Low residue, high salinity fracturing fluids

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9796913-B2
Application number	US-201415115490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

Low residue, high salinity fracturing fluids may be produced by hydrating a gelling agent comprising carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) in an aqueous fluid having a total dissolved solids concentration of about 30,000 ppm or greater and a pH of about 5 to about 8; adjusting the pH of the aqueous fluid to about 9 to about 10; and then, adding a zirconate crosslinker to the aqueous fluid to yield a crosslinked-CMHPG.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
hydrating a gelling agent comprising carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) in an aqueous fluid having a total dissolved solids concentration of about 30,000 ppm or greater and a pH of about 5 to about 8;
adjusting the pH of the aqueous fluid to about 9 to about 10; and
then, adding a crosslinker activator, a gel breaker, and a zirconate crosslinker to the aqueous fluid to yield a crosslinked-CMHPG.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the CMHPG in the aqueous fluid having a pH of about 5 to about 8 is at a concentration of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the aqueous fluid.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zirconate crosslinker is at a concentration of about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of the aqueous fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid having a pH of about 5 to about 8 has dispersed therein at least one selected from the group consisting of: a biocide, a bactericide, a clay control agent, and a scale inhibitor.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
adding a gel breaker activator to the aqueous fluid after adjusting the pH to about 9 to about 10.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
adding a gel stabilizer to the aqueous fluid after adjusting the pH to about 9 to about 10.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid having the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed therein at about 200° F. maintains an apparent viscosity of about 200 cP or greater at a constant shear rate of 40 s −1 for about 45 minutes or greater.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid having the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed therein at about 200° F. maintains an apparent viscosity of about 200 cP or greater at a constant shear rate of 40 s −1 for about 75 minutes or greater.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid having the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed therein at about 300° F. maintains an apparent viscosity of about 200 cP or greater at a constant shear rate of 40 s −1 for about 75 minutes or greater.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid having the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed therein at about 300° F. maintains an apparent viscosity of about 200 cP or greater at a constant shear rate of 40 s −1 for about 120 minutes or greater.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
introducing the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed in the aqueous fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the crosslinker activator comprises sodium octaborate, potassium metaborate, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gel breaker comprises peroxides, persulfates, perborates, oxyacids and oxyanions of halogens, enzymes breakers, or any combination thereof.

14. A method comprising:
hydrating a gelling agent comprising carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) in an aqueous fluid having a total dissolved solids concentration of about 30,000 ppm or greater and a pH of about 6.5 to about 7.5;
adjusting the pH of the aqueous fluid to about 9.0 to about 9.5;
then, adding a crosslinker activator, a gel breaker, and zirconate crosslinker to the aqueous fluid to yield a crosslinked-CMHPG; and
introducing the crosslinked-CMHPG dispersed in the aqueous fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the CMHPG in the aqueous fluid having a pH of about 6.5 to about 7.5 is at a concentration of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the aqueous fluid.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the zirconate crosslinker is at a concentration of about 0.001% to about 1% by weight of the aqueous fluid.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
adding proppant particulates to the aqueous fluid comprising the crosslinked-CMHPG.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wellbore has a bottom hole static temperature of about 200° F. or greater.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the wellbore has a bottom hole static temperature of about 300° F. or greater.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Prakash Chetan
• Ghumare Anant Kanhoba
• Raykov Tzoni Trifonov

Classifications

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• C09K8/605

  containing biocides · CPC title

• C09K8/80

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

• C09K2208/24

  Bacteria or enzyme containing gel breakers · CPC title

• C09K8/90

  of natural origin, e.g. polysaccharides, cellulose · CPC title