IP Library Granted Patent US 12,480,899
Granted Patent B2
US 12,480,899 · App. 18/077,738 · Granted Nov 25, 2025

Method to measure acid diversion efficiency in matrix acidizing through NMR

Inventors: Mahmoud Elsayed (Dhahran, SA); Mohamed Mahmoud (Dhahran, SA); Murtada Saleh Aljawad (Dhahran, SA); Ammar El-Husseiny (Dhahran, SA); Ahmed Binghanim (Dhahran, SA)
Assignee: KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
G01N24/081G01N15/08G01N33/24
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,480,899
App. No.
18/077,738
Granted
Nov 25, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method to measure acid diversion efficiency in rock samples. The method includes measuring a first porosity and a permeability of the rock samples. The method includes flooding a core region of the rock sample with a hydrochloric acid (HCl) system to create a wormhole, wherein during the flooding the HCl system penetrates from a first end of the rock sample to a second end of the rock sample to form the wormhole. The method includes measuring a second porosity, a pore size distribution, and a diffusion tortuosity of the rock samples with NMR. The method includes establishing a diversion index (DI) based off a ratio between the diffusion tortuosity in a first direction and the diffusion tortuosity in a second direction. The method includes determining the acid diversion efficiency based off the diversion index.

Claims (36)

1 . A method to measure acid diversion efficiency in a rock sample, comprising:

measuring a first porosity and a permeability of the rock sample;

flooding a core region of the rock sample with a hydrochloric acid (HCl) system to create a wormhole, wherein during the flooding the HCl system penetrates from a first end of the rock sample to a second end of the rock sample to form the wormhole;

measuring, with NMR, a first diffusion tortuosity τ d,x in an X-direction corresponding to a direction orthogonal to the wormhole;

measuring, with NMR, a second diffusion tortuosity τ d,y in a Y-direction corresponding to a direction parallel to the wormhole;

calculating a diversion index (DI) by the following formula:

DI

=

τ

d

,

y

τ

d

,

x

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an NMR logging tool remains placed in the wormhole at two pressure regimes.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein if the diversion index is above 0.7, an operator can begin hydrofracking on a bore hole a subterranean rock formation.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the HCl system is at least one selected from the group consisting of a solution comprising hydrochloric acid, a solution comprising HCl and a viscoelastic surfactant (VES), and a solution comprising HCl and a polymer.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the HCl system comprises HCl and the VES as a mixture containing from 10 weight % (wt. %) to 20 wt. % hydrochloric acid per weight of the solution and of from 1 wt. % to 5 wt. % VES per weight of the solution.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the HCl system comprises the HCl and the polymer as a mixture containing from 10 wt. % to 20 wt. % hydrochloric acid per weight of the solution and of from 0.02 wt. % to 0.1 wt. % of a polyacrylamide (PAM) per weight of the solution.

7 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the HCl system has a pH of 1-6.

8 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the HCl system comprises HCl and the VES and has a pH of 1-6.

9 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the HCl system comprises HCl and the polymer and has a pH of 1-6.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises flooding the rock sample with at least one acid selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, citric acid, formic acid, a polymer-based acid, a VES acid, an emulsified acid, a foam acid, and a chelating agent-containing stimulation fluid.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring the first porosity of the rock sample includes treating the rock sample with potassium chloride (KCl).

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the measuring the permeability of the rock sample includes treating the rock sample with KCl.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rock sample is a carbonate formation rock with a permeability of 1 to 50 millidarcy.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the rock sample has a porosity of 5-50%.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flooding is carried out at a temperature of 80-120° C.

16 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

verifying the acid diversion efficiency to computed tomography (CT) scans of the wormholes in the rock samples.

17 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

measuring, with NMR, the diffusion tortuosity in a third z-direction.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein if the diversion index is below 0.7, a different HCl system is deployed with HCl at a concentration of 25 wt. % to 40 wt. % per weight of the HCl system.

19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein if the diversion index is below 0.7, a different HCl system comprising HCl and VES is deployed with HCl at a concentration of 25 wt. % to 40 wt. % per weight of the HCl system and 5 wt. % to 15 wt. % per weight of VES of the system.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 8, 2022
From: ELSAYED, MAHMOUD; MAHMOUD, MOHAMED; ALJAWAD, MURTADA SALEH; EL-HUSSEINY, AMMAR; BINGHANIM, AHMED
To: KING FAHD UNIVERSITY OF PETROLEUM AND MINERALS
Reel/Frame 062029/0601 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240192155A1 · Jun 13, 2024
References Cited (10)
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Mahmoud, Mohamed. “Determination of the optimum wormholing conditions in carbonate acidizing using NMR.” Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 159 (2017): 952-969. (Year: 2017). [cited by examiner]
Elsayed, et al. ; New Technique for Evaluating Fracture Geometry and Preferential Orientation Using Pulsed Field Gradient Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ; SPE J. 26 (05) ; Oct. 13, 2021 ; 2 Pages. [cited by applicant]
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