Veslefrikk Scale Control Strategy and Economic Implications: Revisited 7 Years Later—Did We Improve?

Abstract The Veslefrikk field, located in block 30/3 of the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, has been on production since 1989 and is in the decline phase. Due to seawater injection, commingled production and high reservoir temperature, severe tendency towards deposition of sulphate and carbonate scale has been observed. The economic consequences of scale and the benefit from scale control work had been assessed quantitatively and presented at the 2001 SPE Third International Symposium on Oilfield Scale (Tjomsland et al., 2001). The study showed that the scale control strategy had been an economic success. However, annually more than 4% of the well productivity was still lost due to scale deposition, and in consequence it was recommended to intensify the scale management procedures. A task force involving scale control experts from the licence partners was established. In co-operation with service companies, the group systematically assessed new scale control measures for use at Veslefrikk. In 2006 a benchmark against the 2001 study was performed to investigate if the scale control work had been improved. The results showed that the scale potential was approximately the same in the second period (June 1999-2005) as in the first (1993- May1999), but a significant improvement in downhole scale control was now obtained through a more aggressive use of preventive scale inhibitor squeezes and the implementation of new technology. However, the study also concluded that scale inhibitor squeezes themselves in some cases caused formation damage, most likely due to the formation of water blocks. Recently a mutual solvent that can be incorporated as part of the squeeze pre-flush was qualified for use on Veslefrikk. This has not only reduced the risk of formation damage, but in some cases even increased productivity has been observed.