Capsule design for the capture of reagents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10995254-B2
Application number	US-201916417008-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2019
Priority date	Jan 2, 2018
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

A method of using a gas control additive to provide gas migration control in a wellbore includes the steps of mixing the gas control additive with a cement to form a cement slurry, where the gas control additive includes a semi-permeable membrane and a scrubbing agent, such that the semi-permeable membrane forms a shell around a core such that the scrubbing agent is in the core, introducing the cement slurry to the wellbore, and reacting the scrubbing agent with an antagonistic gas to produce a helper byproduct, where the antagonistic gas migrates from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation into the wellbore and permeates through the semi-permeable membrane to the core of the gas control additive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of using a gas control additive to provide gas migration control in a wellbore, the method comprising the steps of:
mixing the gas control additive with a cement to form a cement slurry, where the gas control additive comprises a semi-permeable membrane and a scrubbing agent, such that the semi-permeable membrane forms a shell around a core such that the scrubbing agent is in the core;
introducing the cement slurry into the wellbore; and
reacting the scrubbing agent with an antagonistic gas to produce a helper byproduct, where the antagonistic gas migrates from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation into the wellbore and permeates through the semi-permeable membrane to the core of the gas control additive.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
setting the cement slurry to form a hardened cement.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the semi-permeable membrane comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of: a polyamide, an aramide, a polyester, a polyurethane, a polyurea, and combinations of the same.

4. The method of claim 3 , where the semi-permeable membrane attracts the antagonistic gas.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the scrubbing agent is selected from the group consisting of: liquid scrubbers, solid scrubbers, adsorbents, and combinations of the same.

6. The method of claim 1 , where the gas control additive is present in the cement slurry at a concentration of less than about 3% by weight of the cement slurry.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the antagonistic gas is selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, carbon dioxide, natural gases, and combinations of the same.

8. A method of using a gas control additive to provide gas migration control in a wellbore, the method comprising the steps of:
mixing the gas control additive with a cement to form a cement slurry, where the gas control additive is formed by the steps of:
mixing a first solvent, a first monomer, and a surfactant to produce a continuous phase;
mixing a second solvent, a second monomer, and a scrubbing agent to produce a dispersed phase;
mixing the continuous phase and the dispersed phase to form a mixture having an emulsion such that the dispersed phase is dispersed as droplets in the continuous phase, where an interface defines the droplets of the dispersed phase dispersed in the continuous phase;
forming a polymer on the interface of the droplets, such that the polymer forms a semi-permeable membrane around a core, where the core contains the dispersed phase, such that the semi-permeable membrane around the core forms the gas control additive; and
settling the gas control additive from the mixture; and
separating the gas control additive from the mixture using a separation method;

introducing the cement slurry into the wellbore; and
reacting the scrubbing agent with an antagonistic gas to produce a helper byproduct, where the antagonistic gas migrates from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation into the wellbore and permeates through the semi-permeable membrane to the core of the gas control additive.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
setting the cement slurry to form a hardened cement.

10. The method of claim 8 , where the dispersed phase comprises a buffer.

11. The method of claim 10 , where the buffer includes phosphate.

12. The method of claim 8 , where the first solvent is selected from the group consisting of: oil, mineral oil, cyclohexane, chloroform, and combinations of the same.

13. The method of claim 8 , where the first monomer comprises a tri-functional acid chloride.

14. The method of claim 13 , where the first monomer is selected from the group consisting of: 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride, sebacoyl chloride, and combinations of the same.

15. The method of claim 8 , where the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of: sorbitan esters, polysorbates, and combinations of the same.

16. The method of claim 8 , where the second solvent is selected from the group consisting of: water, ethanol, methanol, and combinations of the same.

17. The method of claim 8 , where the second monomer comprises an amine group.

18. The method of claim 17 , where the second monomer is selected from the group consisting of: ethylenediamine, meta-phenylenediamine, para-phenylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine, 4,4′-methylenedianiline, and combinations of the same.

19. The method of claim 8 , where the antagonistic gas is selected from the group consisting of: hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, carbon dioxide, natural gases, and combinations of the same.

20. A gas control additive for providing gas migration control in a wellbore, the gas control additive comprising:
a semi-permeable membrane comprising a polymer, the semi-permeable membrane forming a shell with a core, such that the core contains a scrubbing agent, the semi-permeable membrane operable to allow an antagonistic gas to permeate through the membrane into the core; and
the scrubbing agent, the scrubbing agent operable to react with the antagonistic gas that permeates into the core to produce a helper byproduct,
where the polymer comprises subunits derived from a first monomer including a di-functional amino group and subunits derived from a second monomer including a tri-functional acid chloride.

21. The gas control additive of claim 20 , further comprising:
a chelating agent, the chelating agent being water-soluble and operable to tether the scrubbing agent in the core via site-isolation and to increase the solubility of the scrubbing agent.

22. The gas control additive of claim 21 , where the chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of: polyethylene glycols, polystyrenes, polyethylene imine, polyvinyl alcohols, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid, nitrilotriacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid, and combinations of the same.

23. The gas control additive of claim 20 , where the first monomer is selected from the group consisting of: ethylenediamine, meta-phenylenediamine, para-phenylenediamine, hexamethylenediamine, 4,4′-methylenedianiline, and combinations of the same.

24. The gas control additive of claim 20 , where the second monomer is selected from the group consisting of: 1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride, sebacoyl chloride, and combinations of the same.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Contreras Elizabeth Q

Classifications

• C04B20/0232

  with carbon dioxide · CPC title

• C04B28/02 Primary

  containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates · CPC title

• C09K8/493

  Additives for reducing or preventing gas migration · CPC title

• C09K8/467 Primary

  containing additives for specific purposes · CPC title

• C04B16/0625

  Polyalkenes, e.g. polyethylene · CPC title