Well stimulation in brief

Well stimulation is a form of intervention carried out to increase production, enhancing the flow of oil from a well’s drainage area into the well bore.

During drilling operations, a variety of chemicals are pumped down the well, chemicals that can cause damage to the surrounding formation and adversely affect the flow of hydrocarbons from the well. Well stimulation is a cost-effective way of countering these problems, pumping other, specially selected chemicals into the well to restore permeability. Concentrated formic acid is commonly used to clean up drilling mud and other materials, a process known as acidising.

Pumping chemicals from the surface is not always effective, however, and in such circumstances chemicals are directed at specific problem areas using coiled tubing, which is run into a hole with a jetting tool on the end. When the tool is at its target, the chemical is pumped through the pipe and jetted directly onto the damaged area. OSJ