Method of using surface modifying treatment agents to treat subterranean formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10648304-B2
Application number	US-201715816858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2017
Priority date	Sep 20, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A well treatment fluid contains a surface modifying treatment agent having an anchor and a hydrophobic tail. The surface modifying treatment agent is an organophosphorus acid derivative. After the well treatment fluid is pumped into a well penetrating the subterranean formation, the anchor binds to the surface of the formation. The subterranean formation is a siliceous formation or a metal oxide-containing subterranean formation. The anchor bonds to a Si atom when the formation is a siliceous formation and to the metal of the metal oxide when the formation is a metal oxide-containing formation. After being bound to the surface of the formation, frictional drag within the well is reduced. This allows for faster recovery of formation fluids. The bonding of the surface modifying treatment agent onto the formation may further be enhanced by first pre-treating the formation with a non-aqueous fluid. By increasing the number of sites for the surface modifying treatment agent to bind onto the surface of the subterranean formation, productivity is improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of treating a siliceous or metal (M) oxide-containing subterranean formation penetrated by a well comprising:
(a) pumping into the well a surface modifying treatment agent having an anchor and a hydrophobic tail wherein the hydrophobic tail is directly attached to the anchor when the surface modifying treatment agent is pumped into the well; and
(b) binding the surface modifying treatment agent to a surface of the subterranean formation by attaching the anchor to the formation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following conditions prevail:
(a) the surface modifying treatment agent alters the surface energy of the formation;
(b) the surface modifying treatment agent stabilizes fines in the subterranean formation;
(c) the well is a producing well and the surface modifying treatment agent decreases the amount of formation solids flowed back from the surface of the subterranean formation into the producing well;
(d) the surface modifying treatment agent is a passive anti-microbial agent and minimizes or prevents the retention of water on the surface of the subterranean formation;
(e) the surface modifying treatment agent passively inhibits or controls scale deposition onto or within the subterranean formation;
(f) the surface modifying treatment agent passively prevents or controls deposition of organic particulates onto or within the surface of the subterranean formation;
(g) the surface modifying treatment agent decreases the swelling of clay within the subterranean formation;
(h) the surface modifying treatment increases the relative permeability of the formation to oil/gas with respect to water, thus preventing water banking behind the formation surface;
(i) the well is a retrograde condensate gas reservoir and the surface modifying treatment agent minimizes condensation within the reservoir while maintaining the permeability of the reservoir;
(j) the well is a gas or oil well and the surface modifying treatment agent enhances the amount of flowback water and produced water from the well following completion of a well treatment operation;
(k) the surface modifying treatment agent is within a pad fluid;
(l) the surface modifying treatment agent is within a well treatment fluid and the well treatment fluid is pumped into the well at a pressure sufficient to create or enlarge a fracture in the subterranean formation;
(m) the surface modifying treatment agent is dispersed in a well treatment fluid;
(n) the surface modifying treatment agent controls water condensation in the pores of the near wellbore region of the subterranean formation;
(o) the formation is a tar sand formation and the surface modifying treatment agent enhances the recovery of hydrocarbons from deposits within the tar sand;
(p) the subterranean formation is subjected to acidizing and the surface modifying treatment agent increases the penetration of acid into the formation; or
(q) the subterranean formation is a matrix formation and the surface modifying treatment agent reduces the influx of water into the formation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein prior to pumping the surface modifying treatment agent into the well, reducing saturated water on the surface of the siliceous or metal (M) oxide-containing subterranean formation by pumping a non-aqueous fluid into the well.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reducing drag of a fluid within the well.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the sliding angle of the fluid on the surface of the subterranean formation treated with the surface modifying treatment agent is less than the sliding angle of the fluid on a surface of the subterranean formation not treated with the surface modifying treatment agent.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterreanean formation is a metal (M) oxide-containing subterranean formation and further comprising aligning the surface modifying treatment agent to the metal oxide-containing subterranean formation such that the hydrophobic tail is directed away from the surface of the formation.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising forming a monolayer or multi-layer assembly by self-alignment of the tail.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to step (a), increasing the number of sites for the surface modifying treatment agent to bind onto the surface of the subterranean formation by pre-treating the subterranean formation with a non-aqueous fluid.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein subsequent to pumping the non-aqueous fluid into the well and prior to pumping of the surface modifying treatment agent, the surface of the siliceous or metal oxide-containing subterranean formation is treated by pumping into the well a salt solution.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein subsequent to pumping the salt solution and prior to pumping the surface modifying treatment agent into the well, the surface of the siliceous or metal oxide-containing subterranean formation is treated by pumping a second non-aqueous fluid into the well.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anchor is an organophosphorus acid derivative.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein step (b) comprises binding the surface modifying treatment agent to a surface of the subterranean formation by forming either (i) a O—P—O—Si covalent bond between the anchor and a siliceous formation; or (ii) a O—P—O-M covalent bond between the anchor and a metal oxide-containing formation.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the organophosphorus acid derivative is of the structure (RO) x —P(O)—(OR′) y wherein x is 1-2, y is 1-2 and x+y=3; R is a radical having a total of 1-30 carbons; R′ is H, a metal or an alkyl having 1 to 4 carbons; and R is a saturated or unsaturated aliphatic group or can be an aryl or aryl-substituted moiety and further wherein R or R′ contains a terminal or omega functional groups.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the surface modifying treatment agent is a derivative of an organophosphorus acid selected from the group consisting of amino trismethylene phosphonic acid, aminobenzylphosphonic acid, 3-amino propyl phosphonic acid, O-aminophenyl phosphonic acid, 4-methoxyphenyl phosphonic acid, aminophenylphosphonic acid, aminophosphonobutyric acid, aminopropylphosphonic acid, benzhydrylphosphonic acid, benzylphosphonic acid, butylphosphonic acid, carboxyethylphosphonic acid, diphenylphosphinic acid, dodecylphosphonic acid, ethylidenediphosphonic acid, heptadecylphosphonic acid, methylbenzylphosphonic acid, naphthylmethylphosphonic acid, octadecylphosphonic acid, octylphosphonic acid, pentylphosphonic acid, phenylphosphinic acid, phenylphosphonic acid, bis-(perfluoroheptyl) phosphinic acid, perfluorohexyl phosphonic acid, styrene phosphonic acid, and dodecyl bis-1,12-phosphonic acid.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the anchor is an organophosphorus acid derivative of an organophosphoric acid, organophosphonic acid or an organophosphinic acid.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the surface modifying treatment agent is selected from the group consisting of CF 3 (C n F 2n )CH 2 CH 2 PO 3 H 2 where n is between 3 and 5, and CF 3 (CF 2 ) x O(CF 2 CF 2 ) y —CH 2 CH 2 —PO 3 H 2 where x is from 0 to 7, y is from 1 to 20 and x+y is less than or equal to 27.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein the surface modifying treatment agent is of the formula:
R f —(CH 2 ) p —Z

wherein:
R f is a perfluorinated alkyl group or a perfluorinated alkylene ether group;
p is 2 to 4; and
Z is selected from the group consisting of:

Assignees

• Baker Hughes A Ge Co Llc

Inventors

• Lant Kimberly Spurlock
• Bestaoui-Spurr Naima
• Bhaduri Sumit
• Crews James B
• Le Hoang
• Monroe Terry D
• Qu Qi

Classifications

• C09K8/584

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• C09K2208/28

  Friction or drag reducing additives · CPC title

• C09K8/60 Primary

  Compositions for stimulating production by acting on the underground formation · CPC title

• E21B43/16 Primary

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title