Control of lost circulation through a thermally activated metallic additive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12503635-B2
Application number	US-202118032217-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2021
Priority date	Oct 21, 2020
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

Compositions for treating a wellbore include an exothermic additive capable of initiating an exothermic event following contact with a carrier fluid. The exothermic additive can have a coating that delays the exothermic event after contact with the carrier fluid. Methods disclosed herein include emplacing a fluid loss treatment composition in an interval of a wellbore, the fluid loss treatment including: a metallic fluid loss additive; an exothermic additive; and a carrier fluid; and reacting the exothermic additive to initiate an increase in temperature in the interval of the wellbore above a melting point of the metallic fluid loss additive; and converting the metallic fluid loss additive to a molten fluid loss additive; and treating the interval of the wellbore with the molten fluid loss additive.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A composition for treating a wellbore, comprising:
a carrier fluid;
an exothermic additive in the carrier fluid, the exothermic additive comprising a payload having at least one compound or active material capable of initiating an exothermic event following contact with fluid surrounding the exothermic additive in the wellbore and a coating surrounding the payload, the coating being capable of delaying contact of the payload with fluid surrounding the exothermic additive in the wellbore; and
a metallic fluid loss additive in the carrier fluid, the metallic fluid loss additive having a melting point, the metallic fluid loss additive being capable of being converted to a molten fluid loss additive after the exothermic additive initiates a temperature increase above the melting point of the metallic fluid loss additive.

2 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the composition is formulated as a fluid loss pill having a total volume of less than 200 bbl.

3 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises a bismuth metal.

4 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises a bismuth alloy.

5 . The composition of claim 4 , wherein the bismuth alloy comprises bismuth as a percent by weight (wt %) of the alloy in a range of 5 wt % to 99 wt %.

6 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive has a melting point in a range of 47° C. to 270° C.

7 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive has a melting point that is greater than a formation temperature within a formation to be treated by a value in a range of 10° C. to 100° C.

8 . The composition of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of the exothermic additive to the metallic fluid loss additive is in a range of 10:1 to 1:1.

9 . The composition of claim 1 , wherein the coating delays contact between the payload and the fluid surrounding the exothermic additive in the wellbore by a time within a range of 0.1 hours to 5 hours.

10 . A method, comprising:
circulating a fluid loss treatment composition into an interval of a wellbore, the fluid loss treatment composition comprising a carrier fluid, a metallic fluid loss additive in the carrier fluid and an exothermic additive in the carrier fluid, the exothermic additive comprising a coating surrounding a payload, the payload comprising at least one compound or active material capable of initiating an increase in temperature in the interval of the wellbore following contact with fluid surrounding the exothermic additive in the wellbore after the coating delays the contact; reacting the exothermic additive to initiate the increase in temperature in the interval of the wellbore above a melting point of the metallic fluid loss additive; converting the metallic fluid loss additive to a molten fluid loss additive; and depositing the molten fluid loss additive into at least one fracture within the wellbore; and reducing or eliminating fluid access to the at least one fracture with the molten fluid loss additive.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the fluid loss treatment composition is a fluid loss pill having a total volume of less than 200 bbl.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises bismuth metal.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises a bismuth alloy comprising bismuth as a percent by weight (wt %) of the alloy in a range of 5 wt % to 99 wt %.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises delaying reacting the exothermic additive until the fluid loss treatment composition is circulated into the interval.

15 . A method, comprising:
determining a formation temperature for a target interval of a wellbore; formulating a fluid loss treatment composition comprising a carrier fluid, a metallic fluid loss additive in the carrier fluid, the metallic fluid loss additive having a melting point that is greater than the formation temperature, and an exothermic additive in the carrier fluid, the exothermic additive comprising a coating surrounding a payload, the payload comprising at least one compound or active material capable of initiating an increase in temperature in the interval of the wellbore following contact with fluid surrounding the exothermic additive in the wellbore after the coating delays the contact; circulating the fluid loss treatment composition into the target interval of the wellbore; reacting the exothermic additive to initiate the increase in temperature in the target interval of the wellbore above the melting point of the metallic fluid loss additive; converting the metallic fluid loss additive to a molten fluid loss additive; creating a metallic seal inside the least one fracture from the molten fluid loss additive; and preventing or eliminating fluid loss from the at least one fracture with the metallic seal.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises bismuth metal.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises a bismuth alloy comprising bismuth as a percent by weight (wt %) of the alloy in a range of 5 wt % to 99 wt %.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the metallic fluid loss additive comprises a melting point that is greater than the formation temperature by a value in a range of 10° C. to 100° C.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises delaying reacting the exothermic additive until the fluid loss treatment composition is circulated into the target interval.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the fluid loss treatment composition is a fluid loss pill having a total volume of less than 200 bbl.

Assignees

• Newpark Drilling Fluids Llc
• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Amer Ahmed Said
• Van Oort Eric

Classifications

• C09K8/516 Primary

  characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material · CPC title