Case Study Record Gravel-Pack Interval Saves USD 60 Million by Reducing Well Count, North Sea
Integrated approach enables successful packing of 4,347 ft of open hole in a challenging environment with low fracture pressure.
Polymer-free viscoelastic surfactant (VES) gravel-pack fluids
ClearPAC polymer-free gravel-pack fluids are water-based fluids prepared by adding a viscoelastic surfactant to a completion brine; both monovalent and divalent brines with a wide range of densities can be used. Viscosity develops rapidly and is not prone to shear degradation.
With their tolerance to oil-based fluid contamination, ClearPAC fluids provide efficient gravel packing in wells drilled with oil-based or water-based mud. They are suitable for both batch and continuous mixing.
A range of formulations enables you to optimize results for your application:
The fluids provide superior gravel suspension performance and shear recovery at lower surfactant concentrations compared with other VES fluids. They also exhibit low friction pressure during pumping compared with polymer-based fluids, making them ideal for gravel packing long horizontal intervals with Alternate Path screens.
Unlike crosslinked-polymer-based fluids, ClearPAC fluids exhibit viscosity reduction on contact with crude oils or on dilution with brine. No breaker is required to reduce viscosity after the gravel-pack operation is complete.