SISTEMAS DE PRODUCCION

Concept of Skin
Effective Wellbore Radius
Skin Factor
Flow Efficiency
Skin Components
 Skin has no physical dimension.
It is analogous to the film coefficient in heat
transfer.
Skin can be zero (no effect), positive or
negative.
A restriction to flow.
A distortion of the flow lines from the
perfectly normal to the well direction.
May result from:
Partial completion (perforation height less than
formation thickness)
Inadequate number of perforations
Phase changes
Turbulence (high-velocity flow)
Damage to the natural reservoir permeability
 Flowenhancement
May result from:
Matrix stimulation (near-wellbore permeability
exceeds the natural value)
Hydraulic fracturing
Highly inclined wellbore
 rw rwe S

rw = effective wellbore radius, ft

rw = wellbore radius, ft
S = skin factor

Positiveskin has the effect of reducing

wellbore radius.
Negative skin has the effect of increasing
wellbore radius.
 Pressure drop (psia) due to skin is:
141.2qo o Bo
PS S
2 kh

qo = oil flow rate, STB/D

o = oil viscosity, cp
Bo = oil FVF, bbls/STB
k = reservoir permeability, mD
h = reservoir thickness, ft
S = skin factor
 Damaged zone

Undamaged zone
No damage no skin (ks = k)
Ideal drawdown:

141.2qo o Bo rs
PS Pwf ,ideal ln
2 kh rw

Damage (ks < k)

Real drawdown:

141.2qo o Bo rs
PS Pwf ,real ln
2 kS h rw
 Pressure drop due to skin Pwf ,real Pwf ,ideal
Therefore:

141.2qo o Bo
PS S Pwf ,real Pwf ,ideal
2 kh

141.2qo o Bo 141.2qo o Bo rs 141.2qo o Bo rs

S ln ln
2 kh 2 kS h rw 2 kh rw

141.2qo o Bo 141.2qo o Bo 1 1 rs
S ln
2 kh 2 h kS k rw
141.2 qo o Bo 141.2 qo o Bo 1 1 rs
S ln
2 kh 2 h kS k rw

S 1 1 rs
ln
k kS k rw

k rs
S 1 ln
kS rw
 Ideal drawdown
F
Real drawdown

F
P P
S wf ,ideal k
s

P P
S wf , real k
F < 1: Damaged well (skin is positive)
F = 1: No change (skin is zero)
F > 1: Stimulated well (skin is negative)
 S Sd Sc S S p S pseudo

S = total skin effect of a well

Sd = skin due to damage
Sc = skin due to partial penetration completion
S = skin due to deviation
Sp = skin due to perforation
Spseudo = skin due to rate-dependent effects & phase-
dependent effects
 Rate-dependent skin can be obtained from a
well test.
Phase-dependent skin effects are associated
with phase changes because of the near-
wellbore pressure gradient.
If Pwf < Pb: a reduction in the effective
permeability to oil in the case of oil wells.
If Pwf < Pd: a reduction in the effective
permeability to gas in the case of gas wells.
Skin Due To Deviation

2.06
1.865 h kh
S log
41 56 100rw kv

kv
tan tan
1

kh

S = skin due to deviation

= angle between the well & the vertical
kh = horizontal permeability
kv = vertical permeability
Skin Due To Completion (Partial Penetration)
 k
0.825
h k
Sc 1.35 1 ln h h 7 1.95 ln rwc 0.49 0.1ln h h
hp kv k
v

zm
rwc rw exp 0.2126 2.753
h

zm = distance between the top sand & the middle of the

open interval.
rwc = rw for an interval either starting at the top of the
reservoir of finishing at the base.
 Clegg, J. D.: Production Operations
Engineering, Petroleum Engineering
Handbook, Vol. IV, SPE, 2007.
Economides, M. J., Hill, A. D., and Ehlig-
Economides, C.: Petroleum Production
Systems, Prentice Hall, PTR, 1994.
Bellarby, J.: Well Completion Design, 1st Ed.,
Elsevier B.V., 2009.