Water-based drilling fluid compositions and methods for drilling subterranean wells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11566157-B2
Application number	US-202117176449-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2021
Priority date	Feb 16, 2021
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

Water-based drilling fluids may include an aqueous base fluid and a mixture of polyethylene polyamines in an amount of from 1 lbm/bbl to 20 lbm/bbl relative to the total volume of the water-based drilling fluid. The polyethylene polyamines of the mixture may have a first chemical structure H2NCH2CH2(NHCH2CH2)xNH2, where x may be an integer greater than or equal to 3. The average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines in the water-based drilling fluid having the first chemical structure may be from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol. Methods for drilling a subterranean well with the water-based drilling fluids are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A water-based drilling fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid that does not comprise salt water or seawater; and
a mixture of polyethylene polyamines in an amount of from 1 lb m /bbl to 20 lb m /bbl relative to the total volume of the water-based drilling fluid, the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture comprising a first chemical 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, and where the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture comprise hexaethyleneheptamine;
where the average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture in the water-based drilling fluid comprising the first chemical structure is from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol; and
where one or more of:
the water-based drilling fluid has a plastic viscosity of from 1 cP to 25 cP;
the water-based drilling fluid has a yield point of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 ;
the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 seconds of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 15 lb f /100 ft 2 ; or
the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 minutes of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

2. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the water-based drilling fluid comprises the aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 50 lb m /bbl to 340 lb m /bbl relative to the total volume of the water-based drilling fluid.

3. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture comprise linear polyethylene polyamines, cyclic polyethylene polyamines, branched polyethylene polyamines, or combinations of these.

4. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture further comprise tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, or both.

5. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 4 , where the sum of the weight percent of the tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, and hexaethyleneheptamine is at least 50 wt. % of the polyethylene polyamines of the mixture.

6. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a plastic viscosity of from 1 cP to 25 cP.

7. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a yield point of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

8. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 seconds of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 15 lb f /100 ft 2 .

9. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 minutes of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

10. The water-based drilling fluid of claim 1 , further comprising one or more viscosifiers, one or more fluid loss control agents, one or more weighting agents, or combinations of these.

11. A method for drilling a subterranean well, the method comprising:
operating a drill in a subterranean formation in the presence of a water-based drilling fluid, where the water-based drilling fluid comprises:
an aqueous base fluid that does not comprise salt water or seawater; and
a mixture of polyethylene polyamines in an amount of from 1 lb m /bbl to 20 lb m /bbl relative to the total volume of the water-based drilling fluid, the polyethylene polyamines comprising a first chemical 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, and where the mixture of polyethylene polyamines comprises hexaethyleneheptamine;
where the average molecular weight of the polyethylene polyamines in the water-based drilling fluid comprising the first chemical structure is from 200 g/mol to 400 g/mol, and

wherein one or more of:
the water-based drilling fluid has a plastic viscosity of from 1 cP to 25 cP;
the water-based drilling fluid has a yield point of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 ;
the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 seconds of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 15 lb f /100 ft 2 ; or
the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 minutes of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising introducing the water-based drilling fluid into the subterranean formation.

13. The method of claim 12 , where introducing the water-based drilling fluid into the subterranean formation comprises injecting the water-based drilling fluid through a drill string of the drill.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising circulating at least a portion of the water-based drilling fluid within the subterranean formation.

15. The method of claim 11 , where the water-based drilling fluid comprises the aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 50 lb m /bbl to 340 lb m /bbl relative to the total volume of the water-based drilling fluid.

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

17. The method of claim 11 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a plastic viscosity of from 1 cP to 25 cP.

18. The method of claim 11 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a yield point of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

19. The method of claim 11 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 seconds of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 15 lb f /100 ft 2 .

20. The method of claim 11 , where the water-based drilling fluid has a gel strength after 10 minutes of from 1 lb f /100 ft 2 to 25 lb f /100 ft 2 .

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Wagle Vikrant
• Alkhalaf Sara
• Al-Yami Abdullah

Classifications

• C09K8/04

  Aqueous well-drilling compositions · CPC title

• E21B21/003

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

• C09K2208/12

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

• C09K8/12 Primary

  containing synthetic organic macromolecular compounds or their precursors · CPC title

• C09K8/5086

  obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title