Well completions and workovers - 18. Well stimulation: the systems approach

The objective of well stimulation is to increase production of a producing oil or gas well, to increase injection rates in water, gas, or steam injection well, or to enhance drainage or flood patterns in a secondary recovery operation. The stimulation may be done for one or two reasons. If a well is damaged beyond all doubt, stimulation will be used to: (1) remove the damage, or (2) stimulate past the damage. The second reason is when, because of the natural low permeability of the formation, a well simply will not produce (or take injection) without stimulation. Stimulation methods are outlined along with completion stimulation and post-stimulation evaluation. 17 refs.