BioSqueeze Inc. was contracted to restore mechanical integrity on a Marcellus Shale well undergoing post-frac drillout to bring the asset online. Prior to the frac, low top of cement on the production casing required a perf and squeeze with cement at 6,350’, after which a casing patch was installed and the frac commenced. On stage 56 of 57 pressure rapidly decreased and a subsequent camera run revealed the patch was compromised. The patch was then removed, and resin was squeezed into the perforations, but they continued to leak at which point BioSqueeze Inc. was brought in to address the issue.

Prior to treatment a camera was run to determine the condition of the casing above the perforations where the patch was milled and jarred out of the well which revealed a breach in casing. The decision was made to treat the perforations before moving up to seal the breach.

Treatment One: Leaking Perforations

In preparation for the first Downhole BioSqueeze® treatment, a composite bridge plug was set just below the perforations, with tubing hung at the top of the perforated interval, and a packer just above that.

The first treatment consisted of injecting two stages of our low viscosity, biomineralizing fluids into the perforations. In total, 1.67 gallons were injected over the course of a few hours with a final rate of 0.001 gpm at 1,608 psi.

Treatment Two: Casing Breach

Preparation then began for the second treatment, with the composite bridge plug, tubing, and packer set up in a similar manner to target the breach in casing.

The second treatment utilized 24-hour operations to expedite the process and consisted of 13 stages injected into the breach over the course of just over 48 hours. Over the course of treatment, the injection rate fell from 0.063 gpm to 0.019 gpm with all stages pumped at constant pressure of 1,600 psi and a total of 46 gallons injected.

Prior to the first treatment the perforations were leaking at a rate of 29 psi lost over 15 minutes at 988 psi (2.9%) and fell to 2 psi lost in 15 minutes at 1,608 psi (0.12%) immediately after treatment. Prior to the second treatment the breach was leaking at a rate of 79 psi lost over 5 minutes at 1,000 psi (7.9%) and fell to 13 psi lost over 15 minutes at 1,600 psi (0.81%) immediately after treatment.

Upon being held static for 10 hours at pressure with no further loss in pressure, completion operations resumed, and the well was turned over to production.