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SERVICES
Below
are links of the testing and consulting services offered by STIM-LAB. For
pricing information please contact Richard
Allen in Duncan, Oklahoma at 1-580-252-4309
Drilling, Cementing and
Perforating
Drilling Fluid
Evaluations
- Percent
Solids
-
Rheological
Properties
- High
Pressure Fluid Loss
- Roller
Oven Shale Stability
- Thickening
Time vs Additives
- Ultrasonic
Compressive Strength
- Unconfined
Compressive Strength
-
Rheology
- Free
Water
-
Microscopic
Analysis
Perforation
Damage Assessment and Cleanup
Selected
perforation charges are shot into blocks of rock of the desired
lithology. The flow capacity is measured in special equipment. Acid
can be injected to assess the degree of cleanup vs acid strength and
volume. This test is good for optimizing the perforation type for a
particular formation or to optimize cleanup fluids
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Hydraulic
Fracturing
Dynamic
Leakoff of Fracturing Fluids
Measures
Spurt, Cw and equilibrium leakoff rate on actual or samples of similar
permeability vs fluid composition, pressure drop, temperature and
shear rate.
Regained
Permeability
Regained
permeablity with water, oil and methane gas to assess the cleanup of
leaked off fracturing fluids and the impact of surfactants on relative
permeability. This test can be performed in conjunction with dynamic
leakoff and is run on cores from 1 to 4 in length or in our multiport
long core cell (up to 10 in.)
Leakoff and
Regained Permeability of Naturally Fractured Systems
Leakoff and
regained permeability are conducted on specially prepared natural
fractures on the reservoir rock. These tests are useful in selecting
fluid systems that minimize damage to the natural fracture production
mechanisms that exist in many reservoirs.
Clay
Swelling and Migration Tests
Evaluation
of salts, salt substitutes and polymer stabilizers in reservoir rock.
The results from these tests can be used to select the optimum type
and concentration vs formation.
Critical
Velocity Evaluations
The
permeability is monitored vs water, oil or gas rate to assess the rate
at which fines migration becomes a problem.
Conductivity of
Proppants
Tests are
conducted between 10 sq in core slabs in the patented Stim-Lab system.
Tests show the conductivity vs proppant type, size and concentration
at selected temperatures and closures between slabs of reservoir rock
or selected samples such as Ohio Sandstone. Tests can be conducted up
to 400 F and 14,000 psi closure.
Fracturing
Treatment Simulations Between Reservoir Rock
Measure the
leakoff of fracturing fluids between rock slabs and selected
temperatures and pressure drops. The slurry is loaded to the desired
concentration and the conductivity of the pack is measure vs time at
selected rates of water oil or gas. The test indicates the best fluid
additive combinations to control leakoff and and maximize proppant
pack conductivity at the existing reservoir
conditions.
Non-Darcy Flow
Analysis
The
permeability of the proppant pack is measured vs multiphase gas and
liquid flow rates to calculate non-Darcy flow values in terms of beta.
The test can be conducted during a conductivity test or a fracturing
treatment simulation. The test is important in selecting the optimum
proppant type, size and concentration based on reservoir
conditions.
SEM
Analysis of Embedment and Damage
The
embedment of proppant into various formations and the damage of the
rock-fluid-proppant interface is assessed by post test SEM
evaluations. Embedment can also be performed on smaller core samples
by performing a penetration depth vs load and ball
diameter.
Proppant
Flowback Evaluations
The
flowback of proppant is analyzed between selected formation rock vs
proppant type, concentration, size and resin-coating. Flowback is
evaluated vs gas and liquid rates at selected closures with and
without flowback control aids in patented Stim-Lab cells. The impact
of closure cycling can also be measured. The tests allow the selection
of proppant type and concentration to minimize flowback
potential.
Unconfined
Compressive Strength of Resin-Coated Proppants
The
resin-coated proppant is set in 1 in. diameter by 2 in. long plugs.
The Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) is measured to assess
strength at a particular set of conditions. We recommend shear history
conditioning the proppant in the fluid to be pumped. The slurry is
place in a Stim-Lab designed cell and is set at the closure and
temperature of the reservoir. The compressive strength is then
measured before and after cycling a desired number of times to the
final reservoir closure. These tests can be run in conjunction with
the flowback evaluations to determine the minimum UCS required to
prevent flowback with cycling.
Rheology of
Fracturing Fluids
The
rheology of fracturing fluids is measured in conventional rotational
viscometers (Fann 50) with or without shear history conditioning vs
time at temperature and vs fluid composition. Tests are also performed
on a large scale with full size pumps and coiled tubing for shear
history simulation and the rheology is measured in a pipe
rheometer.
Proppant
Transport
The slurry
is mixed in a full scale blender and pumping system and is pumped
through heated coiled tubing to simulate shear history and heatup. The
proppant transport is observed in a series of see-through slots. The
proppant is video-taped as it travels through the slots vs time. Tests
are conducted to observe proppant transport vs gel and crosslinker vs
temperature and breaker content. These tests should be run with
recommended breaker amounts for cleanup to see if the fluid retains
proppant transport character.
Break
Tests
Conventional break
tests in pressurized bottles in an oil bath can be run to look at the
break characteristics vs breaker concentration at a desired reservoir
temperature. Dynamic tests can be run in specially designed bottled in
a roller oven. The rheology is measured periodically on conventional
and/or low shear rheometers. Test is useful for assessing the impact
of various waters and additives such as resin-coated materials on
break characteristics.
Rock
Mechanical Properties
The Young's
Modulus and Possion's Ratio are determined in specially designed rock
mechanics equipment on 1 to 1.5 in diameter core plugs that are 2 to 3
in long. The laboratory measurements are used to calibrate dipole
sonic logs.
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Completion Engineering
Fracture
Design
Hydraulic
Fracture Design work is carried out on a contract basis by our
experienced staff using the fully 3D model
GOHFER, which is a joint development of
Marathon Oil Company and Stim-Lab. The program uniquely uses leakoff,
fluid rheology and mechanical properties data to accurately describe
the generated fracture and proppant placement. The designs can be
carried out in advance of the treatment and/or on location with
prefrac analysis.
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Fracture
Design Classes
In-Lab
Training Courses
- Core Flow
& Acidizing
-
Rheology
- Proppant
Testing
- Quality
Control
Consortia
The
influence of Fracturing Fluids upon the Conductivity of Proppants
Rheology and Proppant Transport of Common Fracturing Fluids Acidizing:
Matrix sandstone, carbonate, fracture acidizing and
diversion.
Screen Cleanup
Casing Cleanup
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Services
Other Large Scale Testing
Friction
Reduction Testing
The
friction reduction of water, oil, gelled water or oil and foams is
measured in pipe rheometers vs pipe size and rates scaled to field
Reynold's numbers.
Large
Scale Tool Evaluations
The impact
of proppant type and concentration and rate vs time on crossover tools
and packers and perforations is assessed in a large-scale test using
field blenders and pumps.
Screen
Evaluations
Wellbore
screens used in vertical and horizontal wellbores are tested in a 6 ft
or up to a 40 ft model to look at sand retention, drill-in fluid
plugging, wellbore collapse and cleanup. Smaller scale tests are run
on screen samples in a 1 to 2 in diameter core holder. Collapse and
burst pressure tests can be performed on 6 ft
screens.
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Acidizing
Sandstone
Matrix Acidizing
Matrix
acidizing tests are conducted in a long core multiport cell to
determine permeability of the core vs length and time vs acid type and
concentration with and without mud damage. This is useful to match the
acid strength to the formation and damage that might
exist.
Acid
Leakoff Rate
Acid and
additives is flowed past a long core at selected pressure
differentials to measure the acid leakoff rate or wormholing rate.
Core holders are available for performing tests up to 3 ft long.
Penetration is assessed with x-ray. A wellbore model is available for
running up to 3 cores simultaneously to assess acid penetration rates
vs pumping rate, acid strength, viscosity and temperature with or
without mud damage.
Acid
Diversion
Diversion
is evaluated in a series of long cores (usually 2 or 3 1 in by 6 in
long cores). Also the diversion test can be carried out in a radial
core holder with 2 or 3, 4 to 6 in diameter cores with a 0.375 in.
wellbore. The test can be run with foam.
Static
Acid Corrosion Tests
Coupon
corrosion tests are run in autoclaves at the desired acid
concentration and temperature vs time.
Dynamic Acid
Corrosion Tests
Acid or
gelled acid is flowed through a loop past coupons mounted na specially
designed cell at temperatures up to 350 F. The weight is measured vs
time to calculate the dynamic corrosion rate.
Acidizing
Flowback Samples
Matrix
acidizing flowback samples are analyzed for Si, Al, F, Ca, Na, Fe and
other elements as required. Plots of elements vs time can be created
with rate and time information.
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Quality Control
Fracturing
Fluid Flowback Sample Analysis
The water
and gel flowing back from a well is analyzed for salts, gel content,
breaker, pH and other desired additives. The results are plotted vs
time and flow rate to arrive at the percent gelling agent returned to
the surface.
Analysis of
Proppant Flowback Samples
Proppant
and/or formation samples returning to the surface are analyzed for
distribution, mineralogy by x-ray, and percent resin by Loss on
Ignition (LOI).
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