Degradation of Reservoir Quality by Clay Content, Unayzah Formation, Central Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Reservoirs in Central Saudi Arabia are important new sources of light sulfur-free crude oil. Development work on these wells has shown the adverse effect of authigenic clay minerals on their productivity or injectivity. The clay minerals may be affected during drilling of the well, during completion, during production, and/or injection. Kaolinite, chlorite, illite, and ordered and random mixed layer illite/smectite are commonly occurring authigenic clay minerals within the Permian Unayzah reservoir rock. As little as 2 weight percent clay causes permeability to be drastically reduced. Formation damage due to clay minerals results from: (1) swelling of smectite caused by injection water or drilling fluids of low salinity; (2) clay mineral migration and subsequent pore blockage; (3) precipitation of gelatinous pore-blocking iron hydroxides caused by the dissolution of chlorite by acid; (4) high water saturations; and (5) disaggregation of poorly consolidated parts of the reservoir into its component sand grains if the weak clay cements are disturbed. The implementation of clay control measures has resulted in increased production while minimizing formation damage.