Decreasing microorganisms in fluids using ultrasonic wave technologies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016356122-A1
Application number	US-201615170238-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 1, 2016
Priority date	Jun 2, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Microbial growth of at least one microorganism may be decreased, prevented, and/or inhibited in a fluid by providing ultrasonic waves to the fluid. In an optional non-limiting embodiment, an amount of at least one gas may be provided to the fluid for further decreasing the microbial population, preventing microbial growth, and/or inhibiting microbial growth. In another non-limiting embodiment, the fluid may be a downhole fluid, such as but not limited to, drilling fluids, completion fluids, production fluids, injection fluids, stimulation fluids, refinery fluids, servicing fluids, and combinations thereof. Alternatively, the fluid or downhole fluid may have a temperature ranging from about 25 C to about 100 C.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for decreasing microbial growth in a downhole fluid, wherein the method comprises:
providing ultrasonic waves to the downhole fluid; and decreasing microbial growth of at least one microorganism in the downhole fluid.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic waves are provided by a sonication device.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic waves are provided at a frequency ranging from about 20 kHz to about 100 kHz.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of a bacteria, a yeast, a virus, an algae, and combinations thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one microorganism is selected from the group consisting of gram positive bacteria, gram negative bacteria, sulfate reducing bacteria, acid producing bacteria, nitrate reducing bacteria, and combinations thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the downhole fluid comprises a temperature ranging from about 25 C to about 100 C.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the downhole fluid with an effective amount of at least one gas at the same time or different time as providing the ultrasonic waves to the downhole fluid to further decrease microbial growth of the at least one microorganism in the fluid.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one gas is selected from the group consisting of an inert gas, a noble gas, and combinations thereof.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the effective amount of the at least one gas ranges from about 0.1 mg/L to about 100 mg/L.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the downhole fluid is an oil-based fluid, a water-based fluid, and combinations thereof.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the downhole fluid is selected from the group consisting of drilling fluids, completion fluids, production fluids, injection fluids, stimulation fluids, refinery fluids, servicing fluids, and combinations thereof.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the decreasing microbial growth occurs by sterilizing the microbial growth of the at least one microorganism in the downhole fluid.

13 . A method for decreasing microbial growth in a fluid, wherein the method comprises:
providing ultrasonic waves to the fluid; providing an effective amount of a gas to the fluid to decrease an amount of at least one microorganism in the fluid; and decreasing microbial growth of an amount of at least one microorganism in the fluid.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the ultrasonic waves are provided by a sonication device.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the ultrasonic waves are provided at a frequency ranging from about 20 kHz to about 100 kHz.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the fluid comprises a temperature ranging from about 25 C to about 100 C.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising providing the fluid with an effective amount of at least one gas at the same time or different time as providing the ultrasonic waves to the fluid to further decrease microbial growth of the at least one microorganism in the fluid.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one gas is selected from the group consisting of an inert gas, a noble gas, and combinations thereof.

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the decreasing microbial growth occurs by sterilizing the microbial growth of the at least one microorganism in the downhole fluid.

20 . A method for decreasing microorganisms in a downhole fluid, wherein the method comprises:
sonicating ultrasonic waves into the downhole fluid with a sonication device; wherein the downhole fluid comprises a temperature ranging from about 25 C to about 100 C; decreasing microbial growth of an amount of at least one microorganism in the downhole fluid; and wherein the downhole fluid is selected from the group consisting of drilling fluids, completion fluids, production fluids, injection fluids, stimulation fluids, refinery fluids, servicing fluids, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Armstrong Charles David
• Lee Crystal

Classifications

• C02F1/36 Primary

  ultrasonic vibrations · CPC title

• C02F2303/04

  Disinfection · CPC title

• C02F2303/20

  Prevention of biofouling · CPC title

• A61L2/025 Primary

  Ultrasonic waves · CPC title

• C09K8/54

  Compositions for in situ inhibition of corrosion in boreholes or wells · CPC title