Compositions and methods for treating a subterranean formation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783732-B2
Application number	US-201414567647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 11, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A degradable composition including magnesium-based materials doped with metals, metalloids, and/or compounds, where the composition has a hardness in excess of 80 BHN, and methods of using the same (for example, as a constituent of a treatment fluid of a subterranean formation) are described. The degradable composition may be a shaped composition that degrades in environments typically encountered downhole, such as oilfield environments/conditions and/or fluids. Compositions including magnesium-based materials and various manufacturing processes to produce a composition including the magnesium-based materials in a desired shape are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating a subterranean formation, comprising:
injecting, into a downhole environment, a fluid comprising:
a composition comprising a magnesium-based material, the composition having a hardness in excess of 80 Brinell hardness number;
wherein the magnesium-based material comprises from about 65% by weight to about 90% by weight magnesium relative to a total weight of the magnesium-based material; and
wherein a total of from 0.1% to 10% by weight of the magnesium-based material includes one or more of:
0.02% by weight to 1.5% by weight of a group VIIIB, a group VIB, a group VIIB, a group IVB, a group VB, a lanthanide, an actinide, Cd, or Hg element having less than 1% solubility in magnesium, or
0.05% by weight to 1.5% by weight of a group IB, a group IVA, a group VIA, Be, Sr, Ba, Ra, N, P, As, or Sb metal or metalloid element having less than 1% solubility in magnesium, relative to the total weight of the magnesium-based material; and

a solvent; and

subjecting the composition to a predetermined downhole condition that decomposes the composition; wherein the composition is in a form selected from a group consisting of a sphere, a particle, a bead, a pellet, a gravel, and an irregular shaped particle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a carbon source in an amount up to about 10% by weight relative to the total weight of the magnesium-based material.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises K, or Na in an amount up to about 10% by weight relative to the total weight of the magnesium-based material.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is amorphous, semi-amorphous, or semi-crystalline.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition comprises a bimodal distribution of particle sizes.

6. The method of claim 1 , the predetermined downhole oilfield environment is an aqueous fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is comprised in either a plug that closes a fracture, or a temporary filter-cake in a sand control operation.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a particle having a cavity.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the cavity is loaded with one or more chemical entities.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more chemical entities are selected from a group consisting of acids and explosive substances.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a particle having a core surrounded by a coating, where the core comprises the magnesium-based material and the coating includes a layer of material not identical to the magnesium-based material.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the coating is selected from a group consisting of a metallic layer, an organic layer, a calcium phosphate-containing layer, a fluoride-containing layer, and an inorganic layer.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising eroding the coating of the composition by physical abrasion, chemical etching, or a combination of physical abrasion and chemical etching, before decomposing the composition in the predetermined downhole environment.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition is a particle distribution having a number average particle size of from about 100 μm to about 6500 μm.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid further comprises fibers.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the fibers are made of the same material as the composition.

17. A method for treating a subterranean formation, comprising:
injecting, into a downhole environment, a fluid comprising:
a composition comprising a magnesium-based material, the composition having a hardness in excess of 80 Brinell hardness number;

wherein the magnesium-based material comprises from about 50% by weight to about 90% by weight magnesium relative to a total weight of the magnesium-based material,
wherein the magnesium-based material comprises from about 5% by weight to about 45% by weight aluminum relative to a total weight of the magnesium-based material, and
wherein a total of from 0.1% to 10% by weight of the magnesium-based material
includes one or more of:
0.02% by weight to 1.5% by weight of a group VIIIB, a group VIB, a group VIIB, a group IVB, a group VB, a lanthanide, an actinide, Cd, or Hg element having less than 1% solubility in magnesium, or
0.05% by weight to 1.5% by weight of a group IB, a group IVA, a group VIA, Be, Sr, Ba, Ra, N, P, As, or Sb metal or metalloid element having less than 1% solubility in magnesium, relative to the total weight of the magnesium-based material; and

a solvent; and
subjecting the composition to a predetermined downhole condition that decomposes the composition; wherein the composition is in a form selected from a group consisting of a sphere, a particle, a bead, a pellet, a gravel, and an irregular shaped particle.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Marya Manuel P
• Ladva Hemant K J

Classifications

• C09K8/502

  Oil-based compositions · CPC title

• C09K8/516

  characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material · CPC title

• C09K8/805 Primary

  Coated proppants · CPC title

• C09K8/5045

  containing inorganic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/72

  Eroding chemicals, e.g. acids · CPC title