Nanosilica dispersion for thermally insulating packer fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370955-B2
Application number	US-202016867270-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2020
Priority date	Sep 11, 2017
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

A method to control a heat transfer profile in a defined space, the method comprising the steps of introducing a thermally insulating packer fluid into the defined space such that the thermally insulating packer fluid forms a gelled solid and reduces a rate of heat transfer through the defined space as compared to a prior rate of heat transfer through the defined space before introducing the thermally insulating packer fluid, where the thermally insulating packer fluid comprises an acidic nanosilica dispersion and a polyamine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermally insulating packer fluid useful for controlling the heat transfer profile through a defined space, where a solid gelled material forms by introducing the thermally insulating packer fluid to the defined space, the thermally insulating packer fluid including an acidic nanosilica dispersion comprising:
amorphous silicon dioxide in the range of 5 weight percentage of the total weight (w/w %) of the acidic nanosilica dispersion to about 50 w/w % of the total weight of the acidic nanosilica dispersion;
water in the range of 50 w/w % to 95 w/w % of the total weight of the acidic nanosilica dispersion;
an acid comprising acetic acid; and
a polyamine activator;
where the acidic nanosilica dispersion forms the solid gelled material at an elevated temperature between about 100° F. and about 300° F. in the defined space and has a pH that is acidic, wherein the thermally insulating packer fluid further comprises an epoxy resin.

2. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where the pH is between about 2 and about 4.

3. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where a volumetric ratio of the amorphous silicon dioxide, water, and acid to the polyamine activator is between about 60:1 and 120:1.

4. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where at least one of the acid and the polyamine activator is consumed during formation of the solid gelled material.

5. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where the polyamine comprises a polyethylene polyamine selected from the group consisting of: diethylenetriamine, ethylenediamine, tetraethylenepentamine, triethylenetetramine, pentaethylenehexamine, hexaethyleneheptamine, and combinations thereof.

6. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where the epoxy resin includes at least one component selected from the group consisting of: bisphenol A; 2,3-epoxypropyl o-tolyl ether; C12-C14 alkyl glycidyl ether; and 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether.

7. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where the epoxy resin is present at about 5 w/w % to about 95 w/w % of the thermally insulating packer fluid.

8. The thermally insulating packer fluid of claim 1 , where the polyamine activator is present at between about 0.5 w/w % to about 10 w/w % of the thermally insulating packer fluid.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Wagle Vikrant
• Al-Yami Abdullah
• Alsaihati Zainab
• Alhelal Abdulaziz

Classifications

• C09K8/422 Primary

  specially adapted for sealing expandable pipes, e.g. of the non-hardening type · CPC title

• C09K8/04

  Aqueous well-drilling compositions · CPC title

• E21B33/14

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• E21B36/003

  Insulating arrangements · CPC title

• C09K8/467 Primary

  containing additives for specific purposes · CPC title