Cesium formate brine

CESIUM FORMATE BRINE

John Downs

Cabot Specialty Fluids

More information at: www.formatebrines.com

Formate brines

NaCOOH KCOOH CsCOOH62 pcf

8.3 ppg81 pcf

10.8 ppg97 pcf

13.1 ppg143 pcf

19.2 ppg

• Sodium formate

• Potassium formate

• Cesium formate

Formate brine applications

Low-solids fluids for deep gas well constructions

• Reservoir drilling

• Completions

• Workovers

• Packer and long-term well suspensions

A mature field proven technology used in deep gas fields since 1995

Deep and/or HPHT gas fields developed using formate

brines, 1995-2009

Published information on 35 fields Some deep and/or HPHT gas fields developed using formate brines

Country Fields Reservoir Description

Matrix

type

Depth, TVD

(metres)

Permeability

(mD)

Temperature

(oC)

Germany Walsrode,Sohlingen

Voelkersen,Idsingen

Sandstone 4,450-6,500 0.1-150 150-165

Hungary Mako Sandstone 5,692 - 235

Kazakhstan Kashagan Carbonate 4,595-5,088 - 100

Norway Huldra ,Njord

Kristin,Kvitebjoern

Tune, Valemon

Victoria

Sandstone 4,090-7,380 50-1,000 121-200

Pakistan Miano, Sawan Sandstone 3,400 10-5,000 175

Saudi Arabia Andar,Shedgum

Uthmaniyah

Hawiyah,Haradh

Tinat, Midrikah

Sandstone

and

carbonate

3,963-4,572 0.1-40 132-154

UK Braemar,Devenick

Dunbar,Elgin

Franklin,Glenelg

Judy, Jura, Kessog

Rhum, Shearwater

West Franklin

Sandstone 4,500-7,353 0.01-1,000 123-207

USA High Island Sandstone 4,833 - 177

Why oil companies like formate brines

They improve the profitability of HPHT gas field developments

• Drill and complete faster and easier

• Improve well safety and reduce risk

• Maximise well performance

• Reduce the need for future well interventions

All simply from using a low-solids non-corrosive fluid

Low-solids fluids cut the costs of deep gas well

constructions by speeding up drilling operations

Cesium formate brine increases ROP by >100% in deep hard rock drilling

Data from DOE Deep Trek project , see SPE 112731

Effect of Mud on Rate of PenetrationCarthage Marble with 7 Blade PDC Bit

0

10

20

30

40

50

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000

Weight on Bit (lbf)

Ra

te o

f P

en

etr

ati

on

(ft

/hr)

Water

16ppg OBM

16ppg CsFm

16ppg OBM + Mn

Cesium formate brine

•Cesium formate dissolved in water

•Density up to 19.2 ppg/143 pcf

•Non-toxic •Safe to handle, pH 9-10

•Little or no risk to the environment

•Non-corrosive •Minimizes formation damage

Cesium formate2.3 s.g.

• Cabot founded in 1882

• Headquarters in Boston, USA

• Operates 39 plants in 20 countries

• Approximately 4,200 employees

• 2008 sales of $ 3.2 billion

Cesium formate brine manufactured by a division of Cabot Corporation

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Security

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PERFORMANCE

SPECIALTYFLUIDS

CORE SEGMENT

Cabot CorporationThe four divisions

Rubber blacks

SupermetalsFMO PPBG

Catalyst

Inkjet

ww

w.g

illet

vert

igo.

com

Nanogel

Solar

Cabot produces cesium formate brine at Lake Bernic in Canada from pollucite ore

Pollucite ore

Cs0.7Na0.2Rb0.04Al0.9Si2.1O6·(H20)

• Mined at Bernic Lake, Manitoba

• Processed on site to Cs formate brine

• Cs formate brine production 700 bbl/month

• Brine stocks > 30,000 bbl

Example of rental of cesium formate brine1,000 bbl of 118 pcf brine – 20 day workover, 10% losses

Value ($)

Losses

Initial Volume 1,000 bbl of118 pcf 2,126,000

Return Volume 900 bbl of 116 pcf 1,806,570

Cost of brine losses 319,430

Rental

950 bbl of 117 pcf for 20 days 303,050

Total bill (rental +losses) 622,480

Cesium formate brines used in 253 deep HPHT gas wells since 1999

Drilling, completion, workover and suspension fluids

•At densities up to SG 2.25 (18.7 ppg or 140.2 pcf)

•At BHST up to 235oC (450oF)

• For periods of up 2 years dowhole (well suspensions)

•In sandstone and carbonate reservoirs, 0.01 mD up to 4 Darcy

•Wide variety of completions – barefoot open hole, cased and

perforated, with sand screens and gravel packs

Cesium formate applications

253 jobs in 34 deep HPHT gas fields (see website for list)

•Drill-in - 35 •Completions - 130- as a brine and in LSOBM formulations (98 pcf)

- outstanding as HPHT perforating kill pill (Visund, Braemar, Judy, Rhum)

•Workovers and miscellaneous – 88 Includes diverse uses:

- Long-term well suspension

- Well testing

- Stuck-pipe release pill (OBM drilling)

- Melting hydrate plugs

Cesium formate brine was first used in the world’s largest

HPHT gas field development – Elgin/Franklin

Also the deepest HPHT gas field in North Sea

B

190oC1100bar

5300m

Water Depth 90m

SIWHPFWHT

830bar180oC

::

GASCONDENSATE

3-4% C0230-40 ppm H2S

320barDEWPOINT

30% O1 Darcy K

Cesium formate brine used by TOTAL in 34 well construction operations in 8 deep gas fields in period 1999-2010

Use of cesium formate by TOTAL in the Elgin/Franklin field November 1999 - present

18.2 ppg/136 pcf completion fluid in 8 wells

•UK North Sea •World’s largest HPHT field •Gas condensate reservoir•16,000 psi @ 20,000ft •BHST 400oF •140,000 bbl/day of condensate •13 million m3 gas /day •Brine left in wells for up to 24 months (well suspension)

Cost of renting 136 pcf Cs formate brine in Elgin workovers

Elgin well Total brine costs*

($, ’000)

G3 913

G4 830

G5 602

G6 879

G7 807

* Includes all brine rental, losses and reconditioning charges

Huldra field, HP/HT gas condensate -BHST: 297oF-TVD : 3,900 metres/12,795 ft - Fluid density: 15.75 ppg/118 pcf - 6 wells – 600 ft reservoir sections 5-7/8” at 45-55o

- 1–2,000 mD sandstone-Open hole, wire wrapped screens

Justification for using formate - Improve well control ! - Lower ECD- Run completion in same fluid - Low risk of screen plugging - Shale stabilisation - Lubricating- Safe for crews - Environmentally benign

2001 - Cesium formate brine first used by Statoil to drill and complete 6 deep HPHT gas wells, offshore Norway

Operator had experienced kicks when using barite-weighted fluids

Economic benefits from the use of cesium formate brine in

deep gas field developments

“ a remarkable record of zero well control incidents in all 15

HPHT drilling operations and 20 HPHT completion operations”

Speed and safety Better/safer drilling environment saves rig-time costs - Stable hole: see LWD vs. WL calipers in shale

- Elimination of well control and stuck pipe incidents - Good hydraulics, low ECD

- Good ROP in hard abrasive rocks

Economic benefits from use of cesium formate brine in deep

gas field developments

Speed and simplicity

Allowing faster and easier movements of tubulars and fluids - Pipe and casing running speeds are faster

- Mud conditioning and flow-check times shorter - Displacements simplified, and sometimes eliminated (i.e. formate drilling fluid = formate completion fluid)

Quote by operator : “ Improved well economics by increasing trip speed”

Economic benefits from use of cesium formate brine in deep

gas field developments

Speed and simplicity. Getting it right first time

Faster completions - Drill-in and completing with cesium formate allows open hole completion with screens

- Clean well bores mean no tool/seal failures or blocked screens

- Completion time 50% lower than wells drilled with OBM

Quote by operator : “ fastest HPHT completion operation ever performed in North Sea (12.7 days)”

Maximises well production - providing efficient delivery of

gas reserves (revenues)

Tune and Huldra fields – drilled and completed with formate brines90% recovery of gas reserves (16-18 billion m3) produced in 7 to 8 years

0 2 4 6 8 10 120

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

HuldraTune

Time since start-up (years)

Re

co

ve

ry o

f G

as

Re

se

rve

s (

%)

Source : Norwegian Petroleum Directorate- Fact Pages - November 2009

Maximises well production - providing efficient delivery of

condensate reserves (revenues)

Tune and Huldra fields – drilled and completed with formate brines90% recovery of condensate reserves (3-5 million m3) produced in 4 to 6 years

Source : Norwegian Petroleum Directorate- Fact Pages - November 2009

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 100

20

40

60

80

100

120

HuldraTune

Time since start-up (years)

Re

co

ve

ry o

f C

on

de

ns

ate

Re

se

rve

s

(%)



“Using photoelectric factor and bulk density data, combined with resistivity measurements from both the LWD drill pass and the ream pass, produces a very reliable and consistent net reservoir definition.”

Good reservoir definition in cesium formate brine



“Applying a conductive drilling fluid in all production wells drilled in a field also provides the possibility of running high quality resistivity image logs (FMI). Extensive use of such logs provides the geo-modelers with detailed information regarding structural dip, depositional environment, sedimentary features, facies, and geological correlations.”

Good reservoir definition in cesium formate brine

Why oil companies like cesium formate brine

Cesium formate brine improves the profitability of HPHT gas field developments

• Drill and complete faster and easier

• Improve well safety and reduce risk

• Maximise well performance

• Reduce the need for future well interventions

• Precise definition of reservoir and fractures

Key information about cesium formate brine in one slide ......

• High-density clear brine – 98 to 143 pcf

• Advanced drilling,completion and workover fluid for

deep gas wells – available though all mud companies

• Improves economics of deep gas field developments

- Faster, simpler and safer well constructions

- Accelerated production of recoverable reserves

- Enhanced reservoir definition and imaging

BRINEWISE A Tool for Pricing the Full Operational Costs,

Waste and HSE Risk of Completion Fluids

Formate presentation to LUKSAR – December 2009

BrineWise calculates the full cost of owning and using high-

density completion fluids

Prices the full operational costs, waste costs and the cost of “incidents”

How BrineWise compares the true cost of completion fluid options

Cost of using fluid (waste, time, handover to

production etc.)

Fluid costs (price per bbl) + =

OperationalCosts related

to fluid choice

OperationalCosts +

HSE related costs =

Overallfluid related

cost for well

HSE costs Consent & Transport +

Cost of HSE risk(scenario based) =

HSE related costs related

to fluidchoice


production etc.)



to fluid choice


production etc.)



to fluid choice

OperationalCosts +

HSE related costs =

Overallfluid related

cost for well




to fluidchoice




to fluidchoice

COMPARATIVE NORMAL

OPERATIONAL COSTS COST OF HSE

RELATED RISK

COMPARATIVE AVERAGE

COST PER WELL (taking into account the HSE risk)

COSTS AT RISK

FOR THE ALTERNATIVE

S

COMPARATIVE FLUID COSTS

BrineWise calculates four cost scenarios

0

1 000 000

2 000 000

3 000 000

4 000 000

5 000 000

6 000 000

Fluid costs only Normal operationcosts

Costs of anincident w ith

small to averageconsequences

Costs of anincident w ithlarger than

averageconsequences

US

$

Cesium Formate Zinc Bromide

BrineWise – Key management benefits

BrineWise allows systematic cost comparison of the

consequences of using particular completion fluids

• Systematic fluid evaluation and costing incorporating :- Fluid cost

- Operational costs -HSE costs-Incident-related costs

•Shows costs for all operational departments - including cost

consequences for production

Best overall value (lowest cost) fluid option is clearly identified

Business

Cesium formate brine