HF | Energy Glossary

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HF

1. n. [Well Workover and Intervention, Well Completions]

A poisonous liquid acid composed of hydrogen and fluorine. Hydrofluoric acid [HF] is used primarily because it is the only common, inexpensive mineral acid that can dissolve siliceous minerals. HF is typically mixed with hydrochloric acid [HCl] or organic acid to keep the pH low when it spends, thereby preventing detrimental precipitates. These mixtures, also called mud acids, are considered the main fluid in a sandstone acid treatment because they remove formation damage. Hydrofluoric acid should not be used in sandstone formations with high carbonate content because of the high risk of calcium fluoride precipitation [CaF2].

See related terms: fluoboric acidmatrix stimulationprecipitate