Methods of using superabsorbent polymers for fracturing and sand control applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016289547-A1
Application number	US-201615084567-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Mar 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of treating a subterranean formation comprises forming a storable aqueous suspension comprising a carrier fluid, a superabsorbent polymer, a proppant the proppant being suspended in the carrier fluid as a substantially perfectly supported particulate; diluting the storable aqueous suspension in-line to a desired concentration; and introducing the diluted storable aqueous suspension into the subterranean formation. A sand control method is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of treating a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
forming a storable aqueous suspension comprising
a carrier fluid,
a superabsorbent polymer,
a proppant, the proppant being suspended in the carrier fluid as a substantially perfectly supported particulate slurry;
diluting the storable aqueous suspension in-line to a desired concentration; and introducing the diluted storable aqueous suspension into the subterranean formation.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the storable aqueous suspension comprises about 10 to about 100 pounds of the superabsorbent polymer per one thousand gallons of the storable aqueous suspension.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the diluted storable aqueous suspension comprises about 0.5 to about 35 pounds of the superabsorbent polymer and about 1 to about 12 pounds of the proppant per one thousand gallons of the diluted storable aqueous suspension.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the superabsorbent polymer comprises
a repeating unit derived from an acrylic acid or a salt thereof, an acrylate, an acrylamide, a vinylpyrrolidone, a vinyl acetate, a vinyl alcohol, a 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, a derivative thereof, or a combination thereof, and internal crosslinks formed before the superabsorbent polymer is combined with the carrier fluid.

5 . The method of claim 1 , forming a storable aqueous suspension comprises combining
the superabsorbent polymer, the proppant, and the carrier fluid.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming a storable aqueous suspension comprises combining
the carrier fluid with a composite comprising the proppant and the superabsorbent polymer in an unhydrated form, the superabsorbent polymer being at least partially embedded in a void area of the proppant.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising
combining the diluted storable aqueous suspension with a gaseous fluid under pressure to form a treatment fluid; and introducing the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the gaseous fluid constitutes less than about 50 volume percent, and a sum of the volumes of the gaseous fluid, the proppant, and the superabsorbent polymer is greater than about 50%, each based on the total volume of the treatment fluid.

9 . A method of fracturing a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
suspending a proppant in a fluid comprising an aqueous-based carrier and a superabsorbent polymer to form a proppant-containing fluid; combining the proppant-containing fluid with a gaseous fluid to form a fracturing composition, the gaseous fluid constituting less than about 50 volume percent, and the sum of the volumes of the gaseous fluid, the proppant, and the superabsorbent polymer is greater than about 50%, each based on the total volume of the fracturing composition; and introducing the fracturing composition into the subterranean formation.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the fracturing composition comprises about 0.5 to about 50 pounds of the superabsorbent polymer per one thousand gallons of the proppant-containing fluid.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the superabsorbent polymer comprises
a repeating unit derived from an acrylic acid or a salt thereof, an acrylate, an acrylamide, a vinylpyrrolidone, a vinyl acetate, a vinyl alcohol, a 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, a derivative thereof, or a combination thereof; and internal crosslinks formed before the superabsorbent polymer is combined with the aqueous-based carrier.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the fracturing composition further comprises a viscosity modifying agent comprising a polysaccharide, a viscoelastic surfactant gelling agent, an uncrosslinked polymer comprising repeating units derived from one or more of the following monomers: an acrylate; an acrylamide; a vinylpyrrolidone; a vinyl ester; a vinyl alcohol; or a 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the fracturing composition is free of a viscosity modifying agent.

14 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising pumping a pad fluid comprising a gaseous fluid into the formation at a pressure sufficient to initiate a fracture.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the pad fluid comprises a gaseous fluid and an aqueous fluid.

16 . A sand control method for a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
introducing into the wellbore a formation sand control composition comprising a superabsorbent polymer, a proppant, and a carrier fluid; and placing the superabsorbent polymer and the proppant particles adjacent the subterranean formation to form a fluid-permeable pack capable of reducing or substantially preventing the passage of formation sand from the subterranean formation into the wellbore while allowing passage of formation fluids from the subterranean formation into the wellbore.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the proppant has a specific gravity of less than about 2.4.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the superabsorbent polymer comprises
a repeating unit derived from an acrylic acid or a salt thereof, an acrylate, an acrylamide, a vinylpyrrolidone, a vinyl acetate, a vinyl alcohol, a 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, a derivative thereof, or a combination thereof; and internal crosslinks formed before the superabsorbent polymer is combined with the aqueous-based carrier.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the formation sand control composition comprises about 10 to about 100 pounds of the superabsorbent polymer per one thousand gallons of the formation sand control composition.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming a composite of the superabsorbent polymer and the proppant particles; and combining the composite with the carrier fluid to form the formation sand control composition.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the composite comprises proppant particles having void areas and the superabsorbent polymer in an unhydrated form at least partially embedded in the void areas of the proppant particles.

22 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising installing a screen device in the wellbore.

23 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising breaking the superabsorbent polymer after forming the fluid-permeable pack.

Assignees

• Gupta D V Satyanarayana
• Nelson Scott G
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Gupta D V Satyanarayana
• Nelson Scott G

Classifications

• E21B21/003

  Means for stopping loss of drilling fluid (plastering the borehole wall E21B33/138) · CPC title

• C09K8/685 Primary

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title

• C09K8/80

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

• C09K8/90

  of natural origin, e.g. polysaccharides, cellulose · CPC title

• E21B43/04

  Gravelling of wells · CPC title