) 5-40, https://doi.org/10.1016/0266-1144(84)90003-7.

[54] B.V. Wiewel, M. Lamoree, Geotextile composition, application and ecotoxicology — a review, J. Hazard Mater. 317 (2016) 640-655, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2016.04.060.

[55] A. Miszkowska, S. Lenart, E. Koda, Changes of permeability of nonwoven geotextiles due to clogging and cyclic water flow in laboratory conditions, Water 9 (9) (2017) 660, https://doi.org/10.3390/w9090660.

[56] Z. Ding, A.A. Babar, C. Wang, P. Zhang, X. Wang, J. Yu, et al., Spunbonded needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles for filtration and drainage applications: manufacturing and structural design, Compos. Commun. 25 (2021) 100481, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coco.2020.100481.

[57] C. Silva, J.J.S. de Figueiredo, T. Chichinina, M.J.S. Nascimento, L. Kirchhof, Experimental characterization of synthetic porous orthorhombic fractured medium: a physical modeling approach, Ultrasonics 94 (2019) 82-91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultras.2018.11.015.

[58] A. Cardona, T. Finkbeiner, J.C. Santamarina, Natural rock fractures: from aperture to fluid flow, Rock Mech. Rock Eng. 54 (11) (2021) 5827-5844, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02565-1.

[59] L.J. Klinkenberg, The permeability of porous media to liquids and gases, in: Drilling and Production Practice, American Petroleum Institute, 1941. API-41-200,https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1419571. (Accessed26 January 2024).

[60] L. Lutterotti, Maud: a Rietveld analysis program designed for the internet and experiment integration, Acta Crystallogr. A 56 (2000) s54.

[61] K. Galindo, C. Lins, L. Guimarães, A. Lima, K. Silva, A. Nova, Application of microtomography and petrography techniques for the characterization of porosity of synthetic carbonatic rock minerals before and after acidification processes, Sci. Rep. 12 (1) (2022) 17026, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19577-8.

[62] M.J. Economides, et al. Petroleum Production Systems second ed., Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2012.

[63] K.B.T.G. Souza, Experimental and Numerical Study of the Influence of the Mineral Dissolution in Synthetic Carbonate Rocks with the Injection of a Reactive Fluid, Federal University of Pernambuco, 2023. Thesis.

[64] M. Polgári, B. Bajnóczi, V. Kovács Kis, J. Götzе, G. Dobosi, M. Tóth, et al., Mineralogical and cathodoluminescence characteristics of Ca-rich kutnohorite from the Úrkút Mn-carbonate mineralization, Hungary, Mineral. Mag. 71 (5) (2007) 493-508, https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.2007.071.5.493.

[65] R.S. Mohamed, A.I. Rabie, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, A New Technique to Increase the Performance of Organic Acids to Stimulate Carbonate Reservoirs at High Acid Concentrations, SPE, 2015, https://doi.org/10.2118/175192-MS.

[66] Y. Chen, G. Ma, T. Li, Y. Wang, F. Ren, Simulation of wormhole propagation in fractured carbonate rocks with unified pipe-network method, Comput. Geotech. 98 (2018) 58-68, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2017.11.009.

[67] X. Rodríguez, A. Barbosa, A. Cardona, L. Guimarães, T. Finkbeiner, Impact of carbonate content, rock texture, and roughness on fracture transmissivity and acid-etching patterns in carbonate rocks, Rock Mech. Rock Eng. (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-024-03901-x.

[68] L.F. Costa, A.C.D. Antonino, R.J. Heck, A.P. Coutinho, R.M.M. Pimentel, T. C. Vasconcelos, et al., Porous space in Brazilian soils using X-ray computed tomography, Rev. Bras. Geofís. 9 (3) (2016) 692-706, https://doi.org/10.26848/rbgf.v09.3.p692-706.