Invert drilling fluids having enhanced rheology and methods of drilling boreholes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9127192-B2
Application number	US-201213342179-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2012
Priority date	Mar 6, 2010
Publication date	Sep 8, 2015
Grant date	Sep 8, 2015

Abstract

An invert emulsion drilling fluid, and a method of drilling with such fluid, having improved rheology at low mud weights and high temperatures. The improved rheology is effected with addition of hydrophobic amines, most preferably dimer diamines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for drilling in a subterranean formation comprising:
providing or using in the drilling an invert emulsion drilling fluid consisting essentially of an oleaginous continuous phase, a non-oleaginous discontinuous phase, and a hydrophobic amine additive having the following general structure:

where R is a hydrophobic or partially hydrophobic group with carbon atoms ranging from about 16 to about 54, straight chained or branched, and aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aryl aliphatic; N is a primary, secondary or tertiary amine wherein the R 1 and R 2 groups may be the same or different, and are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen group, an alkyl group, a cyano alkyl group, an amino alkyl group, an amino aryl group, a hydroxyl alkyl group, a carbonyl group, a carbonate group, an alkoxy group, a hydroxyl group, any combination thereof, and any derivative thereof; X comprises a hydrophilic group selected from the group consisting of: a primary amine, a secondary amine, a tertiary amine, an amide group, an amine oxide group, a betaine group, an ester group, a carboxylic acid group, an ether group, a hydroxyl group, a phosphate group, a phosphonate group, a pyrrolidone group, a haloformyl group, a nitrate group, a nitrite group, a sulfate group, a sulfonate group, a imidazoline group, a pyridine group, a sugar group, any combination thereof, and any derivative thereof,
wherein when the drilling fluid is heated to 120 (±2)° F., and the plastic viscosity of the drilling fluid is tested at 120 (±2)° F., the drilling fluid with the hydrophobic amine additive shows an increase in plastic viscosity of 60% or less, when compared to the drilling fluid without the hydrophobic amine additive, and the drilling fluid with the hydrophobic amine additive has a characteristic selected from the group consisting of: an increased yield point; an increased low shear yield point; an increased gel strength; and any combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid is clay-free.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the oleaginous continuous phase comprises at least one fluid selected from the group consisting of: a synthetic oil comprising an ester or olefin; a diesel oil; and a mineral oil selected from the group consisting of an n-paraffin, an iso-paraffin, a cyclic alkane, a branched alkane, and any mixture thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid has mud weight in the range of about 9 to about 18 ppg.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid comprises from about 0.25 ppb to about 18 ppb of the hydrophobic amine additive.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid has an oil:water ratio in the range of about 50:50 to about 95:5.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-oleaginous discontinuous phase comprises an aqueous solution containing a water activity lowering material selected from the group consisting of: sugar; glycerol; salts selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, calcium bromide, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, and formate; and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid with the hydrophobic amine additive, when compared to the drilling fluid without the hydrophobic amine additive, has a lower high-pressure-high-temperature fluid loss.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid with the hydrophobic amine additive, under high-pressure-high-temperature conditions, has enhanced yield point, low-shear yield point and gel strength but similar or lower plastic viscosity, when compared to the drilling fluid without the hydrophobic amine additive.

10. The method of claim 1 where the invert emulsion fluid comprises at least one additive from the group consisting of: weighting agents, inert solids, fluid loss control agents, emulsifiers, salts, dispersion aids, corrosion inhibitors, emulsion thinners, emulsion thickeners, viscosifier, high-pressure-high-temperature emulsifier-filtration control agents, and any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising drilling, running casing and/or cementing a wellbore in the subterranean formation.

12. A method for drilling in a high temperature subterranean formation comprising:
providing or using in the drilling an invert emulsion drilling fluid consisting essentially of a mud weight in the range of about 9 ppg to about 18 ppg, wherein the drilling fluid comprises a continuous oleaginous phase and a discontinuous non-oleaginous phase in an oil:water ratio in the range of about 50:50 to about 95:5, and a rheology modifier having the following general structure:

where R is a hydrophobic or partially hydrophobic group with carbon atoms ranging from about 16 to about 54, straight chained or branched, and aliphatic, cycloaliphatic or aryl aliphatic; N is a primary, secondary or tertiary amine wherein the R 1 and R 2 groups may be the same or different, and are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen group, an alkyl group, a cyano alkyl group, an amino alkyl group, an amino aryl group, a hydroxyl alkyl group, a carbonyl group, a carbonate group, an alkoxy group, a hydroxyl group, any combination thereof, and any derivative thereof; X comprises a hydrophilic group selected from the group consisting of: a primary amine, a secondary amine, a tertiary amine, an amide group, an amine oxide group, a betaine group, an ester group, a carboxylic acid group, an ether group, a hydroxyl group, a phosphate group, a phosphonate group, a pyrrolidone group, a haloformyl group, a nitrate group, a nitrite group, a sulfate group, a sulfonate group, an imidazoline group, a pyridine group, a sugar group, any combination thereof, and any derivative thereof,
wherein when the drilling fluid is heated to 120 (±2)° F., and the plastic viscosity of the drilling fluid is tested at 120 (±2)° F., the drilling fluid with the rheology modifier shows an increase in plastic viscosity of 60% or less, when compared to the drilling fluid without the rheology modifier, and the drilling fluid with the rheology modifier has a characteristic selected from the group consisting of: an increased yield point; an increased low shear yield point; an increased gel strength; and any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the oleaginous continuous phase comprises at least one oil selected from the group consisting of: thereof a diesel oil; an ester oil; an olefin; and a mineral oil selected from the group consisting of an n-paraffin, an iso-paraffin, a cyclic alkane, a branched alkane, and any mixture thereof.

Assignees

• Maghrabi Shadaab Syed
• Wagle Vikrant Bhavanishankar
• Teke Kushabhau Dagadu
• Kulkarni Dhanashree Gajanan
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Maghrabi Shadaab Syed
• Wagle Vikrant Bhavanishankar
• Teke Kushabhau Dagadu
• Kulkarni Dhanashree Gajanan

Classifications

• C09K8/36 Primary

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title