Method for stabilizing wellbore, stabilized wellbore and wellbore stabilizing fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023295482-A1
Application number	US-202217655273-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 17, 2022
Priority date	Mar 17, 2022
Publication date	Sep 21, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for stabilizing a wellbore includes introducing a hardening agent into the wellbore, mixing the hardening agent with a carrier fluid in the wellbore to produce a wellbore stabilizing fluid, and treating a wellbore wall of the wellbore by contacting the wellbore stabilizing fluid to a surface of the wellbore wall for at least 48 hours. A wellbore stabilizing fluid includes a hardening agent and a carrier fluid. The hardening agent is selected from one of 10 to 100 g/L of the calcium hydroxide nanocrystals, 5 to 99.9% by volume of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and 10 to 50 g/L of zinc sulfate. A stabilized wellbore includes a wellbore having a wellbore wall treated with a wellbore stabilizing fluid comprising a hardening agent. The Young's modulus of the treated wellbore wall is at least 5% higher than a Young's modulus of a non-treated wellbore wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for stabilizing a wellbore, the method comprising a treatment cycle of:
introducing a hardening agent into the wellbore; mixing the hardening agent with a carrier fluid in the wellbore to produce a wellbore stabilizing fluid; and treating a wellbore wall of the wellbore by contacting the wellbore stabilizing fluid to a surface of the wellbore wall and maintaining the contacting for at least 48 hours.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore stabilizing fluid comprises the hardening agent selected from one of calcium hydroxide nanocrystals, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and zinc sulfate.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the hardening agent comprised in the wellbore stabilizing fluid is selected from one of:
10 g/L to 100 g/L of the calcium hydroxide nanocrystals; 5% to 99.9% by volume of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS); and 10 g/L to 50 g/L of zinc sulfate.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore stabilizing fluid further comprises a solvent comprising at least one of ethanol and isopropanol.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises repeating the treatment cycle of the introducing the hardening agent, the mixing, and the treating at least once.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the hardening agent in the repeated treatment cycle is chemically different than a hardening agent of a treatment cycle immediately preceding treatment cycle.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is conducted at an elevated temperature ranging from 40° C. to 100° C.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a Young's modulus of the wellbore wall after the treating is at least 5% higher than a Young's modulus of the wellbore wall before the treating.

9 . A wellbore stabilizing fluid, comprising:
a hardening agent; and a carrier fluid, wherein the hardening agent comprised in the wellbore stabilizing fluid is selected from one of:
10 g/L to 100 g/L of calcium hydroxide nanocrystals;
5% to 99.9% by volume of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS); and
10 g/L to 50 g/L of zinc sulfate.

10 . The wellbore stabilizing fluid of claim 9 , further comprising a solvent comprising at least one of ethanol and isopropanol.

11 . A stabilized wellbore, comprising:
a wellbore having a wellbore wall treated with a wellbore stabilizing fluid comprising a hardening agent, wherein a Young's modulus of the wellbore wall treated with the wellbore stabilizing fluid is at least 5% higher than a Young's modulus of a wellbore wall of a wellbore not treated by the wellbore stabilizing fluid.

12 . The stabilized wellbore of claim 11 , wherein the wellbore stabilizing fluid comprises the hardening agent selected from one of calcium hydroxide nanocrystals, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and zinc sulfate.

13 . The stabilized wellbore of claim 12 , wherein the hardening agent comprised in the wellbore stabilizing fluid is selected from one of:
10 g/L to 100 g/L of the calcium hydroxide nanocrystals; 5% to 99.9% by volume of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS); and 10 g/L to 50 g/L of zinc sulfate.

14 . The stabilized wellbore of claim 11 , wherein the wellbore wall is treated with at least two of a first wellbore stabilizing fluid, a second wellbore stabilizing fluid and a third wellbore stabilizing fluid, the first wellbore stabilizing fluid comprising calcium hydroxide nanocrystals, the second wellbore stabilizing fluid comprising tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and the third stabilizing fluid comprising zinc sulfate.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co
• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Desouky Mahmoud H
• Aljawad Murtada Saleh
• Solling Theis
• Altammar Murtadha J
• Alruwaili Khalid Mohammed

Classifications

• C09K8/46 Primary

  containing inorganic binders, e.g. Portland cement · CPC title

• C09K8/44

  containing organic binders only · CPC title

• C04B2/02

  Lime {(obtaining Ca(OH)2 otherwise than by simple slaking of quick lime C01F11/02)} · CPC title

• C04B2103/0093

  Organic cosolvents · CPC title

• C04B26/32

  containing silicon · CPC title