Multifunctional Slickwater Fracturing Fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024199946-A1
Application number	US-202318205236-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 2, 2023
Priority date	Dec 2, 2022
Publication date	Jun 20, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A water-soluble polymer system for suspending proppant in a fracturing fluid is disclosed herein. The polymer system can be made with acrylamide, acrylic acid, a surfactant monomer, urea, a glycol ether, sodium hydroxide, and water and when mixed in a fracturing fluid with a proppant can form three-dimensional structures by hydrophobic association. The structures can also reduce frictional energy losses in the fracturing fluid system and can increase oil recovery after fracturing occurs.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method of reducing friction in a fracturing fluid comprising:
mixing water and a polymer comprising at least one surfactant monomer, at least one hydrophilic monomer, and at least one glycol ether to form the fracturing fluid; adding proppant to the fracturing fluid; and pumping the fracturing fluid with reduced frictional energy losses into a wellbore for a fracturing operation.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one surfactant monomer comprises poly(ethylene glycol) behenyl ether methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) behenyl ether (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) lauryl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) lauryl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) stearyl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) stearyl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) cetyl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) cetyl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) erucyl (meth)acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) erucyl (meth)acrylamide, and combinations thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the surfactant monomer has a structure comprising one or more of:

wherein m is between 1 and 30 and n is between 1 and 50.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one hydrophilic monomer comprises acrylate salts, acrylate, acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid salts, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, and combinations thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one glycol ether comprises tripropylene glycol methyl ether, triethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether, propylene glycol phenyl ether, ethylene glycol hexyl ether, diethylene glycol hexyl ether, ethylene glycol phenyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, and combinations thereof.

6 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
reducing friction within the fracturing fluid by about 75% within one minute of adding the polymer.

7 . The method of claim 6 further comprising:
maintaining friction reductions of greater than about 65% for at least 10 minutes after adding the polymer powder.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer is added to the fracturing fluid at a concentration of 0.025 wt % or 2.08 ppt.

9 . The method of claim 1 further comprising:
prehydrating the polymer by combining water with a polymer powder prior to adding the polymer to form the fracturing fluid.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer and fracturing fluid is mixed for at least 30 seconds.

11 . A method of enhancing oil recovery from a fracturing fluid comprising:
mixing water and a polymer comprising at least one surfactant monomer, at least one hydrophilic monomer, and at least one glycol ether to form the fracturing fluid; adding proppant to the fracturing fluid; pumping the fracturing fluid into a wellbore for a fracturing operation; and increasing oil recovery from the wellbore after performing the fracturing operation.

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one surfactant monomer comprises poly(ethylene glycol) behenyl ether methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) behenyl ether (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) lauryl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) lauryl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) stearyl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) stearyl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) cetyl methacrylate or acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) cetyl (meth)acrylamide, poly(ethylene glycol) erucyl (meth)acrylate, poly(ethylene glycol) erucyl (meth)acrylamide, and combinations thereof.

13 . The method of claim 11 wherein the surfactant monomer has a structure comprising one or more of:

wherein m is between 1 and 30 and n is between 1 and 50.

14 . The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one hydrophilic monomer comprises acrylate salts, acrylate, acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid salts, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid, and combinations thereof.

15 . The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one glycol ether comprises tripropylene glycol methyl ether, triethylene glycol methyl ether, diethylene glycol n-butyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether, propylene glycol phenyl ether, ethylene glycol hexyl ether, diethylene glycol hexyl ether, ethylene glycol phenyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl ether, and combinations thereof.

16 . The method of claim 11 further comprising:
increasing a relative oil recovery rate over a period of about 4 days.

17 . The method of claim 11 further comprising:
increasing a total relative oil recovery over a period of about 10 days.

18 . The method of claim 11 wherein the polymer is added to form the fracturing fluid at a concentration of about 0.4-0.7 wt %.

19 . The method of claim 11 wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises about 0.5 ppt of ammonium persulfate.

20 . The method of claim 19 wherein the ammonium persulfate breaks the fracturing fluid to increase oil recovery.

Assignees

• Cnpc Usa Corp
• Beijing Huamei Inc
• China Nat Petroleum Corp

Inventors

• LIN Genyao
• Huang Jiangshui
• Liu Fuchen
• Li Jianshen
• Lin Lijun

Classifications

• C09K2208/28

  Friction or drag reducing additives · CPC title

• C09K8/588

  characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)} · CPC title

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/88

  macromolecular compounds · CPC title