N-SQUEEZE™ and N-PLEX™
Acid Soluble Lost Circulation Materials
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
customer
CHALLENGE
Fluid losses when drilling
into fractured formations
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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customer
CHALLENGE
Risks associated with
fluid losses:
 High costs associated with
replacing drilling fluids
 Formation damage
associated with remedial
treatments
 Loss in hydrostatic pressure
can cause influx of gas or
fluid, resulting in blowout of
well (extreme cases)
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Types of Lost Circulation
Lost Circulation
Classification
Typical
Loss Rate
Seepage
<10 bbl/hr
Partial
Severe
Total
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Typical Formation
Characteristics
Sands, sandstones, silt
10-50 bbl/hr
Unconsolidated sand
and gravel, small natural
or induced fractures
50-100 bbl/hr
Long sections of
unconsolidated sand and
gravel, larger natural or
induced fractures
>100 bbl/hr
Cavernous formations,
large, and/or numerous
natural or induced
fractures
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Preventative
Solutions
Mitigation
Solutions

Particulate blend in
whole mud
N/A

Particulate blend in
whole mud
Particulate blend in
pill application
N/A
Particulate and/or
fibrous blend in pill
application
Cross-linkable
polymeric pills
(N-SQUEEZE /
N-PLEX)
None
Cross-linkable
polymeric pills
(N-SQUEEZE /
N-PLEX)



Baroid’s
SOLUTION
N-SQUEEZETM lost circulation
material is a non-damaging crosslinkable water soluble polymer that
helps cure lost circulation in many
different applications.
N-PLEXTM cross-linker contains a
retarding agent to achieve a
crosslinking time of approximately
2-4 hours, allowing time to place
the N-SQUEEZE slurry across the
loss zone.
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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Applications
N-SQUEEZE / N-PLEX Lost
Circulation Material
Applications:
 Helps cure lost circulation in
vugular or fractured formations
 Temporary plug to run in front of
cement squeezes
 Improve casing shoe integrity
 Seal unconsolidated formations
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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key
FEATURES
 Acid soluble
 Single sack product
 Adjustable, time-delayed
cross-linking capabilities
 Biodegradable, nondamaging to production
zones
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
7
N-SQUEEZE / N-PLEX Data
 Reaction is a
pH/temperature
dependent
mechanism
 Higher temperatures
require a higher pH
for cross-linking
The figure above depicts the relationship of concentration
of available cross-linking agent with pH and temperature
in 5% KCl brine.
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
8
N-SQUEEZE / N-PLEX Data
 Must be pH-balanced to
set the conditions for the
optimal cross-linking at a
given temperature.
 Can be tuned to react
and thermally degrade at
desired rates based on
temperature by altering
the concentration of
cross-linker in the
formula.
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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customer
BENEFITS
 Cost-efficient
– Low cost solution
– Less risk of fluid losses
– No need for costly cement equipment
– Can be pumped through existing bottom hole assembly, reducing rig
time associated with tripping and mixing conventional LCM treatments
– Remains flexible, mitigating risk of kick-off / sidetracking
 Operational advantages over conventional reactive and temperature
activated methods
– Adjustable reaction time
 Non-damaging to the formation
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
10
BAROID’S N-FLOWTM Filter Cake Breakers
Baroid’s N-SQUEEZE™ & N-PLEX™
acid soluble lost circulation materials are an
efficient, low cost solution for treating lost
circulation in the reservoir.
Non-damaging to the
formation!
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
11
CASE STUDY: Lost Circulation Treatment Helped
Cure Lost Circulation in Deepwater Malaysia
Location: Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
CHALLENGE




Severe downhole losses observed after attempting to pull completion packer out of production casing
Initial losses – 138-300 bbl/hr
Fluid densities were reduced, but severe downhole losses continued
Total of 400 bbls of viscosifer pills pumped over 3 day period, but proved ineffective
SOLUTION





Baroid recommended spotting N-SQUEEZE™/N-PLEX™ acid soluble cross-linking pill
A 75 bbl N-SQUEEZE / N-PLEX pill was prepared with the cement unit and pumped downhole
Once the pill cleared the completion packer, the pill was allowed to set for 4 hours
Pressure was monitored and circulation was re-established
Operations resumed and the upper completion string and packer were retrieved from the well
RESULTS



The N-SQUEEZE/N-PLEX pill helped the operator save 2 days of rig time and additional
fluid losses estimated at $252,000
The ability to retrieve the completion packer without having to plug and abandon also resulted
in significant cost savings
As the upper 9 5/8” casing profile would have been lost, it would not have been possible to sidetrack
and re-complete the well, preventing the operator from achieving target production
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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related
DOCUMENTS
Product Data Sheets
Case Histories
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
13
BAROID Laboratory Support
Baroid scientists and engineers work with state of the art
equipment and an extensive global database in order to perform
comprehensive testing analysis on a global scale.
Baroid’s Laboratory Services include:







© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Analytical technical support
Bioassay technical support
Reservoir fluids technical services
Drilling fluids technical services
Industrial drilling products lab
Quality assurance
Research and development
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BAROID
RESERVOIR FLUID SOLUTIONS




Reservoir Drilling Fluids
Breaker Systems
Completion Fluids
Wellbore Clean-Up and
Displacement Packages
 Breaker Systems for
Polymer and Solids Removal
 Lost Circulation in Pay
Zones Solutions
© 2012 HALLIBURTON. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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www.halliburton.com/baroid
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