Surfactant selection methods for fluid recovery in subterranean formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10023787-B2
Application number	US-201415522940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2014
Priority date	Dec 4, 2014
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

Methods for selecting a surfactant for treating a subterranean formation based on the performance of the surfactant and the characteristics of the subterranean formation and the treatment fluids that may be used to treat that formation are provided. In one embodiment, the method may comprise providing a treatment fluid, formation materials, hydrocarbon, and a plurality of surfactants, wherein the hydrocarbon is acquired from a subterranean formation; selecting at least two surfactants from the plurality of surfactants by determining whether each of the plurality of surfactants separates a mixture of the treatment fluid and the hydrocarbon; and selecting at least one surfactant from the at least two surfactants by determining whether the hydrocarbon displaces the treatment fluid from the formation materials in the presence of each of the at least two surfactants.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
(a) providing a treatment fluid, formation materials, hydrocarbon, and a plurality of surfactants, wherein the hydrocarbon is acquired from a subterranean formation;
(b) selecting a first subset from the plurality of surfactants, wherein the first subset comprises at least two surfactants, said selecting comprising:
forming at least two mixtures, wherein each mixture comprises the treatment fluid, the hydrocarbon, and at least one of the plurality of surfactants;
determining at least one of percent separation and separation time for each mixture; and
selecting the first subset from the plurality of surfactants based on at least one of the percent separation and the separation time, wherein for each surfactant in the first subset: (i) the percent separation is greater than the percent separation of at least one other surfactant in the plurality of surfactants, or (ii) the separation time is greater than the separation time of at least one other surfactant in the plurality of surfactants;

(c) selecting a second subset from the first subset selected in step (b), said selecting comprising:
preparing at least two vessels, wherein each vessel comprises the treatment fluid, the formation materials, the hydrocarbon, and at least one surfactant from the first subset;
allowing the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials;
determining at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for each vessel; and
selecting the second subset from the first subset based on at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials, wherein for each surfactant in the second subset: (i) the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon is greater than the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon for at least one other surfactant in the first subset, or (ii) the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials is less than the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for at least one other surfactant in the first subset; and

(d) selecting a selected concentration of a surfactant from the second subset selected in step (c), said selecting comprising:
preparing at least two vessels, wherein each vessel comprises the treatment fluid, the formation materials, the hydrocarbon, and a tested concentration of at least one surfactant in the second subset;
allowing the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials;
determining at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for the vessel; and
selecting the selected concentration from a plurality of the tested concentrations in the at least two vessels based on at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials, wherein for the selected concentration: (i) the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon is greater than the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon for at least one other tested concentration, or (ii) the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials is less than the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for at least one tested concentration.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the compatibility of the treatment fluid with at least one surfactant from the plurality of surfactants, wherein determining the compatibility comprises:
combining the at least one of the surfactants from the plurality of surfactants and the treatment fluid to form at least one mixture; and
determining whether a precipitate forms in the mixture or whether the at least one surfactant changes the viscosity of the treatment fluid.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising introducing a well treatment fluid comprising a base fluid and the selected concentration into a subterranean formation.

4. A method comprising:
(a) providing a treatment fluid, formation materials, hydrocarbon, and a surfactant, wherein the hydrocarbon is acquired from a subterranean formation;
(b) selecting a first subset from a plurality of concentrations of the surfactant, wherein the first subset comprises at least two concentrations, said selecting comprising:
forming at least two mixtures, wherein each mixture comprises the treatment fluid, the hydrocarbon, and at least one concentration of the surfactant;
determining at least one of percent separation and separation time for each mixture; and
selecting the first subset from the plurality of concentrations based on at least one of the percent separation and the separation time, wherein for each concentration in the first subset: (i) the percent separation is greater than the percent separation of at least one other concentration in the plurality of concentrations, or (ii) the separation time is greater than the separation time of at least one other concentration in the plurality of concentrations; and

(c) selecting a second subset from the first subset selected in step (b), said selecting comprising:
preparing at least two vessels, wherein each vessel comprises the treatment fluid, the formation materials, the hydrocarbon, and a concentration from the second subset;
allowing the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials;
determining at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for each vessel; and
selecting a second subset from the first subset based on at least one of the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon and the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials, wherein for each concentration in the second subset: (i) the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon is greater than the volume of the treatment fluid displaced from the formation materials by the hydrocarbon for at least one other concentration in the first subset, or (ii) the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials is less than the time for the hydrocarbon to flow through the formation materials for at least one other concentration in the first subset.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising determining the compatibility of the treatment fluid with the surfactant, wherein determining the compatibility comprises:
combining the surfactant at at least one concentration from the second subset and the treatment fluid to form at least one mixture; and
determining whether a precipitate forms in the mixture or whether the surfactant at the at least one concentration from the second subset changes the viscosity of the treatment fluid.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising introducing a well treatment fluid comprising a base fluid and the surfactant at at least one concentration from the second subset into a subterranean formation.

7. A method comprising:
(a) providing a treatment fluid, formation materials, hydrocarbon, and a plurality of surfactants, wherein the hydrocarbon is acquired from a subterranean formation;
(b) selecting a first subset from the plurality of surfactants, wherein the first subset comprises at least two surfactants, sa

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Benoit Denise Nicole
• Palla-Venkata Chandra Sekhar
• Burks Jody Marie
• Schultheiss Nathan Carl
• Alwattari Ali
• Loveless David
• Ogle James William
• Welton Thomas

Classifications

• C09K8/86

  containing organic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/52

  Compositions for preventing, limiting or eliminating depositions, e.g. for cleaning · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/584

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/68 Primary

  containing organic compounds · CPC title