1. Potassium Formate from Addcon An Oilfield Success Story : 1995-2014

2. Formate brines Formates are also soluble in some non-aqueous solvents
Sodium formate
Potassium formate
Cesium formate
Solubility in water
47 %wt
77 %wt
83 %wt
Density
1.33 g/cm lb/gal
1.59 g/cm lb/gal
2.30 g/cm lb/gal
Formates are also soluble in some non-aqueous solvents
Potassium formate from Addcon

3. Solubility of cesium formate in various solvents
Solvent density
(g/cm3)
Cesium formate solubility
(% w/w)
Solution density
Water activity of solution
Water
1.00
83.0
2.30
0.25
Monoethylene glycol
1.11
82.9
2.22
0.05
Diethylene glycol
1.12 57
1.66
0.20
Triethylene glycol
1.13 33
1.38
0.11
Glycerol
1.26
63.8
1.96
0.08
Potassium formate from Addcon

4. Formate brines – Discovery and qualification
Shell discover cesium formate brine
Start of Shell’s deep slim-hole drilling R&D programme
Shell patent the use of formates as polymer stabilisers
Shell publish first SPE papers on formate brines
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
Shell R&D in UK study the effect of sodium and potassium formates on the thermal stability of drilling polymers
Shell R&D in The Netherlands carry out qualification work on formate brines as deep slim-hole (HPHT) drilling fluids
Potassium formate from Addcon

5. The main application for formate brines is in High-Pressure High-Temperature gas wells
Low-solids heavy fluids for deep HPHT gas well constructions
Reservoir drill-in
Completion
Workover
Packer fluids
Well suspension
Fracking
Used in hundreds of HPHT wells since 1995, including some of
Europe’s deepest, hottest and highly-pressured gas reservoirs
Potassium formate from Addcon

6. The economic benefits provided by formate brines in HPHT gas field developments
Formate brines improve the economics of HPHT gas field developments by :
Reducing well delivery time and costs
Improving operational safety and
reducing risk
Delivering production rates that exceed expectations
Providing more precise reservoir definition
Potassium formate from Addcon

7. Reservoir Description
42 deep HPHT gas fields developed using potassium formate brine , *
Country
Fields
Reservoir Description
Matrix
type
Depth, TVD
(metres)
Permeability
(mD)
Temperature (oC)
Germany
Walsrode,Sohlingen
Voelkersen, Idsingen,
Kalle, Weissenmoor,
Simonswolde
Sandstone
4,450-6,500
Hungary
Mako , Vetyem
5,692 -
235
Kazakhstan
Kashagan
Carbonate
4,595-5,088
100
Norway
Huldra ,Njord
Kristin,Kvitebjoern
Tune, Valemon
Victoria, Morvin,
Vega, Asgard
4,090-7,380
50-1,000
Pakistan
Miano, Sawan
3,400
10-5,000
175
Saudi Arabia
Andar,Shedgum
Uthmaniyah
Hawiyah,Haradh
Tinat, Midrikah
and
carbonate
3,963-4,572
0.1-40 UK
Braemar,Devenick
Dunbar,Elgin
Franklin,Glenelg
Judy, Jura, Kessog
Rhum, Shearwater
West Franklin
4,500-7,353
0.01-1,000
USA
High Island
4,833
177
* More HPHT fields developed in Kuwait, India and Malaysia during
Potassium formate from Addcon