Any good oil or gas person knows that you have to choose the right completion fluids to get the most productivity out of an oil or gas well. Once the drill has hit the production zone, the work isn’t over. To obtain maximum flow and protect the zone itself, the proper completion fluid is all important. Virtually any liquid that is free of solids can function as a completion fluid but matching the density, flow and pH content to the characteristics of the hole will lengthen the life of the production zone.

Finding a completion fluid that complements the characteristics of a particular oil or gas well increases the capacity of the well. It also makes site preparation easier and limits site erosion and/or possible damage to the site. The right completion fluid may also make it easier to repair a well should that become necessary. When it comes time to clean up and close down the well, having chosen good completion fluids will make those jobs easier, too.

Formates are often used as completion fluids as are chlorides and bromides. The structure and composition of the well and specifically the production zone are the keys to picking the right completion fluid. A highly filtered and completely solid free completion fluid will add to both the productivity and the dependability of any well over the long term.

With oil and gas reserves on the wane in many places, drillers must pull as much product from each well as possible. Use of correct completion fluids from the outset of the pre-production phase can eliminate costly seepage throughout production. The right choice of completion fluids also makes it easier to harvest oil and gas deposits from the secondary arteries of a production zone.

Brines and Completion Fluids

Completion fluids can be bought ready made. All oil wells and gas wells have distinctive characteristics which means that a completion fluid tailored to each well may be a better approach than taking one off the shelf. Having a completion fluid that is designed with the specifications of a particular well in mind may seem more expensive at the outset but can save dollars and increase production down the line.

Calibrating a completion fluid requires specific knowledge and education. Each well should have a completion fluids expert on site either as an employee of the company or as a consultant. This key employee will be the liaison between the company preparing the completion fluid and the crew completing the well. The completion fluids expert will make sure that the proper fluids are chosen and that they are delivered to the well in the appropriate manner.

Investigating the proper completion fluids for a well should begin as soon as the production zone has been penetrated. It will take the ongoing work of a completion fluids expert to make sure that the liquid and the well are ideally suited. Working from the start of the drilling with this choice in mind will increase both the life and the productivity of just about any well.