Low-viscosity treatment fluids for transporting proppant

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9365763-B2
Application number	US-201213586061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2012
Priority date	Aug 15, 2012
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A method of treating a subterranean formation using low-viscosity subterranean treatment fluids with proppants suspended in gel fragments, including providing a fracturing fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, a proppant, and swellable micro-gel fragments, wherein the fracturing fluid has a low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise; allowing the micro-gel fragments to swell to form a matrix, wherein the proppant is suspended in the fracturing fluid; placing the fracturing fluid in a fracture within the subterranean formation; and allowing the matrix to at least partially degrade in the subterranean formation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
forming swellable micro-gel fragments comprising a reaction product comprising acrylamide, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, ammonium persulfate, and tetramethyl ethylene diamine,
wherein the swellable micro-gel fragments are crosslinked by ester based bonds;

forming a fracturing fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, proppant, and the swellable micro-gel fragments,
wherein the fracturing fluid has a low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise, and
wherein when the swellable micro-gel fragments are in a dry state, they are present in an amount of about 0.01% to about 50% by weight of the fracturing fluid, and wherein when the swellable micro-gel fragments are in a wet state, they are present in the fracturing fluid in an amount of about 1% to about 35% by weight of the fracturing fluid;

swelling the swellable micro-gel fragments, thereby forming a matrix by suspending the proppant between surfaces of the swelled micro-gel fragments in the fracturing fluid,
wherein the fracturing fluid comprising the matrix retains the low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise;

placing the fracturing fluid in a fracture within the subterranean formation; and
at least partially degrading the matrix in the subterranean formation by degrading the ester based bonds of the swellable micro-gel fragments.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous base fluid is selected from the group consisting of: fresh water, saltwater, seawater, brine, produced water, flowback water, and any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the proppant is selected from the group consisting of: sand, bauxite, ceramic material, glass material, polymer material, polytetrafluoroethylene material, nut shell piece, cured resinous particulate comprising a nut shell piece, seed shell piece, cured resinous particulate comprising seed shell piece, fruit pit piece, cured resinous particulate comprising fruit pit piece, wood, composite particulate, and any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a non-swelled diameter of about 1 μm to about 20 μm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a swelled diameter of about 20 μm to about 500 μm.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of: clay control agents, scale inhibition agents, corrosion inhibition agents, dyeing agents, and combinations thereof.

7. A method comprising:
forming swellable micro-gel fragments comprising a reaction product comprising 91% acrylamide, 0.01-2.3% polyethylene glycol diacrylate, 0.01-4.6% ammonium persulfate, and 0.05-2.1% tetramethyl ethylene diamine,
wherein the swellable micro-gel fragments are crosslinked by ester based bonds;

forming a fracturing fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, proppant, and the swellable micro-gel fragments,
wherein the fracturing fluid has a low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise, and
wherein when the swellable micro-gel fragments are in a dry state, they are present in an amount of about 0.01% to about 50% by weight of the fracturing fluid, and wherein when the swellable micro-gel fragments are in a wet state, they are present in the fracturing fluid in an amount of about 1% to about 35% by weight of the fracturing fluid;

introducing the fracturing fluid at a rate sufficient to create or enhance at least one fracture in a subterranean formation;
swelling the swellable micro-gel fragments, thereby forming a matrix by suspending the proppant between surfaces of the swelled micro-gel fragments in the fracturing fluid,
wherein the fracturing fluid comprising the matrix retains the low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise;

placing the fracturing fluid in a fracture in the subterranean formation; and
at least partially degrading the matrix in the subterranean formation by degrading the ester based bonds of the swellable micro-gel fragments.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the aqueous base fluid is selected from the group consisting of: fresh water, saltwater, seawater, brine, produced water, flowback water, and any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the proppant is selected from the group consisting of: sand, bauxite, ceramic material, glass material, polymer material, polytetrafluoroethylene material, nut shell piece, cured resinous particulate comprising a nut shell piece, seed shell piece, cured resinous particulate comprising seed shell piece, fruit pit piece, cured resinous particulate comprising fruit pit piece, wood, composite particulate, and any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a non-swelled diameter of about 1 μm to about 20 μm.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a swelled diameter of about 20 μm to about 500 μm.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of: clay control agents, scale inhibition agents, corrosion inhibition agents, dyeing agents, and combinations thereof.

13. A method comprising:
forming swellable micro-gel fragments comprising a reaction product comprising 91% acrylamide, 2.3% polyethylene glycol diacrylate, 4.6% ammonium persulfate, and 2.1% tetramethyl ethylene diamine,
wherein the swellable micro-gel fragments are crosslinked by ester based bonds;

forming a fracturing fluid that comprises an aqueous base fluid, a proppant, and the swellable micro-gel fragments,
wherein the fracturing fluid has a low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise and is free of additional viscosifying agents and crosslinkers, and
wherein the swellable micro-gel fragments are present in an amount of 15% by weight of the fracturing fluid;

swelling the swellable micro-gel fragments, thereby forming a matrix by suspending the proppant between surfaces of the swelled micro-gel fragments in the fracturing fluid, and
wherein the fracturing fluid comprising the matrix retains the low-viscosity in the range of about 0 to about 800 centipoise;

placing the fracturing fluid in a fracture in the subterranean formation; and
at least partially degrading the matrix in the subterranean formation by degrading the ester based bonds of the swellable micro-gel fragments.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the aqueous base fluid is selected from the group consisting of: fresh water, saltwater, seawater, brine, produced water, flowback water, and any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a non-swelled diameter of about 1 μm to about 20 μm.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the micro-gel fragments have a swelled diameter of about 20 μm to about 500 μm.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of: clay control agents, scale inhibition agents, corrosion inhibition agents, dyeing agents, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Tang Tingji
• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Tang Tingji

Classifications

• C09K8/66 Primary

  Compositions based on water or polar solvents (C09K8/64 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C09K8/685

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title

• C09K8/80

  Compositions for reinforcing fractures, e.g. compositions of proppants used to keep the fractures open · CPC title