Methods of using drilling fluid compositions with enhanced rheology

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11091682-B2
Application number	US-202016735073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2020
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Drilling fluid compositions include a base fluid, at least one additive chosen from an emulsifier, weighting material, fluid-loss additive, viscosifier, or alkali compound, and from 0.1 wt. % to 1 wt. %, based on total weight of the drilling fluid composition, of an ethoxylated alcohol compound having the formula R—(OCH 2 CH 2 ) 7 —OH, in which R is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms. The base fluid may be an aqueous base fluid. Methods for drilling a subterranean well include operating a drill in a wellbore in the presence of a drilling fluid composition including the base fluid, the additive, and the ethoxylated alcohol compound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drilling fluid composition consisting essentially of:
a base fluid;
at least one additive chosen from an emulsifier, a weighting material, a fluid-loss additive, a viscosifier, or an alkali compound; and
from 0.1 wt. % to 1 wt. %, based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition, of an ethoxylated alcohol compound having formula (I):
R—(OCH 2 CH 2 ) 7 —OH  (I)

where R is a hydrocarbyl group having exactly 12 carbon atoms; in which
the drilling fluid composition has a density equal to or greater than 90 lbm/ft 3 ;
the drilling fluid composition has a yield point of from 45 lbf/100 ft 2 to 100 lbf/100 ft 2 ; and
the drilling fluid composition has a 10-second gel strength of from 1 lbf/100 ft 2 to 30 lbf/100 ft 2 as determined according to test methods provided in API RP 13B-1.

2. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 , in which the base fluid is an aqueous base fluid.

3. The drilling fluid composition of claim 2 , in which the aqueous base fluid comprises at least 50 weight percent water based on the total weight of the aqueous base fluid.

4. The drilling fluid composition of claim 2 , in which the aqueous base fluid is chosen from fresh water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, salt water, produced water, formation brine, or combinations thereof.

5. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 , in which R is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

6. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 , in which R is —(CH 2 ) m CH 3 , where m is 11.

7. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 , in which the at least one additive comprises a weighting material.

8. The drilling fluid composition of claim 7 , in which the weighting material is chosen from at least one of barite, calcium carbonate, hematite, siderite, or ilmenite.

9. The drilling fluid composition of claim 7 comprising from 1 wt. % to 73 wt. % weighting material, based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition.

10. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 comprising from 20 wt. % to 50 wt. % base fluid, based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition.

11. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 further comprising from 0.01 wt. % to 0.7 wt. % xanthan gum polymer based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition.

12. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 further comprising from 0.01 wt. % to 0.7 wt. % soda ash based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition.

13. The drilling fluid composition of claim 1 , in which the at least one additive consists essentially of a weighting material, and in which the drilling fluid composition comprises, based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition:
from 1 wt. % to 73 wt. % weighting material;
from 0.01 wt. % to 0.7 wt. % soda ash;
from 0.01 wt. % to 3 wt. % pre-hydrated bentonite;
from 0.01 wt. % to 0.7 wt. % xanthan gum polymer;
from 0.1 wt. % to 1.0 wt. % starch;
from 0.01 wt. % to 3 wt. % lime; and
from 0.01 wt. % to 3 wt. % sodium sulfite.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Albahrani Hussain
• Al-Yami Abdullah
• Safran Ali
• Alhelal Abdulaziz

Classifications

• C09K8/74

  combined with additives added for specific purposes · CPC title

• C09K8/28

  containing organic additives · CPC title

• C09K8/22

  Synthetic organic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/035

  Organic additives · CPC title

• C09K23/018

  Mixtures of two or more different organic oxygen-containing compounds · CPC title