Method of applying solvent treatments using emulsions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10053615-B2
Application number	US-201414901197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2014
Priority date	Sep 25, 2013
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

Methods of delivering a low density solvent into a wellbore include combining an oleaginous solvent and a nonoleaginous fluid to form an emulsion, and injecting the emulsion into a wellbore. Other uses of low density solvent systems may include dissolving waxes and wax-containing residues in a wellbore, on downhole tools, from sand screens, or use in general cleanup operations in and outside of the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of installing a sand screen within a wellbore, the method comprising:
emplacing the sand screen with a wax-based component within the wellbore;
injecting a fluid system into the wellbore, the fluid system comprising a solvent and a non-oleaginous fluid that form an emulsion having an electrical stability (ES) within a range of 10 to 100 Volts;
contacting the wax-based component with the fluid system; and
allowing the fluid system to reduce the wax-based component.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of terpenes, limonene, and ethylene glycols.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion has an ES within the range of 20 V to 40 V.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the emulsion further comprises a surfactant having a hydrophilic/lipophilic balance within the range of 3 to 12.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvent has a vapor pressure at 20° C. within the range of 1×10 −7 mmHg to 1 mmHg.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising pumping the fluid system through the wellbore, thereby removing the wax-based component from the screen.

7. A method comprising:
injecting a fluid system into a wellbore, the fluid system comprising a solvent and a non-oleaginous fluid that form an emulsion having an electrical stability (ES) within a range of 10 to 100 Volts;
contacting a wax-based component in a targeted region of the wellbore with the fluid system; and
reducing the wax-based component from the wellbore comprising solubilizing the wax-based component in the solvent, allowing the emulsion to phase separate into a non-oleaginous phase and a low density solvent phase comprising the solubilized wax-based component, and displacing the low density solvent phase above the targeted region.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the solvent comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of terpenes, limonene, and ethylene glycols.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the wax-based component is present on a surface of a sand screen.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the wax-based component is present as a filtercake on at least an interval of the wellbore.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the emulsion has an ES within the range of 20 V to 40 V.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the solvent has a vapor pressure at 20° C. within the range of 1×10 −7 mmHg to 1 mmHg.

13. A method of delivering a low density solvent into a wellbore, the method comprising:
combining an oleaginous solvent and a non-oleaginous fluid to form an emulsion, wherein the emulsion has an electrical stability (ES) within a range of 10 to 50 Volts;
injecting the emulsion into a wellbore;
solubilizing a wax-based component in the solvent;
allowing the emulsion to phase separate into a non-oleaginous phase and a low density solvent phase comprising the solubilized wax-based component; and
displacing the low density solvent phase above the targeted region.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the solvent comprises at least one selected from a group consisting of terpenes, limonene, and ethylene glycols.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising adding an acid or base to disrupt the emulsion.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the emulsion contains a delayed acid source.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the delayed acid source is a formic acid ester or an acetic acid ester of a C2-C30 alcohol.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein the density of the emulsion is from about 9 ppg to 12 ppg.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein the emulsion further comprises a surfactant that is at least one selected from a group consisting of fatty acids, amidoamines, polyamides, polyamines, and oleate esters.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the surfactant has a hydrophilic/lipophilic balance within the range of 3 to 12.

Assignees

• Mi Llc

Inventors

• Offenbacher Matthew
• Gadiyar Balkrishna

Classifications

• E21B43/08 Primary

  Screens or liners {(expandable screens or liners E21B43/108)} · CPC title

• C09K8/36

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title

• C09K8/26 Primary

  Oil-in-water emulsions · CPC title

• C09K8/57 Primary

  Compositions based on water or polar solvents (C09K8/565 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B37/06

  using chemical means for preventing or limiting {, e.g. eliminating,} the deposition of paraffins or like substances · CPC title