CASE STUDY Live Well Cleanout for Energy Development Corporation (EDC)

KEY EQUIPMENTBottom-Hole Assembly (BHA)

Powered by nitrogen, the BHA was deployed to address EDC’s downhole conditions. The system included a range of tools sized between 4” and 8.375” OD, ensuring that even varying well diameters could be thoroughly cleaned. The well’s flowing return path was directed through a portable silencer (LECM) to safely handle the discharge, maintaining operational control and environmental compliance throughout the process.

The Project

In EDC’s geothermal injection wells, scale deposits had formed over time and posed a significant barrier to effective chemical treatment. Traditional approaches—such as bullheading chemicals from the wellhead—risked attacking the casing materials or leaving chemicals lodged in the wrong place. Attempting mechanical clean-outs with conventional bottom-hole assemblies could remove scale from certain areas but leave debris at depths where it could accumulate and plug permeable zones.

This situation created a delicate balancing act: maintaining the integrity of the well, efficiently removing scale, and ensuring that the chemicals could be delivered exactly where they were needed without further compromising injectivity or well structure.

Western Energy’s approach for this well centred on stimulating flow from the injection well to enable the well to be mechanically cleared under live conditions The stimulated flow combined with the percussive action of Westerns pneumatic hammer broke scale into manageable fragments that were then flowed to surface. By carefully modulating the nitrogen flow rate and controlling the speed of the tool as it traveled down the well, these loosened deposits flowed to the surface rather than falling back down.

This dynamic method preserved wellbore integrity and eliminated the risk of leaving debris behind. Once the wellbore was cleared, it became possible to deploy chemical treatments precisely at the targeted depths, ensuring maximum efficacy and longevity of the restored injectivity.

With the scale successfully removed, EDC’s injection wells were effectively rejuvenated, allowing for targeted chemical treatments to enhance near-wellbore permeability. As much as 850 metres of scale accumulation was removed, enabling unobstructed access to the selected permeable zones. The availability of various tool sizes ensured seamless adaptation to changing well diameters, from the 9-5/8” casing down to the 5” liner section.

The meticulous live clean-out operation facilitated a noticeable improvement in injection capacity—far exceeding initial performance levels—and established a reliable, repeatable methodology that EDC can leverage for continued field development. This tailored, engineering-driven solution proved both its immediate value and potential applicability in other complex geothermal fields.