Utilization of steel-making waste in drilling fluids formulations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034874-B2
Application number	US-201816156923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2018
Priority date	Oct 10, 2018
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

The current invention relates to fluids used in well-bore applications. Embodiments of the present invention encompass fluids including, but not limited to including, a combination of solids and liquid, where the solids include, but not limited to including, clay and industrial dust, such as, but not limited to, steel dust, and methods of making and using such fluids. The liquid may be a combination of two or more liquids. The clay may be a combination of two or more clays. The liquid may include water. A mixture of industrial dust from different sources may be used. In some embodiments, the industrial dust is steel dust including, but not limited to including, calcium oxide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a fluid for use in well-bore, the method comprising:
forming a blend comprising one or more clays and one or more liquids;
after forming the blend, adding steel dust or a composition comprising steel dust to the blend comprising the one or more clays and the one or more liquids;
after adding the steel dust or the composition comprising steel dust, mixing the blend with the added steel dust for a first time period to form the fluid;
after the first time period, aging the fluid comprising the one or more clays, steel dust, and the one or more liquids for a second time period;
after the second time period, mixing the fluid comprising the one or more clays, steel dust, and the one or more liquids for a third time period.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein aging comprises allowing the blend to sit quiescently at a temperature in the range of 19° C. to 25° C. and a pressure of 1013.25 mbar (±150 mbar).

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the blend comprises comprising mixing the one or more clays, the one or more liquids, and, one or more first additives, for a fourth time period.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first time period is in the range of 30 seconds to 45 minutes, the second time period is in the range of 0.5 hour to 72 hours, the third time period is in the range of 30 seconds to 120 minutes, and the fourth time period is in the range of 5 seconds to 120 minutes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more first additives are present in the formed blend comprising the one or more clays and the one or more liquids.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein steel dust is added.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a composition comprising steel dust is added, the composition also comprising one or more second additives.

8. A fluid comprising a combination of solids and one or more liquids, the solids comprising:
one or more clays;
one or more optional additives;
and steel dust, the steel dust comprising:
calcium oxide; and
iron, one or more oxides of iron, or both iron and one or more oxides of iron;
wherein at least 10 wt % of the steel dust is calcium oxide.

9. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein % solids in the fluid is in the range of 0.25 wt % to 35 wt %.

10. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the sum of the wt % of the one or more clays and the wt % steel dust is at least 50 wt % of the solids.

11. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the weight to weight ratio of steel dust to the one or more clays is in the range of 1:500 to 9:1.

12. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the weight to weight ratio of steel dust to the one or more clays is in the range of 1:200 to 7:20.

13. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the sum of the wt % calcium oxide, the wt % iron, and the wt % oxides of iron is at least 50 wt % of the solids of the fluid.

14. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein at least 20 wt % of the steel dust is calcium oxide.

15. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the sum of the wt % iron and the wt % of the oxides of iron is at least 35 wt % of the steel dust.

16. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein the zeta potential of the steel dust at 150 mg/liter in distilled water is less than −20 mV at a pH in the range of 9 to 11, the turbidity of the steel dust at 150 mg/liter in distilled water is at least 150 NTU when the pH is in the range of 7 to 11, or both.

17. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein, for the steel dust, the weight to weight ratio of the calcium oxide to the iron, one or more oxides of iron, or both iron and one or more oxides of iron is in the range of 1:9 to 9:1.

18. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein, for the steel dust, the weight to weight ratio of the calcium oxide to the iron, one or more oxides of iron, or both iron and one or more oxides of iron is in the range of 9:11 to 11:9.

19. The fluid of claim 8 , wherein volume average particle diameter of the steel dust added is in the range of 10-30 μm.

20. The fluid of claim 8 , having an apparent viscosity of at least 30 cP, having a plastic viscosity of not more than 22 cP, having a yield point of at least 25 lb/100 ft 2 , or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Univ Qatar

Inventors

• Magzoub Musaab I
• El-Naas Muftah H
• Nasser Mustafa S

Classifications

• E21B21/062

  by mixing components · CPC title

• C09K8/16 Primary

  characterised by the inorganic compounds other than clay · CPC title

• E21B21/00

  Methods or apparatus for flushing boreholes, e.g. by use of exhaust air from motor (freeing objects stuck in boreholes by flushing E21B31/03) · CPC title