Investigating the Role of Different Rock Properties in Laser Perforation

High-power laser technology emerges as a feasible alternative to conventional perforation techniques in oil and gas wells, offering precise, clean, and debris-free perforations. The outcome of laser perforation is influenced by downhole conditions, rock properties, as well as laser properties. The objective of this paper is to evaluate how different rock properties affect laser-rock interaction and ultimately govern the perforation process. This review provides a rigorous assessment of the impact of different thermal and mechanical rock properties on the laser perforation process, leveraging an extensive range of laboratory tests, computational simulations, and field observations. The investigation focuses on properties such as in-situ stresses, heterogeneity, hardness, and other thermal properties, all of which play a pivotal role in the laser perforation process. The two major industry applications that utilized high-power lasers are flowline descaling and well perforation. In flowline descaling, the laser head was mounted inside the scaled pipe where lasing occurred. The continuous laser heating induced thermally mechanical stresses that removed the scales off the pipe. Post-treatment mechanical tests confirmed the pipe integrity was preserved. This application eliminated the use of chemicals and water for descaling, thus contributing to water conservation sustainability efforts. Also, material conservation was accomplished since this application allows the reuse of the descaled flowline pipe as there was no mechanical damage induced. Furthermore, the descaling time decreased by 85% compared to the conventional hydro jetting descaling method, and the number of operators required was also lower. In the second application, where high-power lasers were utilized for perforation, the loss time associated with escorting the shaped charges in the conventional perforation technique was eliminated. Overall, high-power lasers provided more sustainable alternatives in descaling and perforation applications compared to the conventional means that utilized chemical treatments or shaped charges. As lasers can be extended to more upstream applications, the distinction lies in performing all of these applications with the same laser engine and system in the field with a more significantly reduced footprint than conventional practices.