Methods and materials to enhance high temperature rheology in invert emulsions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9346995-B2
Application number	US-201213468022-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 9, 2012
Priority date	May 9, 2012
Publication date	May 24, 2016
Grant date	May 24, 2016

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 a rheology additive of the invention comprising fatty dimer diamines or dimer diamines and an organic acid or ester of the acid. A nonlimiting example of such a rheology additive comprises a C36 fatty dimer diamine and adipic acid or dimethyl adipate.

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 having an
a. oleaginous continuous phase,
b. a non-oleaginous discontinuous phase, and a
c. rheology additive comprising a
i. fatty dimer diamine and
ii. an organic acid or corresponding ester of the organic acid or combinations thereof, wherein the organic acid is selected from the group consisting of: lactic acid, formic acid, acrylic acid, acetic acid, chloroacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, trichloroacetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, propanoic acid, butyric acid, pentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, heptanoic acid, oxalic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, pimelic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, aspartic acid, citric acid, isocitric acid, aconitic acid, tartaric acid, benzoic acid, p-amino benzoic acid, phthalic acid, terephthalic acid, and trimesic acid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid with the additive, when compared to the drilling fluid without the additive, restricts the increase in plastic viscosity to 50% or less and 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.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the organic acid has at least 0.1% w/w solubility in water at 20° C.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid is organoclay-free.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the oleaginous phase comprises: a synthetic oil comprising an ester or olefin; a diesel oil; or a mineral oil selected from the group consisting of n-paraffins, iso-paraffins, cyclic alkanes, branched alkanes, and mixtures thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid has mud weight in the range of about 9 to 20 ppg.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid comprises from about 0.1 ppb to about 40 ppb of the rheology additive.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the rheology additive comprises from about 0.1 ppb to about 20 ppb of the amine and 0.1 ppb to about 20 ppb of the acid or ester.

9. 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.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the non-oleaginous continuous phase contains a water activity lowering material selected from the group consisting of: sugar; salts selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, calcium bromide, sodium chloride, sodium bromide, and formate; and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid with the rheology additive, when compared to the drilling fluid without the rheology additive, has a lower HPHT fluid loss.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid with the rheology additive, under HPHT conditions, has enhanced YP, LSYP and gel strength but similar PV, when compared to the drilling fluid without the rheology additive.

13. 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, HPHT emulsifier-filtration control agents, and any combination thereof.

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

15. A method for drilling in a high temperature subterranean formation comprising providing or using in the drilling an invert emulsion drilling fluid having a mud weight in the range of about 9 ppg to about 20 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 0.1 ppb to 40 ppb rheology additive comprising a 36 carbon fatty dimer diamine with the molecular structure:

and an organic acid or its corresponding ester which are adipic acid and dimethyl adipate, wherein the drilling fluid with the rheology additive, when compared to the drilling fluid without the rheology additive, restricts the increase in plastic viscosity to 60% or less and 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.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the drilling fluid has an oleaginous phase selected from the group of oils consisting of: diesel oils; ester oils; olefins; and mineral oils selected from the group consisting of n-paraffins, iso-paraffins, cyclic alkanes, branched alkanes, and mixtures thereof.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the rheology additive is biodegradable.

Assignees

• Wagle Vikrant Bhavanishankar
• Maghrabi Shadaab Syed
• Savari Sharath
• Kulkarni Sandeep D
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Wagle Vikrant Bhavanishankar
• Maghrabi Shadaab Syed
• Savari Sharath
• Kulkarni Sandeep D

Classifications

• C09K8/035 Primary

  Organic additives · CPC title

• E21B7/00

  Special methods or apparatus for drilling · CPC title

• C09K8/28 Primary

  containing organic additives · CPC title

• C09K8/36 Primary

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title