Drilling fluids and methods of making and using thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12344794-B2
Application number	US-202318477106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2023
Priority date	Mar 11, 2021
Publication date	Jul 1, 2025
Grant date	Jul 1, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure relates drilling fluids and methods of producing and using drilling fluids. The drilling fluid include an aqueous base fluid; at least one of a clay-based component and a mud; and a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, wherein the drilling fluid does not comprise KCl, has a shale cutting rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%. The method of using the drilling fluid in drilling operations includes mixing an aqueous base fluid, a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, and at least one of a clay material and a mud to produce a drilling fluid; and introducing the drilling fluid to a subsurface formation, wherein the drilling fluid does not comprise KCl, has a shale cutting recovery rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drilling fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid;
a clay material, a mud, or both; and
a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, and wherein
the drilling fluid does not comprise KCl, has a shale cutting recovery rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%.

2. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous base fluid comprises fresh water, salt water, brine, municipal water, formation water, produced water, well water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, or combinations of these.

3. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein:
the clay material comprises bentonite, montmorillonite clay, mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 or 2Al 2 O 3 ·SiO 2 ), kaolin (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 or kaolinite), or combinations thereof; and
the mud comprises lime (CaO), CaCO 3 , barium sulfate (barite), hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 , or aluminum oxide), silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof.

4. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the glycol comprises tetraethylene glycol.

5. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the drilling fluid comprises from 0.5 to 10 wt. % shale inhibitor by weight of the drilling fluid.

6. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein:
the aqueous base fluid comprises fresh water, salt water, brine, municipal water, formation water, produced water, well water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, or combinations of these;
the clay material comprises bentonite, montmorillonite clay, mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 or 2Al 2 O 3 ·SiO 2 ), kaolin (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 or kaolinite), or combinations thereof;
the mud comprises lime (CaO), CaCO 3 , barium sulfate (barite), hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 , or aluminum oxide), silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof;
the glycol comprises tetraethylene glycol; and
the drilling fluid comprises from 0.5 to 10 wt. % shale inhibitor by weight of the drilling fluid.

7. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises weighting agents, fluid loss control agents, lost circulation control agents, viscosifiers, dispersants, pH buffers, electrolytes, glycols, glycerols, dispersion aids, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, deformers, starches, xanthan gum polymers, surfactants, or combinations thereof.

8. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a weighting agent comprising barite, hematite, lime, calcium carbonate, bentonite, montmorillonite clay, siderite, ilmenite, hausmannite, ferrosilicon, manganese oxide, mullite, kaolinite, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof.

9. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a surfactant comprising sulfonated polymers, sulfonated alkanes, polycarboxylated ethers, trimethylalkylammonium salts, alkylbenzylammonium salts, proteins, polyethylene glycol derivatives, oligosaccharides, cholesterol derivatives, or combinations thereof.

10. The drilling fluid of claim 1 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a viscosifier comprising bentonite, polyacrylamide, polyanionic cellulose, or combinations thereof.

11. A method of using a drilling fluid in drilling operations, the method comprising:
mixing an aqueous base fluid, a shale inhibitor comprising silica grafted with glutamate-glycol, and a clay material, a mud, or both to produce a drilling fluid; and
introducing the drilling fluid to a subsurface formation and wherein
the drilling fluid does not comprise KCl, has a shale cutting recovery rate from 65% to 99%, and has an anti-swelling capacity from 55% to 99%.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein introducing the drilling fluid comprises injecting the drilling fluid and at least partially circulating the drilling fluid within the subsurface formation.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the aqueous base fluid comprises fresh water, salt water, brine, municipal water, formation water, produced water, well water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, or combinations of these;
the clay material comprises bentonite, montmorillonite clay, mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 or 2Al 2 O 3 ·SiO 2 ), kaolin (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 or kaolinite), or combinations thereof; and
the mud comprises lime (CaO), CaCO 3 , barium sulfate (barite), hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 , or aluminum oxide), silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the glycol comprises tetraethylene glycol.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drilling fluid comprises from 0.5 to 10 wt. % shale inhibitor by weight of the drilling fluid.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises weighting agents, fluid loss control agents, lost circulation control agents, viscosifiers, dispersants, pH buffers, electrolytes, glycols, glycerols, dispersion aids, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, deformers, starches, xanthan gum polymers, surfactants, or combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a weighting agent comprising barite, hematite, lime, calcium carbonate, bentonite, montmorillonite clay, siderite, ilmenite, hausmannite, ferrosilicon, manganese oxide, mullite, kaolinite, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a surfactant comprising sulfonated polymers, sulfonated alkanes, polycarboxylated ethers, trimethylalkylammonium salts, alkylbenzylammonium salts, proteins, polyethylene glycol derivatives, oligosaccharides, cholesterol derivatives, or combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a viscosifier comprising bentonite, polyacrylamide, polyanionic cellulose, or combinations thereof.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein:
the aqueous base fluid comprises fresh water, salt water, brine, municipal water, formation water, produced water, well water, filtered water, distilled water, sea water, or combinations of these; and
the clay material comprises bentonite, montmorillonite clay, mullite (3Al 2 O 3 ·2SiO 2 or 2Al 2 O 3 ·SiO 2 ), kaolin (Al 2 Si 2 O 5 (OH) 4 or kaolinite), or combinations thereof;
the mud comprises lime (CaO), CaCO 3 , barium sulfate (barite), hematite (Fe 2 O 3 ), alumina (Al 2 O 3 , or aluminum oxide), silicon carbide, tungsten carbide, or combinations thereof;
the glycol comprises tetraethylene glycol; and
the drilling fluid comprises from 0.5 to 10 wt. % shale inhibitor by weight of the drilling fluid; and
the drilling fluid further comprises weighting agents, fluid loss control agents, lost circulation control agents, viscosifiers, dispersants, pH buffers, electrolytes, glycols, glycerols, dispersion aids, corrosion inhibitors, defoamers, deformers, starches, xanthan gum polymers, surfactants, or combinations thereof.

Assignees

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

Inventors

• Al-Arfaj Mohammed K
• Saleh Tawfik Abdo

Classifications

• E21B43/25

  Methods for stimulating production {(by vibrating earth formations E21B43/003)} · 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

• C09K8/16 Primary

  characterised by the inorganic compounds other than clay · CPC title

• C09K8/18 Primary

  characterised by the organic compounds · CPC title