Emulsifier compositions for invert emulsion fluids and methods of using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018223165-A1
Application number	US-201715489854-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2017
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Aug 9, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Drilling fluid compositions include invert emulsion fluids having an oleaginous phase, an aqueous phase, and an emulsifier composition that includes an ethoxylated alcohol compound and a polyaminated fatty acid compound. The ethoxylated alcohol compound has the formula R1—(OCH2CH2)n—OH, where R1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and n is from 1 to 8. The ethoxylated alcohol compound has a Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) of less than or equal to 6. The polyaminated fatty acid compound has the formula R2—CO—NH—CH2—CH2—N(COR2)—CH2—CH2—NH—CO—R3, where R2 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R3 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an alkylene carboxylate group having formula —R4—COOH, where R4 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Methods of drilling wells include operating a drill in a wellbore in the presence of drilling fluid compositions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An invert emulsion fluid comprising an oleaginous phase, an aqueous phase dispersed in the oleaginous phase, and an emulsifier composition comprising:
an ethoxylated alcohol compound having formula (I):
R 1 —(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n —OH  (I)

where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 1 to 8, where the ethoxylated alcohol compound has a Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) of less than or equal to 6; and
a polyaminated fatty acid compound having formula (II):
R 2 —CO—NH—CH 2 —CH 2 —N(COR 2 )—CH 2 —CH 2 —NH—CO—R 3   (II)

where R 2 is hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R 3 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an alkylene carboxylate group having formula —R 4 —COOH, where R 4 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

2 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 1 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

3 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 1 has from 12 to 14 carbon atoms.

4 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where n is 1.

5 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 2 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

6 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 2 is an unsaturated hydrocarbyl group.

7 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 2 is a branched hydrocarbyl group.

8 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 3 is a hydrocarbyl group.

9 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 3 is a an alkylene carboxylate group having formula —R 4 —COOH, where R 4 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbylene.

10 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where R 3 is selected from the group consisting of methyl, phenyl, —CH 2 CH 2 —COOH, and —CH═CH—COOH.

11 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 comprising from 0.25 pounds of mass per barrel (lbm/bbl) to 25 lbm/bbl ethoxylated alcohol compound.

12 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 comprising from 0.25 lbm/bbl to 25 lbm/bbl polyaminated fatty acid compound.

13 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 where a weight ratio of the ethoxylated alcohol compound to the polyaminated fatty acid compound is from 1:99 to 99:1, or from 50:50 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 95:5, or from 80:20 to 95:5.

14 . The invert emulsion fluid of claim 1 further comprising from 0.5 lbm/bbl to 10 lbm/bbl alkali compound.

15 . An emulsifier composition comprising:
an ethoxylated alcohol compound having formula (I):
R 1 —(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n —OH  (I)

where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 1 to 8, the ethoxylated alcohol compound having a Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) of less than or equal to 6; and
a polyaminated fatty acid compound having formula (II):
R 2 —CO—NH—CH 2 —CH 2 —N(COR 2 )—CH 2 —CH 2 —NH—CO—R 3   (II)

where R 2 is hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R 3 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an alkylene carboxylate group having formula —R 4 —COOH, where R 4 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms.

16 . The emulsifier composition of claim 15 where R 1 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

17 . The emulsifier composition of claim 15 where R 1 has from 12 to 14 carbon atoms, and n is 1.

18 . The emulsifier composition of claim 15 where R 2 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

19 . The emulsifier composition of claim 15 where a weight ratio of the ethoxylated alcohol compound to the polyaminated fatty acid compound is from 1:99 to 99:1, or from 50:50 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 95:5, or from 80:20 to 95:5.

20 . A drilling fluid composition comprising:
an invert emulsion comprising an aqueous phase dispersed in an oleaginous phase and a emulsifier composition comprising:
an ethoxylated alcohol compound having formula (I):
R 1 —(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n —OH  (I)

where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 1 to 6, the ethoxylated alcohol compound having a Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) of less than or equal to 6; and

a polyaminated fatty acid compound having formula (II):
R 2 —CO—NH—CH 2 —CH 2 —N(COR 2 )—CH 2 —CH 2 —NH—CO—R 3   (II)

where R 2 is hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R 3 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an alkylene carboxylate group having formula —R 4 —COOH, where R 4 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbylene having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms; and
a weighting material.

21 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 where R 1 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

22 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 where R 1 has from 12 to 14 carbon atoms and n is 1.

23 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 where R 2 is a saturated linear hydrocarbyl group.

24 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 comprising from 0.25 lbm/bbl to 25 lbm/bbl ethoxylated alcohol compound.

25 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 comprising from 0.25 lbm/bbl to 25 lbm/bbl polyaminated fatty acid compound.

26 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 where a weight ratio of the ethoxylated alcohol compound to the polyaminated fatty acid compound is from 1:99 to 99:1, or from 50:50 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 99:1, or from 70:30 to 95:5, or from 80:20 to 95:5.

27 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 further comprising from 0.5 lbm/bbl to 10 lbm/bbl alkali compound.

28 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 comprising from 4 lbm/bbl to 700 lbm/bbl weighting material.

29 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 comprising from 150 lbm/bbl to 330 lbm/bbl invert emulsion fluid based on the total weight of the drilling fluid composition.

30 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 where the invert emulsion fluid comprises a volume ratio of the oleaginous phase to the aqueous phase of from 50:50 to 95:5.

31 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 further comprising from 0.5 lbm/bbl to 120 lbm/bbl calcium chloride.

32 . The drilling fluid composition of claim 20 , comprising an aqueous phase salinity of from 10 wt. % to 40 wt. %, based on the total weight of the aqueous phase of the invert emulsion fluid.

33 . A method of drilling a subterranean well, the method comprising:
operating a drill in a wellbore in the presence of a drilling fluid composition comprising a weighting material and an invert emulsion fluid, the invert emulsion fluid comprising an oleaginous phase, an aqueous phase dispersed in the oleaginous phase, and an emulsifier composition comprising:
an ethoxylated alcohol compound having formula (I):
R 1 —(OCH 2 CH 2 ) n —OH  (I)

where R 1 is a hydrocarbyl group having from 8 to 22 carbon atoms and n is an integer from 1 to 6, the ethoxylated alcohol compound having a Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (HLB) of less than or equal to 6; and

a polyaminated fatty acid compound having formula (II):
R 2 —CO—NH—CH 2 —CH 2 —N(COR 2 )—CH 2 —CH 2 —NH—CO—R 3   (II)

where R 2 is hydrocarbyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and R 3 is a hydrocarbyl group having 1 to 10 carbon atoms or an alkylene

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Wagle Vikrant
• Al-Yami Abdullah

Classifications

• C09K8/035

  Organic additives · CPC title

• C09K8/514

  of natural origin, e.g. polysaccharides, cellulose (C09K8/512 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C10N2050/013

  Water-in-oil · CPC title

• C10N2020/02

  Viscosity; Viscosity index · CPC title

• C10N2020/04

  Molecular weight; Molecular weight distribution · CPC title