Paraffin Control
Fourteen wells located in Northwestern Oklahoma producing out of the Red Fork, Morrow, Des Moines, Hunton and Tonkawa formations were experiencing high lifting costs due to paraffin. The conventional treatment program consisted of a combination of hot oil and paraffin chemical treatments. The operator was averaging two mechanical failures per month on the fourteen wells. These failures were due in large part to paraffin deposition in the tubulars causing compression in the sucker rod string. Typically, the operator had to hot oil to put the pump back into the hole and in some cases, the wells had to be stripped out of the hole because of paraffin.
In February 1995, Bio Tech designed and implemented a six-month microbial treatment pilot program for the fourteen wells. The goals of the program were to:
1.) Control paraffin deposition in the tubulars.
2.) Reduce the mechanical failure frequency.
3.) Reduce the lifting Costs.
Bio Tech’s treatment program consisted of soaking the wellbore for three days with a specifically designed blend of Para-Bac microbes, followed by monthly maintenance batch treatments.
The treatment program has been very successful. The amount of paraffin deposition in the tubulars has been dramatically reduced.
During the six-month pilot, only two wells had mechanical failures. When these wells were pulled, the paraffin that was present was soft and manageable. The operator came out of and back into the hole without the need to hot oil.
The monthly lifting costs have been reduced (See Economic Summary). The operator has realized incremental production of 4,606 barrels of oil (See Production Graph) due to the control of paraffin deposition in the tubing and the remediation of paraffin-based skin damage.