BJ Services Company has been awarded a contract by Eni S.p.A to carry out a range of well services in Italy. BJ's well services team will provide acid stimulation services on a number of wells to maximize the inflow area of the wellbore in oil and gas formations throughout Italy, both onshore and offshore.

Wells in northern Italy are scheduled to receive post-drilling high-pressure matrix and diversion treatments with high-temperature acid formulations. In southern Italy, BJ Services anticipates that it will complete numerous large post-drilling stimulation operations in fractured carbonate formations, and a number of organic acid stimulation operations on offshore wells in the Adriatic Sea. BJ has already treated two wells in Villafortuna and Val di Agri. Acid stimulation services have also been successfully carried out on an HPHT well in a Dolomite formation located at 19,685 ft (6000 m) TVD and 20,341 ft (6200 m) MD.

BJ Services Invests $10 Million in Fracturing Equipment for Europe

To complete this project, BJ Services is utilizing new state-of-the-art fracturing equipment, which is permanently based at the company's facility in Emmen, The Netherlands. Earlier this year, BJ invested USD$10 million in stimulation and fracturing equipment that will be used specifically for operations carried out in Continental Europe. With five 2000 HHP Wolverine™ pumps designed to accommodate high pressure and rates, the equipment is ideal for meeting the customer’s acid fracturing work requirements in northern Italy. Because they are operated remotely from a safe distance and equipped with automatic shutoffs, the Wolverine pumps offer valuable safety benefits. In addition, the new Cyclone™ V blender, which mixes fluids, chemicals, diverters and proppants at high rates of +/-60 BPM automatically or manually, is being used to mix relevant chemicals. Scheduled to arrive shortly in Italy are an STC-2000 unit that monitors data and communicates wirelessly with equipment, and a hydration unit used to gel polymers, pump chemicals and monitor gel in real time.

BJ Services staff based at the company's facilities in Pescara, Italy, are providing support and chemicals required for the operation.

"We welcome the opportunity to work on behalf of Eni in Italy. By carrying out matrix stimulation services, we are aiming to achieve maximum penetration," said John Anderson, BJ Services, well services, region manager -- Europe & West Africa. "With our experience in well stimulation services, we are confident that we can maximise the inflow capacity of their wells in such a way that they will operate smoothly, and produce effectively over the long term," he added.

The multi-million dollar contract from Eni features two options to extend the contract for three-month periods, as required by Eni. Following completion of the current contract, plans are in the works for BJ Services to provide additional acid fracturing and diversion services for Eni in northern Italy. In addition, the two companies are in discussions about the possibility of supplying BJ’s InjectSafe™ capillary services and proppant fracturing services with its LiteProp™ proppant, which is particularly effective in wells with bottomhole temperatures to 107°C (225°F).