Spacer fluids and methods for cementing a casing in a wellbore

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11535787-B2
Application number	US-202117317998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2021
Priority date	May 12, 2021
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a spacer fluid includes an aqueous fluid, a weighting agent, and a clay stabilizer consisting of one or more polyethylene polyamines having a first structure H 2 NCH 2 CH 2 (NHCH 2 CH 2 ) x NH 2 , where x is an integer greater than or equal to 3. The amount of the clay stabilizer may be from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid. The average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure may be from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol. All of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure may be encompassed in the clay stabilizer. Methods for cementing a casing in a wellbore using the spacer fluid are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spacer fluid comprising:
an aqueous fluid;
a weighting agent; and
a clay stabilizer consisting of one or more polyethylene polyamines having a first structure H 2 NCH 2 CH 2 (NHCH 2 CH 2 ) x NH 2 , where x is an integer greater than or equal to 3, wherein:
the one or more polyethylene polyamines comprises hexaethyleneheptamine;
the amount of the clay stabilizer is from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid;
the average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure is from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol; and
all of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure are encompassed in the clay stabilizer.

2. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises the aqueous fluid in an amount of from 25 wt. % to 50 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

3. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises the weighting agent in an amount of from 25 wt. % to 75 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

4. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene polyamines comprise linear polyethylene polyamines, cyclic polyethylene polyamines, branched polyethylene polyamines, or combinations of these.

5. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the polyethylene polyamines further comprise tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, or both.

6. The spacer fluid of claim 5 , wherein the sum of the weight percent of the tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, and hexaethyleneheptamine is at least 50 wt. % of the polyethylene polyamines.

7. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a mutual solvent in an amount of from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

8. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a surfactant in an amount of from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

9. The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a defoamer in an amount of from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the polyethylene polyamines further comprise tetraethylenepentamine and pentaethylenehexamine; and
the sum of the weight percent of the tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, and hexaethyleneheptamine is at least 90 wt. % of the polyethylene polyamines.

11. A method for cementing a casing in a wellbore, the method comprising displacing at least a portion of a drilling fluid positioned in the wellbore with a spacer fluid comprising:
an aqueous fluid;
a weighting agent; and
a clay stabilizer consisting of one or more polyethylene polyamines having a first structure H 2 NCH 2 CH 2 (NHCH 2 CH 2 ) x NH 2 , where x is an integer greater than or equal to 3, wherein:
the one or more polyethylene polyamines comprises hexaethyleneheptamine;
the amount of the clay stabilizer is from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid;
the average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure is from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol; and
all of the polyethylene polyamines in the spacer fluid having the first structure are encompassed in the clay stabilizer.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises displacing the spacer fluid with a cement slurry.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:
the spacer fluid is pumped into a first conduit defined by an interior wall of a tubular in the wellbore;
the cement slurry is pumped into the first conduit; and
at least a portion of the drilling fluid exits the well bore through a second conduit defined by an exterior wall of the tubular and a wall of the wellbore.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises the aqueous fluid in an amount of from 25 wt. % to 50 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises the weighting agent in an amount of from 25 wt. % to 75 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polyethylene polyamines comprise linear polyethylene polyamines, cyclic polyethylene polyamines, branched polyethylene polyamines, or combinations of these.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the polyethylene polyamines further comprise tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, or both.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the sum of the weight percent of the tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, and hexaethyleneheptamine is at least 50 wt. % of the polyethylene polyamines.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a mutual solvent in an amount of from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a surfactant in an amount of from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

21. The method of claim 11 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a defoamer in an amount of from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % relative to the total weight of the spacer fluid.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Alkhalaf Sara Abdulaziz
• Al-Yami Abdullah
• Wagle Vikrant
• Alsafran Ali

Classifications

• C09K2208/12

  Swell inhibition, i.e. using additives to drilling or well treatment fluids for inhibiting clay or shale swelling or disintegrating · CPC title

• C09K8/40 Primary

  Spacer compositions, e.g. compositions used to separate well-drilling from cementing masses · CPC title

• C09K8/424 Primary

  using "spacer" compositions · CPC title

• E21B33/14

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• C09K8/46

  containing inorganic binders, e.g. Portland cement · CPC title