Piperazine-based viscoelastic surfactants for hydraulic fracturing applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11713412-B2
Application number	US-202117454705-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2021
Priority date	Nov 12, 2021
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A wellbore fluid including a first surfactant, a second surfactant, an activator and an aqueous base fluid is provided. The first surfactant has a structure represented by Formula (I):

where Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 are each, independently, a sulfonate, a carboxylate, an ester or a hydroxyl group, m is an integer ranging from 2 to 3, and n, o, and k are each, independently, integers ranging from 2 to 10. The second surfactant has a structure represented by Formula (III):

where R 2 is a C 15 —C 27 hydrocarbon group or a C 15 —C 29 substituted hydrocarbon group, R 3 is C 1 —C 10 hydrocarbon group, and p and q are each, independently, an integer ranging from 1 to 4. A method of using the wellbore fluid for treating a hydrocarbon-containing formation is also provided.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for treating a hydrocarbon-containing formation, comprising:
injecting a wellbore fluid into a high permeability zone of a hydrocarbon-containing formation; and
increasing the temperature of the injected wellbore fluid via heating from the high permeability zone, resulting in the wellbore fluid having an increased viscosity;
wherein the wellbore fluid comprises:
a first surfactant having a structure represented by Formula (I):

wherein Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 , Y 4 are the same and selected from a sulfonate, a carboxylate, an ester or a hydroxyl group, m is an integer ranging from 2 to 3, and n, o, and k are each, independently, integers ranging from 2 to 10;
a second surfactant having a structure represented by Formula (III):

wherein R 2 is a C 15 —C 27 hydrocarbon group or a C 15 —C 29 substituted hydrocarbon group, R 3 is a C 1 —C 10 hydrocarbon group, and p and q are each, independently, an integer ranging from 1 to 4;
an alkaline earth metal halide activator; and
an aqueous base fluid.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first surfactant has a structure represented by formula (II):

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second surfactant has a structure represented by formula (IV):

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid comprises 1 to 15 wt.% of the first surfactant.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid comprises 1 to 15 wt.% of the second surfactant.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid comprises 5 to 30 wt.% of the activator.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid further comprises an acid.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the alkaline earth metal halide activator is CaCl 2 .

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid has a viscosity at 90° C. ranging from 150 to 400 cP.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising, recovering hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-containing formation.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Kalgaonkar Rajendra Arunkumar
• Alali Eyad
• Bataweel Mohammed Abudullah
• Ullah Nisar
• MANSHA Muhammad

Classifications

• C09K8/604 Primary

  Polymeric surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/845

  containing inorganic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/602 Primary

  containing surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/584

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/86

  containing organic compounds · CPC title