Wellbore fluids comprising hydrated inorganic oxide materials and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016237772-A1
Application number	US-201314380321-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 22, 2013
Priority date	Oct 22, 2013
Publication date	Aug 18, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hydrated inorganic oxide material capable of elongating from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape, wherein the fiber shape is at least about 25 times greater in the thickness direction than the planar shape, and wherein during elongating a radial dimension of the hydrated inorganic oxide material changes by less than about 10% may be useful in a plurality of wellbore operations. For example, a method may include introducing a wellbore fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid and a hydrated inorganic oxide material into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and swelling the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with a polar amine compound such that the hydrated inorganic oxide material elongates from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
introducing a wellbore fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid and a hydrated inorganic oxide material into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and swelling the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with a polar amine compound such that the hydrated inorganic oxide material elongates from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fiber shape is at least about 25 times greater in the thickness direction than the planar shape.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein during swelling a radial dimension of the hydrated inorganic oxide material changes by less than about 10%.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrated inorganic oxide material comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of H 1.07 Ti 1.73 O 4 .H 2 O, H 2 Cs 4 W 11 O 36 .6H 2 O, HCa 2 Nb 3 O 10 .1.5H 2 O, HCa 2 NaNb 4 O 13 .1.5H 2 O, H 0.8 [Ti 1.2 Fe 0.8 ]O 4 .H 2 O, and any combination thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polar amine compound comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of an amino alcohol, an amino thiol, an amino amide, an amino ketone, a substituted thioalcohol, a substituted ether alcohol, and any combination thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore fluid further comprises a plurality of particulates.

7 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
shrinking the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with an acid, wherein shrinking is performed after swelling.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the swelling occurs before introducing the wellbore fluid into the wellbore.

9 . The method of claim 8 further comprising:
drilling at least a portion of the wellbore while circulating the wellbore fluid.

10 . The method of claim 9 further comprising:
forming a filter cake in the wellbore, wherein the filter cake comprises the hydrated inorganic oxide material.

11 . The method of claim 8 further comprising:
wherein the wellbore fluid is a spacer fluid;
introducing a second wellbore fluid immediately before the spacer fluid; and
introducing a third wellbore fluid immediately after the spacer fluid.

12 . The method of claim 8 further comprising:
wherein the wellbore fluid further comprises a plurality of gravel particulates; and
forming a gravel pack in a portion of the wellbore.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the swelling occurs after introducing the wellbore fluid into the wellbore.

14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:
placing at least a portion of the hydrated inorganic oxide material in a portion of the subterranean formation; and
then performing the swelling step, thereby reducing fluid flow between the wellbore and the portion of the subterranean formation.

15 . The method of claim 14 further comprising:
then shrinking the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with an acid, thereby increasing fluid flow between the wellbore and the portion of the subterranean formation.

16 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:
placing at least a portion of the hydrated inorganic oxide material in a plurality of microfractures extending from the wellbore;
then performing the swelling step, thereby strengthening the wellbore; and
then drilling a portion of the wellbore.

17 . A system for performing the introducing step of claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a pump fluidly coupled to a tubular extending into the wellbore penetrating the subterranean formation.

18 . A method comprising:
introducing a wellbore fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid and a hydrated inorganic oxide material into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and swelling the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with a polar amine compound such that the hydrated inorganic oxide material elongates from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape, wherein the fiber shape is at least about 25 times greater in the thickness direction than the planar shape, and wherein during elongating a radial dimension of the hydrated inorganic oxide material changes by less than about 10%.

19 . The method of claim 18 further comprising:
shrinking the hydrated inorganic oxide material by contacting the hydrated inorganic oxide material with an acid, wherein shrinking is performed after swelling.

20 . A treatment fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid; and a hydrated inorganic oxide material capable of elongating from a planar shape to a fiber shape along a thickness direction of the planar shape, wherein the fiber shape is at least about 25 times greater in the thickness direction than the planar shape, and wherein during elongating a radial dimension of the hydrated inorganic oxide material changes by less than about 10%.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Miller Matthew L
• Murphy Robert J
• Galindo Kay

Classifications

• C09K8/40 Primary

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

• E21B33/02 Primary

  Surface sealing or packing · CPC title

• C09K8/80

  Compositions for reinforcing fractures, e.g. compositions of proppants used to keep the fractures open · CPC title

• C09K2208/08

  Fiber-containing well treatment fluids · CPC title

• C09K8/501

  using spacer compositions · CPC title