Spacer fluid having sized particulates and methods of using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016130495-A1
Application number	US-201615000892-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 19, 2016
Priority date	Sep 17, 2013
Publication date	May 12, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A spacer fluid contains one or more hydratable polymeric viscosifying agents having a particle size distribution such that a minimum of 90% of the particulates are retained on a 20 mesh screen. The spacer fluid may further contain one or more surfactants, viscosity thinners, organic solvents, weighting materials, suspending agents and antifoaming agents. The spacer fluid may be used to position a first fluid into a wellbore annulus of a wellbore containing a second fluid. The spacer fluid may further be used to fluidly isolate at least a portion of a wellbore annulus in a wellbore containing an oil-based drilling mud and an aqueous cement slurry.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A spacer fluid for separating a drilling mud and an aqueous cement slurry in a wellbore comprising particulates of a hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent having a particle size distribution such that a minimum of 90% of the particulates are retained on a 20 mesh screen.

2 . The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent is selected from the group consisting of a cellulosic derivative, a polyvinyl alcohol or an ammonium or alkali metal salt of an acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid and mixtures thereof.

3 . The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent is a cellulosic derivative.

4 . The spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the cellulosic derivative is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl cellulose, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, ethylmethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethylpropyl cellulose, dialkyl carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose and mixtures thereof.

5 . The spacer fluid of claim 4 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent is hydroxyethyl cellulose.

6 . The spacer fluid of claim 1 , further comprising a weighting agent.

7 . The spacer fluid of claim 6 , wherein the weighting agent is selected from the group consisting of sand, barite, hematite, fly ash, calcium carbonate, silica sand, illmanite, manganese oxide, trimanganese tetraoxide, iron oxide and mixtures thereof.

8 . The spacer fluid of claim 7 , wherein the weighting agent is barite.

9 . A method of separating an aqueous cement slurry from a drilling mud in a wellbore comprising introducing into the wellbore the spacer fluid of claim 1 , wherein the spacer fluid is introduced into the wellbore after introducing the drilling mud into the wellbore and before introducing the aqueous cement slurry into the wellbore.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent of the spacer fluid is selected from the group consisting of a cellulosic derivative, a polyvinyl alcohol or an ammonium or alkali metal salt of an acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid and mixtures thereof.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent of the spacer fluid is a cellulosic derivative.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the cellulosic derivative is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl cellulose, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, ethylmethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethylpropyl cellulose, dialkyl carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose and mixtures thereof.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent of the spacer fluid is hydroxyethyl cellulose.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the spacer fluid further comprises a weighting agent, a suspending agent or a combination thereof.

15 . A method of emplacing an aqueous cement slurry into a wellbore containing a drilling mud, which comprises:
(a) introducing the spacer fluid of claim 1 into the wellbore containing the drilling mud; (b) displacing at least a portion of the drilling mud from an area in the wellbore into which the cement slurry is to be emplaced with the spacer fluid; (c) displacing at least a portion of the spacer fluid from the area in the wellbore with the aqueous cement slurry; and (d) permitting the cement slurry to harden.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the hydratable polymeric viscosifying agent is selected from the group consisting of a cellulosic derivative, a polyvinyl alcohol or an ammonium or alkali metal salt of an acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid and mixtures thereof.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the cellulosic derivative is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl cellulose, methylhydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose, ethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, ethylmethylhydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethylpropyl cellulose, dialkyl carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose and mixtures thereof.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Doan Angela Anh
• Kellum Matthew Grady
• Li Li
• Dighe Shailesh S

Classifications

• C09K8/40 Primary

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

• E21B33/14

  for cementing casings into boreholes · CPC title

• C09K8/424

  using "spacer" compositions · CPC title