Methods for cementing wellbores utilizing spacer fluids that include surfactant packages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12534660-B2
Application number	US-202418631829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 10, 2024
Priority date	Apr 10, 2024
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A method for cementing a wellbore may include introducing a spacer fluid into the wellbore such that at least a portion of a drilling fluid positioned in the wellbore is displaced by the spacer fluid, the spacer fluid including from 80 wt. % to 99 wt. % of an aqueous based fluid, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid, from 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % of a surfactant package, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid, wherein the surfactant package comprises at least 99 wt. %, based on the total weight of the surfactant package, of the combination of one or more alkyl ether carboxylates, one or more alcohol ethoxylates, and one or more zwitterionic surfactants, and introducing a cement slurry into the wellbore such that at least a portion of the spacer fluid is displaced by the cement slurry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for cementing a wellbore, the method comprising:
introducing a spacer fluid into the wellbore such that at least a portion of a drilling fluid positioned in the wellbore is displaced by the spacer fluid, the spacer fluid comprising: from 80 wt. % to 99 wt. % of an aqueous based fluid, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid; and from 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % of a surfactant package, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid, wherein the surfactant package comprises all surfactants in the spacer fluid, and wherein the surfactant package comprises at least 99 wt. %, based on the total weight of the surfactant package, of the combination of:
from 10 wt. % to 40 wt. % of one or more alkyl ether carboxylates, based on the total weight of the surfactant package, wherein the one or more alkyl ether carboxylates consist of the formula R 1 -(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n COO − , wherein R 1 is an alkyl group with 7 to 28 carbons, and wherein n is from 2 to 25;
from 10 wt. % to 40 wt. % of one or more alcohol ethoxylates, based on the total weight of the surfactant package; and
from 20 wt. % to 80 wt. % of one or more zwitterionic surfactants, based on the total weight of the surfactant package; and
introducing a cement slurry into the wellbore such that at least a portion of the spacer fluid is displaced by the cement slurry.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises:
from 0.5 wt. % to 2 wt. % of the one or more alkyl ether carboxylates, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid; from 0.5 wt. % to 2 wt. % of the one or more alcohol ethoxylates, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid; and from 1 wt. % to 4 wt. % of the one or more zwitterionic surfactants, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the zwitterionic surfactants are betaine surfactants.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the betaine surfactants have the formula R 3 -N + (R 4 ) 2 -(R 5 ) n -COO − , wherein:
R 3 is an alkyl group, an alkyl amide group or an alkyl ester group with 4 to 28 carbons; R 4 is an alkyl group with 1 to 5 carbons; R 5 is alkyl group with 1 to 5 carbons, and n is an integer greater than or equal to 0.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the zwitterionic surfactants are sulfobetaine surfactants.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the sulfobetaine surfactants have the formula R 6 -N-R 7 -Z, wherein:
R 6 is an alkyl group, alkyl amide group or alkyl ester group with 4 to 28 carbons; R 7 is an alkyl group with 1 to 5 carbons; and
Z is a propyl sulfonate functional group or a hydroxypropyl sulfonate functional group.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein R 6 is an alkyl group with 16 to 18 carbons, R 7 is an alkyl group with 2 carbons, and Z is a hydroxypropyl sulfonate functional group.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is an alkyl group with 12 to 14carbons and n is 9.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the alcohol ethoxylates have the formula R 2 -(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n -OH, wherein R 2 an alkyl group with 7 to 28 carbons, and n is from 2 to 25.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein R 2 an iso-tridecyl group and n is 4.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid, from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. % of an organic solvent.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the organic solvent comprises limonene, 1-butanol, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DGMBE), or combinations thereof.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the organic solvent comprises limonene and DGMBE.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the spacer fluid is pumped into a first conduit defined by a 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 wellbore through a second conduit defined by a wall of the tubular and a wall of the wellbore.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cement slurry is in contact with the spacer fluid.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid is in contact with the drilling fluid and the cement slurry.

17 . A method for cementing a wellbore, the method comprising:
introducing a spacer fluid into the wellbore such that at least a portion of a drilling fluid positioned in the wellbore is displaced by the spacer fluid, the spacer fluid comprising:
from 80 wt. % to 99 wt. % of an aqueous based fluid, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid;
from 1 wt. % to 20 wt. % of a surfactant package, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid, wherein the surfactant package comprises all surfactants in the spacer fluid, and wherein the surfactant package comprises at least 99 wt. %, based on the total weight of the surfactant package, of the combination of:
one or more alkyl ether carboxylates, wherein the one or more alkyl ether carboxylates consist of the formula R 1 -(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n COO − , wherein R 1 is an alkyl group with 7 to 28 carbons, and wherein n is from 2 to 25;
one or more alcohol ethoxylates; and
one or more zwitterionic surfactants; and

introducing a cement slurry into the wellbore such that at least a portion of the spacer fluid is displaced by the cement slurry; wherein the organic solvent comprises limonene and DGMBE.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the organic solvent comprises:
limonene in an amount of from 0.5 wt. % to 3 wt. %, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid; and DGMBE in an amount of from 0.1 wt. % to 3 wt. %, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the spacer fluid comprises 1.5 wt. % to 2.5 wt. % limonene, and 0.1 wt. % to 1 wt. % DGMBE, based on the total weight of the spacer fluid.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Zhang Xuan
• Huang Tianping
• Xu Limin
• Wagle Vikrant B

Classifications

• C09K8/424 Primary

  using "spacer" compositions · CPC title

• C09K8/46

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

• C09K8/40 Primary

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