High-intensity acoustic treatment of colloidal mineral suspensions for wellbore operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448022-B2
Application number	US-201816478938-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2018
Priority date	May 31, 2018
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

Described herein are methods of enhancing the rheological properties of a colloidal mineral suspension in a liquid with high-intensity acoustical energy. In some examples, the colloidal mineral suspension may be dehydrated after treatment with high-intensity acoustical energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
contacting a colloidal mineral with a liquid to produce a colloidal mineral suspension;
applying high-intensity acoustical energy with a power intensity of about 10 W/cm 2 to about 300 W/cm 2 to the suspension to enhance colloidal properties of the suspension; and
dehydrating the suspension to form a dried product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the colloidal mineral is at least one of bentonite, sepiolite, hectorite, kaolinite, attapulgite, organophillic clay, synthetic clay, or lithium sodium magnesium silicate.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the liquid is at least one of water, brine, or a hydrocarbon fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a chemical additive with the colloidal mineral.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the chemical additive is at least one of a polymer, a soda ash, a viscosifier, a gel strength enhancer, or a fluid loss additive.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-intensity acoustical energy is applied at frequency ranges from about 18 kHz to about 22 kHz.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-intensity acoustical energy is applied with an ultrasonication probe vibrating at amplitude ranges from about 10 microns to about 200 microns.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the suspension has at least one of increased viscosity, increased gel strength, increased barrel yield, increased yield point, increased tau zero, or reduced fluid loss as compared to a clay mineral suspension having no high-intensity acoustical energy applied.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the high-intensity acoustical energy cavitates the suspension.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising milling the dried product.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rehydrating the dried product to form a rehydrated product.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising using the rehydrated product as a drilling fluid or an industrial slurry.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the rehydrated product has at least one of increased viscosity, increased gel strength, increased barrel yield, increased yield point, increased tau zero, or reduced fluid loss as compared to a clay mineral suspension having no high-intensity acoustical energy applied.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a chemical additive with the dried product.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a chemical additive with the suspension after applying high-intensity acoustical energy.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting a chemical additive with the dried product.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising using the dried product as a solid absorbent or mineral product.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the high-intensity acoustical energy to the suspension comprises reducing a size and increasing a surface area of particles within the suspension.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein particles in the suspension onto which high-intensity acoustical energy has been applied have at least one of increased electrostatic interactions, increased thixotropy, increased gel strength, or improved filtrations control as compared to particles within a suspension onto which high-intensity acoustical energy has not been applied.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein applying the high-intensity acoustical energy breaks cementitious bonds within the suspension.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein dehydrating the suspension to form the dried product comprises desorping the liquid from the colloidal mineral.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• May Preston Andrew
• Frantz Eric Benjamin

Classifications

• C09K8/16 Primary

  characterised by the inorganic compounds other than clay · CPC title

• C09K8/145

  characterised by the composition of the clay · CPC title

• C09K8/58

  Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids · CPC title

• E21B21/003 Primary

  Means for stopping loss of drilling fluid (plastering the borehole wall E21B33/138) · CPC title

• E21B21/06

  Arrangements for treating drilling fluids outside the borehole · CPC title