Method of treating water-swellable minerals in a subterranean formation with a stabilizing compound with a cationic group and hydrophobic portion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160899-B2
Application number	US-201415304468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A treatment fluid for treating a portion of a water-sensitive subterranean formation comprising: a base fluid; and a stabilizing compound, wherein the stabilizing compound reduces or eliminates swelling of a water-swellable mineral of the portion of the water-sensitive subterranean formation, and wherein the stabilizing compound comprises: (A) a cationic functional group; and (B) a hydrophobic portion. A method of treating a portion of a water-sensitive subterranean formation comprising: introducing a treatment fluid into a wellbore, wherein the wellbore penetrates the subterranean formation, wherein the portion of the subterranean formation comprises a water-swellable mineral.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of treating a portion of a water-sensitive subterranean formation comprising:
introducing a treatment fluid into a wellbore, wherein the wellbore penetrates the subterranean formation,
wherein the portion of the subterranean formation comprises a water-swellable mineral, and wherein the treatment fluid comprises:
(A) a hydrocarbon base fluid; wherein the hydrocarbon base fluid is selected from the group consisting of: a fractional distillate of crude oil; a saturated hydrocarbon; an unsaturated hydrocarbon; a branched hydrocarbon; a cyclic hydrocarbon; and any combination thereof; and
(B) a stabilizing compound, wherein the stabilizing compound comprises:
(i) a cationic functional group; and
(ii) a hydrophobic portion,
wherein the stabilizing compound comprises a product of a reaction of a dialkylamine with an epichlorohydrin; wherein the dialkylamine comprises two alkyl groups; wherein both alkyl groups of the dialkylamine individually comprise a carbon number of 4 or greater, wherein the hydrophobic portion is a short, medium, long, or very long chain fatty acid, and wherein the fatty acid is an unsaturated fatty acid.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing compound is a polymer.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the cationic functional group is located on a backbone of the polymer.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cationic functional group is a fully quaternized or partially quaternized amine, or phosphorus atom.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cationic functional group does not have any quaternization.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the pKa of the cationic functional group is sufficient such that the group behaves as a cation.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the cationic functional group ionically interacts with the water-swellable mineral.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the water-swellable mineral is a clay or fines capable of migrating when disturbed.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing compound comprises more than one hydrophobic portion.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrophobic portion has a carbon chain length in the range of C 4 -C 24 .

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the hydrocarbon is an alkane, alkene, or alkyne.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid is a drilling fluid, spacer fluid, cement composition, workover fluid, or fracturing fluid.

13. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising mixing the treatment fluid with a mixing apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of introducing comprises pumping the treatment fluid into the wellbore.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Vo Loan K
• Weaver Jimmie D
• Nguyen Philip D

Classifications

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• C04B24/124

  Amides · CPC title

• C09K8/035

  Organic additives · CPC title

• C09K8/62

  Compositions for forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• C04B24/121

  Amines, polyamines · CPC title