Triggered heating of wellbore fluids by carbon nanomaterials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015114646-A1
Application number	US-201314391597-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 9, 2013
Priority date	Apr 9, 2012
Publication date	Apr 30, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of triggering heating within a subterranean formation, that includes introducting a wellbore fluid containing a dispersed carbon nanomaterial into a wellbore through the subterranean formation; lowering a microwave or ultraviolet radiation source into the wellbore; and irradiating the wellbore with microwave or ultraviolet radiation, thereby increasing the temperature of the wellbore fluid and/or wellbore is disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of triggering heating within a subterranean formation, comprising:
introducing a wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein into a wellbore; lowering a microwave, radio wave, or ultraviolet radiation source into the wellbore; and irradiating the wellbore with microwave or ultraviolet radiation, thereby increasing the temperature of the wellbore fluid and wellbore.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbon nanomaterial is selected from one or more of graphite, single-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, carbon black, glassy carbon, carbon nanofoam, silicon carbide, buckminsterfullerene, buckypaper, nanofiber, nanoplatelets, nano-onions, nanoribbons, nanohorns, nano-hybrids, or derivatives thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising injecting a fluid loss pill into the wellbore prior to introducing a wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluid loss pill comprises temperature-degradable polymers.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid comprises temperature-degradable polymers.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising drilling the wellbore with a drilling fluid comprising temperature-degradable polymers that forms a filtercake prior to introducing a wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein.

7 . (canceled)

8 . (canceled)

9 . (canceled)

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising drilling the wellbore with a drilling fluid and forming a filtercake prior to introducing the wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid injected into the wellbore further comprises at least one polymerizable species and/or a crosslinkable species.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein irradiating the wellbore fluid forms a polymer or gel capable of strengthening the wellbore.

14 . (canceled)

15 . (canceled)

16 . (canceled)

17 . (canceled)

18 . (canceled)

19 . (canceled)

20 . (canceled)

21 . (canceled)

22 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising allowing the wellbore fluid comprising at least one polymerizable species and/or a crosslinkable species to filter into the formation forming a filtercake.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein irradiating the wellbore forms a chemical casing.

24 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the wellbore fluid comprising at least one polymerizable species and/or a crosslinkable species is injected through the wellbore into an annular region outside a tubular string placed within the wellbore.

25 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising injecting a fluid comprising at least one polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species into the subterranean formation prior to the injection of the wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein.

26 . The method of claim 25 , further comprising allowing the fluid comprising at least one polymerizable species and/or a crosslinkable species to filter into the formation forming a filtercake.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising displacing the remaining fluid comprising at least one polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species that has not formed a filtercake with the wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein irradiating the wellbore fluid comprising a carbon nanomaterial dispersed therein increases the temperature of the wellbore and/or the wellbore fluid to a temperature sufficient to initiate polymerization and/or crosslinking of the polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species within the wellbore fluid and/or filtercake.

29 . The method of claim 28 , wherein the comprising at least one polymerizable species and/or a crosslinkable species is injected through the wellbore into an annular region outside a tubular string placed within the wellbore.

30 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising injecting a fluid comprising at least one polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species into the subterranean formation, wherein the carbon nanomaterial is dispersed in the at least one polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species.

31 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid further comprises at least one polymerizable and/or crosslinkable species dispersed therein.

32 . The method of claim 31 , further comprising drilling the wellbore with the wellbore fluid.

33 . (canceled)

34 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Mi Llc

Inventors

• Price Hoelscher Brandi Katherine
• Young Steven Philip
• Friedheim James

Classifications

• E21B36/04

  using electrical heaters · CPC title

• E21B43/2401

  by means of electricity · CPC title

• E21B7/14

  Drilling by use of heat, e.g. flame drilling · CPC title

• C09K8/032

  Inorganic additives · CPC title

• C09K8/06

  Clay-free compositions (containing inorganic compounds only C09K8/05) · CPC title