Tunable injection fluid based on natural gas liquids, gas, and nanoparticles for improved hydrocarbon recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11028316-B2
Application number	US-201816186076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2018
Priority date	Nov 9, 2017
Publication date	Jun 8, 2021
Grant date	Jun 8, 2021

Abstract

A hydrocarbon well remediation/stimulation treatment based on an Y-Grade natural gas liquid injection fluid mixture, including prescribed amounts of gas, nanoparticles with wettability alteration properties, foaming agents (including nanoparticles with foam stabilization properties), and solvent additives. The fluid mixture may be tuned to address multiple factors contributing to production decline, such as liquid blockage, wettability properties, fines/debris/scale build-up and organic deposits, reservoir heterogeneity/permeability, and/or reservoir fluid and hydrocarbon compositions, resulting in hydrocarbon production enhancement. The treatment is typically applied with a Huff-n-Puff process, however may also be applied with a flooding process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for improved hydrocarbon recovery, comprising:
injecting an injection fluid through an injection well into a hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the injection fluid comprises Y-Grade natural gas liquids (NGL) and surface functionalized nanoparticles, wherein the Y-Grade NGL is an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture that is a byproduct of a de-methanized hydrocarbon stream and comprises ethane, propane, butane, isobutene, pentane, and less than 1 percent methane, wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles are configured to alter wettability of solid surfaces and alter the interfacial tension between fluids in the reservoir, and wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles are hydrophobic;
providing the hydrophobic surface functionalized nanoparticles in a solvent solution that solubilizes with the Y-Grade NGL;
injecting a gas through the injection well into the reservoir to displace the injection fluid into the reservoir; and
producing hydrocarbons from the resource reservoir via the injection well or a production well offset from the injection well.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas comprises nitrogen, carbon dioxide, natural gas, produced gas, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injection fluid and the gas are simultaneously injected into the reservoir.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injection fluid and the gas are alternately injected into the reservoir, including injecting the gas into the reservoir prior to the injection fluid.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injection fluid further comprises xylene, toluene, or heptane configured to solubilize and remove organic deposits including paraffin or asphaltenes from the reservoir.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles are configured to retain stable properties under reservoir conditions, including reservoir temperature, reservoir pressure, and reservoir fluid composition.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles have a core particle and an outer shell surrounding the core particle.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the core particle is a silica core, and wherein the outer shell is a non-conductive or conductive polymer, selected from a group consisting of polyethylene glycol and polyaniline, and impregnated with a charged ionic species.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles have a core particle and a tethered material bonded to the core particle.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the core particle comprises a silica core, and wherein the tethered material comprises oleic acid or acrylic acid bonded to the surface of the silica core.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injection fluid further comprises a foaming agent configured to generate foam in-situ within the reservoir for mobility control resulting in an efficient distribution within the reservoir.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foaming agent is a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foaming agent is a hydrophobic nanoparticle with a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant surface immobilization.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foaming agent is a mixture of a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant, and a hydrophobic nanoparticle with a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant surface immobilization.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foaming agent has a core particle and an outer shell surrounding the core particle.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the core particle is a silica core, and wherein the outer shell is a non-conductive or conductive polymer, selected from a group consisting of polyethylene glycol and polyaniline, and impregnated with a charged ionic species.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the foaming agent has a core particle and a tethered material bonded to the core particle.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the core particle comprises a silica core, and wherein the tethered material comprises oleic acid or acrylic acid bonded to the surface of the silica core.

19. A method for improved hydrocarbon recovery, comprising:
injecting an injection fluid through an injection well into a hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the injection fluid comprises Y-Grade natural gas liquids (NGL) and surface functionalized nanoparticles, wherein the Y-Grade NGL is an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture that is a byproduct of a de-methanized hydrocarbon stream and comprises ethane, propane, butane, isobutene, pentane, and less than 1 percent methane, wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles are configured to alter wettability of solid surfaces and alter the interfacial tension between fluids in the reservoir, wherein the injection fluid further comprises a foaming agent configured to generate foam in-situ within the reservoir for mobility control resulting in an efficient distribution within the reservoir, and wherein the foaming agent is a hydrophobic nanoparticle with a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant surface immobilization;
injecting a gas through the injection well into the reservoir to displace the injection fluid into the reservoir; and
producing hydrocarbons from the resource reservoir via the injection well or a production well offset from the injection well.

20. A method for improved hydrocarbon recovery, comprising:
injecting an injection fluid through an injection well into a hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the injection fluid comprises Y-Grade natural gas liquids (NGL) and surface functionalized nanoparticles, wherein the Y-Grade NGL is an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture that is a byproduct of a de-methanized hydrocarbon stream and comprises ethane, propane, butane, isobutene, pentane, and less than 1 percent methane, wherein the surface functionalized nanoparticles are configured to alter wettability of solid surfaces and alter the interfacial tension between fluids in the reservoir, wherein the injection fluid further comprises a foaming agent configured to generate foam in-situ within the reservoir for mobility control resulting in an efficient distribution within the reservoir, and wherein the foaming agent is a mixture of a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant, and a hydrophobic nanoparticle with a fluoro-based or siloxane-based surfactant surface immobilization;
injecting a gas through the injection well into the reservoir to displace the injection fluid into the reservoir; and
producing hydrocarbons from the resource reservoir via the injection well or a production well offset from the injection well.

Assignees

• Linde Ag

Inventors

• Aslam Naveed
• Watts Kevin G
• Watts Roberta
• Hagenfeldt Carl Peter Ulfson

Classifications

• C09K8/524

  organic depositions, e.g. paraffins or asphaltenes · CPC title

• C09K2208/06

  Structured surfactants, i.e. well drilling or treating fluids with a lamellar or spherulitic phase · CPC title

• C09K8/594 Primary

  Compositions used in combination with injected gas {, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas}(C09K8/592 takes precedence) · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K2208/10

  Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids · CPC title