Prediction of wormhole population density in carbonate matrix acidizing

The efficiency of a carbonate matrix acidizing treatment relies strongly on the dominant wormhole channels formed during the treatment. The acid volume needed to bypass the near wellbore damage area or penetrate a distance away from the wellbore depends not only on wormhole propagation distance but also on how many wormholes are created. A theory to predict when the dominant wormhole channels are most efficiently created was developed. Based on this theory, a wormhole population density (WPD) model was formulated. This model simulates the flow field around a wellbore with a wormhole extending into the formation was simulated to predict the WPD as a function of the acidizing treatment.

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