Crosslinker-coated proppant particulates for use in treatment fluids comprising gelling agents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840660-B2
Application number	US-201415105265-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2014
Priority date	Feb 26, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Methods including preparing a treatment fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, a gelling agent, and crosslinker-coated particulates, wherein the crosslinker-coated particulates are formed by at least partially coating a particulate with a stabilizing agent, and at least partially coating the particulate with a first crosslinking agent atop the stabilizing agent, wherein the stabilizing agent imparts a hydrophobic nature to the particulate when the stabilizing agent is at least partially coated onto the particulate; introducing the treatment fluid into a subterranean formation, and reacting the first crosslinking agent with the gelling agent in the treatment fluid so as to crosslink the gelling agent and suspend the crosslinker-coated particulates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
preparing a treatment fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, a gelling agent, and crosslinker-coated particulates,
wherein the crosslinker-coated particulates are formed by at least partially coating a particulates with a stabilizing agent, and at least partially coating the particulate with a first crosslinking agent atop the stabilizing agent,
wherein the stabilizing agent imparts a hydrophobic nature to the particulate when the stabilizing agent is at least partially coated onto the particulate;

introducing the treatment fluid into a subterranean formation;
reacting the first crosslinking agent with the gelling agent in the treatment fluid so as to crosslink the gelling agent and suspend the crosslinker-coated particulates; and
dissociating the first crosslinking agent from the particulate, thereby leaving the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent, the stabilizing agent imparting the hydrophobic nature to the particulate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the subterranean formation comprises at least one fracture and the crosslinker-coated particulates are placed within the at least one fracture to form a proppant pack therein.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises a breaker and wherein after the step of: dissociating the first crosslinking agent from the particulate, thereby leaving the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent, the stabilizing agent imparting the hydrophobic nature to the particulate,
the crosslinked gelling agent in the treatment fluid is broken and the hydrophobic nature of the particulate prevents the broken treatment fluid from substantially interacting with the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of naturally-occurring gelling agents, synthetic gelling agents, and any combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing agent is selected from the group consisting of a non-aqueous tackifying agent, an aqueous tackifying agents, an emulsified tackifying agent, a silyl-modified polyamide compound, a resin, a polymerizable organic monomer composition, a consolidating agent emulsion, a zeta-potential modifying aggregating compositions, a silicon-based resins, a binder, and any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of a metal crosslinking agent, a polymeric crosslinking agent, and any combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least a second crosslinking agent is further included in the treatment fluid in a form that is not coated onto the particulate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein stabilizing agent and the first crosslinking agent is coated onto the particulates by at least one of dry coating, wet coating, and any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of a salt, an emulsifier, a dispersion aid, a corrosion inhibitor, a surfactant, a foaming agent, a gas, a pH control additive, a breaker, a biocide, a chelating agent, a scale inhibitor, a gas hydrate inhibitor, a friction reducer, a clay stabilizing agent, and any combination thereof.

10. A method comprising:
preparing a treatment fluid comprising an aqueous base fluid, a gelling agent, and crosslinker-coated particulates,
wherein the crosslinker-coated particulates are formed by at least partially coating a particulate with a stabilizing agent, at least partially coating the particulate with a first crosslinking agent atop the stabilizing agent, and at least partially coating the particulate with a removable partitioning agent atop the first crosslinking agent,
wherein the stabilizing agent imparts a hydrophobic nature to the particulates when the stabilizing agent is at least partially coated onto the particulate;

introducing the treatment fluid into a subterranean formation;
removing the removable partitioning agent;
reacting the first crosslinking agent with the gelling agent in the treatment fluid so as to crosslink the gelling agent and suspend the crosslinker-coated particulates; and
dissociating the first crosslinking agent from the particulate, thereby leaving the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent, the stabilizing agent imparting the hydrophobic nature to the particulate.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the subterranean formation comprises at least one fracture and the crosslinker-coated particulates are placed within the at least one fracture to form a proppant pack therein.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises a breaker and wherein after the step of: dissociating the first crosslinking agent from the particulate, thereby leaving the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent, the stabilizing agent imparting the hydrophobic nature to the particulate,
the crosslinked gelling agent in the treatment fluid is broken and the hydrophobic nature of the particulate prevents the broken treatment fluid from substantially interacting with the particulate at least partially coated with the stabilizing agent.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the stabilizing agent is selected from the group consisting of a non-aqueous tackifying agent, an aqueous tackifying agents, an emulsified tackifying agent, a silyl-modified polyamide compound, a resin, a polymerizable organic monomer composition, a consolidating agent emulsion, a zeta-potential modifying aggregating compositions, a silicon-based resins, a binder, and any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first crosslinking agent is selected from the group consisting of a metal crosslinking agent, a polymeric crosslinking agent, and any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the removable partitioning agent comprises material that dissipates in the presence of the aqueous base fluid.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the removable partitioning agent is selected from the group consisting of a salt, a barium sulfate, a benzoic acid, a polyvinyl alcohol, a sodium carbonate, a sodium bicarbonate, a calcium oxide, a hydratable polymer, and any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a second crosslinking agent is further included in the treatment fluid in a form that is not coated onto the particulates.

18. A system comprising:
a wellhead with a tubular extending therefrom and into a subterranean formation; and
a pump fluidly coupled to the tubular, the tubular containing a treatment fluid that comprises an aqueous base fluid, a gelling agent, and crosslinker-coated particulates,
wherein the crosslinker-coated particulates are formed by at least partially coating a particulate with a stabilizing agent, at least partially coating the particulate with a first crosslinking agent atop the stabilizing agent, and at least partially coating the particulate with a removable partitioning agent atop the first cross-linking agent,
wherein the stabilizing agent imparts a hydrophobic nature to the particulate when the stabilizing agent is at least partially coated onto the particulate.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Chopade Prashant D
• Nguyen Philip D

Classifications

• E21B43/267

  reinforcing fractures by propping · CPC title

• C09K8/66 Primary

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

• C09K8/805

  Coated proppants · CPC title

• C09K2208/32

  Anticorrosion additives · CPC title

• C09K8/685 Primary

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title