MICRO-WASH invert emulsion drill-in fluid filter cake breaker

Effectively remove damage caused by any invert emulsion synthetic-based or oil-based mud in your openhole wellbores with the MICRO-WASH™ invert emulsion drill-in fluid filter cake breaker from Baker Hughes. The customized, single-step mesophase system has powerful detergency properties to remove oil/mud damage, in-situ emulsions, and synthetic-based mud (SBM) or oil-based mud (OBM) filter cakes from your wellbore.

Open your flow paths for optimal production

The MICRO-WASH system is a microemulsion technology containing a proprietary surfactant blend, organic acid (or acid precursor), corrosion inhibitor, and brine. The system is added to your blend tank or pit with low shear—only a low-speed paddle stirrer is required to minimize possible foaming issues. The acid should be added just before pumping the spot downhole.

The full MICRO-WASH formulation is then pumped into the openhole section and allowed to soak. Your regional Baker Hughes laboratory will determine the precise field concentration for the MICRO-WASH system based on your well requirements. The soak time for filter cake removal is typically greater than 12 hours, depending on the placement procedure. The system can be spotted with a conventional workstring.

During soaking, the solution’s ultralow interfacial tension properties allow it to diffuse into the rock matrix—solubilizing the oil in the emulsions and filter cake while leaving the solids and surfaces in a water-wet state.

The calcium carbonate bridging solids in your formation are then exposed and removed with the organic acid or acid precursor, while the remaining drill solids become dispersed and mobilized. You’re left with a stabilized wellbore, with optimized flow paths within the rock matrix and completions screen assembly. As a result, the MICRO-WASH system further enhances the production or injection of your well.

Use the MICRO-WASH system for post-production to remediate underachieving producer and injection wells, or to preemptively remove SBM and OBM filter cakes in newly drilled wells.

For new wells, the system can provide a delay, giving you extended periods of fluid loss control. This delay also ensures that the system remains in contact with the filter cake along the entire openhole interval, resulting in a more uniform removal.