Method for the use of nitrates and nitrate reducing bacteria in hydraulic fracturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10287487-B2
Application number	US-201715589171-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 21, 2010
Publication date	May 14, 2019
Grant date	May 14, 2019

Abstract

A slick water fracturing fluid including a brine, an inorganic nitrate, a nitrogen reducing bacteria, a scale inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a polyacrylate polymer, a polyacrylate copolymer, a polyacrylate terpolymer, and mixtures thereof, and a friction reducer, wherein the friction reducer is a polyacrylamide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of controlling sulfides in a subterranean formation, comprising:
injecting a fluid comprising an inorganic nitrate and a friction reducer into the subterranean formation; and
allowing the inorganic nitrate to increase the growth rate of nitrogen-reducing bacteria in the formation so as to inhibit the growth rate of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the formation.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the inorganic nitrate is selected from the group consisting of potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, and mixtures thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising: injecting nitrogen reducing bacteria into the subterranean formation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the nitrogen reducing bacteria is selected from the group consisting of Campylobacter sp. Nitrobacter sp., Nitrosomonas sp., Thiomicrospira sp., Sulfurospirillum sp., Thauera sp., Paracoccus sp., Pseudomonas sp., Rhodobacter sp., Desulfovibrio sp., and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein nitrogen reducing bacteria is Nitrobacter vulgaris, Nitrosomonas europea, Pseudomonas stutzeri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Paracoccus denitrificans, Sulfurospirillum deleyianum , and Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising: injecting a molybdate or molybdate salt into the subterranean formation.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the molybdate salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium molybdate, lithium molybdate, and mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising: injecting 9, 10-anthraquinone into the subterranean formation.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein no effective amount of a biocide is introduced into the subterranean formation.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the subterranean formation comprises a low permeability subterranean formation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid further comprises a brine.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid further comprises a scale inhibitor.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid further comprises a molybdate or molybdate salt.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the fluid further comprises 9, 10-anthraquinone.

15. A method of controlling sulfides in a subterranean formation, comprising:
injecting a fluid comprising an inorganic nitrate into the subterranean formation, wherein the fluid comprises a gel; and
allowing the inorganic nitrate to increase the growth rate of nitrogen-reducing bacteria in the formation so as to inhibit the growth rate of sulfate-reducing bacteria in the formation.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid does not comprise an effective amount of a biocide.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid further comprises a molybdate or molybdate salt.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid further comprises 9, 10-anthraquinone.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid further comprises a scale inhibitor.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the fluid further comprises a brine.

Assignees

• Multi Chem Group Llc

Inventors

• Durham Danny K
• Harless Michael L

Classifications

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/528

  inorganic depositions, e.g. sulfates or carbonates · CPC title

• C09K2208/28

  Friction or drag reducing additives · CPC title

• C09K2208/20

  Hydrogen sulfide elimination · CPC title

• C09K8/62 Primary

  Compositions for forming crevices or fractures · CPC title