Invert emulsion gravel pack fluid and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296941-B2
Application number	US-201313763615-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2013
Priority date	Feb 8, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

A gravel packing fluid and method for brine-sensitive formations. The fluid comprises an invert oil emulsion compatible with oil based drilling fluids and having a suspension agent comprising polyurea and dimer diamine. The fluid is capable of carrying gravel yet has a viscosity less than 100 cp, often eliminating the need for an emulsion breaker during flow-back of the fluid to the well surface after deposition of gravel in the well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of gravel packing a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising:
(a) injecting into the wellbore a gravel pack composition comprising gravel and a carrier fluid comprising an invert emulsion and a suspension agent comprising polyurea and dimer diamine, such that the carrier fluid is a carrier for the gravel; and
(b) depositing said gravel on the sides of said wellbore until said gravel packing of said wellbore is complete.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimer diamine in the suspension agent of the carrier fluid is a C36 fatty acid dimer diamine.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier fluid has a viscosity less than 100 cp.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the carrier fluid has a viscosity less than 40 cp.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising allowing the carrier fluid to flowback to a well surface after deposition of the gravel, wherein the emulsion in the carrier fluid is not broken during the flowback.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the polyurea in the carrier fluid has a concentration in the range of about 1 to about 20 ppb.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the dimer diamine in the carrier fluid has a concentration in the range of about 1 to about 20 ppb.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the invert emulsion of the carrier fluid comprises a brine comprising salt selected from the group consisting of: potassium chloride, ammonium chloride, tetramethyl ammonium chloride, and any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the invert emulsion is the same as or compatible with a fluid for drilling the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the carrier fluid has a density in the range of about 8.8 ppg to about 19.2 ppg.

11. A method of treating a portion of a wellbore with a particulate, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) preparing or providing a carrier fluid comprising:
(i) an oleaginous continuous phase;
(ii) a discontinuous phase
(iii) a suspension agent comprising polyurea and dimer diamine, and
(iv) a solid particulate; and

(b) introducing the carrier fluid into a well.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the solid particulate has an average particle size in the range of about 200 U.S. mesh to about 4 U.S. mesh.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the solid particulate has a density in the range of about 0.5 g/cc to about 4.5 g/cc.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Wagle Vikrant Bhavanishankar
• Kulkarni Dhanashree Gajanan

Classifications

• E21B43/04

  Gravelling of wells · CPC title

• C09K8/36 Primary

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title

• C09K8/565 Primary

  Oil-based compositions · CPC title