Biopolymer based cationic surfactant for clay stabilization and prevention of sludging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840661-B2
Application number	US-201515114964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2015
Priority date	Aug 14, 2015
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

Methods of stabilizing swellable clays in a subterranean formation and methods of reducing the formation of sludge in a subterranean formation using a biopolymer based cationic surfactant are described. The biopolymer based cationic surfactant includes a quaternary ammonium compound having an alkyl polyglucoside backbone and amino alcohol side chains.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of stabilizing swellable clays in a subterranean formation comprising:
providing a treatment fluid comprising a biopolymer based cationic surfactant that includes a quaternary ammonium compound having an alkyl polyglucoside backbone and amino alcohol side chains; and
introducing the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biopolymer based cationic surfactant has the formula:

where R is a C 1 -C 15 chain and R 1 is a C 1 -C 39 chain.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein R is a C 12 chain and R 1 is a C 18 chain.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the swellable clays are selected from the group consisting of smectite, kaolin, illite, chlorite, vermiculite, palygorskite, sepiolite and mixtures thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises water.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the water comprises fresh water, salt water, or mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the treatment fluid comprises from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent of the biopolymer based cationic surfactant.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises an aqueous acid solution, alcohol-water mixture, gel, or mixtures thereof.

9. A method of reducing formation of sludge in a subterranean formation comprising:
combining a biopolymer based cationic surfactant and an aqueous acid solution to form a treatment fluid, wherein the biopolymer based cationic surfactant comprises a quaternary ammonium compound having an alkyl polyglucoside backbone and amino alcohol side chains;
introducing the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation; and
contacting a sludging crude oil with the treatment fluid.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the biopolymer based cationic surfactant has the formula:

where R is a C 1 -C 15 chain and R 1 is a C 1 -C 39 chain.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein R is a C 12 chain and R 1 is a C 18 chain.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the aqueous acid solution comprises hydrochloric acid and/or hydrochloric-hydrofluoric acid mixtures.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aqueous acid solution comprises about 15 weight percent hydrochloric acid.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the treatment fluid comprises from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent of the biopolymer based cationic surfactant.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein reducing the formation of sludge is part of an acidizing operation.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the sludging crude oil comprises asphaltenes.

17. A method of stabilizing swellable clays and reducing formation of sludge in a subterranean formation comprising:
providing a treatment fluid comprising a biopolymer based cationic surfactant that includes a quaternary ammonium compound having an alkyl polyglucoside backbone and amino alcohol side chains; and
introducing the treatment fluid into the subterranean formation.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the biopolymer based cationic surfactant has the formula:

where R is a C 1 -C 15 chain and R 1 is a C 1 -C 39 chain.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein R is a C 12 chain and R 1 is a C 18 chain.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the treatment fluid further comprises an aqueous acid solution.

Assignees

• Halliburton Energy Services Inc

Inventors

• Agashe Snehalata Sachin
• Belakshe Ravikant S

Classifications

• C09K8/524

  organic depositions, e.g. paraffins or asphaltenes · CPC title

• C09K8/68

  containing organic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/74

  combined with additives added for specific purposes · CPC title

• C09K2208/12

  Swell inhibition, i.e. using additives to drilling or well treatment fluids for inhibiting clay or shale swelling or disintegrating · CPC title

• C09K8/608

  Polymer compositions · CPC title