Fracturing fluid for subterranean formations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9863231-B2
Application number	US-201514955180-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 1, 2015
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A method of fracturing a reservoir comprising the steps of pumping a geopolymer precursor fluid through a wellbore into the reservoir at a fracture pressure, the geopolymer precursor fluid at the fracture pressure generates fractures in the reservoir, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid is comprised of an amount of aluminosilicate, an amount of alkaline reagent, and a permeability enhancer, allowing the geopolymer precursor fluid to fill the fractures in the reservoir, shutting-in the wellbore at a wellbore pressure, the wellbore pressure maintains the geopolymer precursor fluid in the fractures, allowing the geopolymer precursor fluid to harden for a hardening time to form a geopolymer in the fractures, the geopolymer has a geopolymer matrix, the geopolymer matrix has a permeability, the geopolymer has a compressive strength, and reducing the wellbore pressure allows a reservoir fluid to flow from the reservoir through the geopolymer matrix of the geopolymer to the wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fracturing a reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:
pumping a geopolymer precursor fluid through a wellbore into the reservoir at a fracture pressure, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid at the fracture pressure generates fractures in the reservoir, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid comprises an amount of aluminosilicate, wherein the aluminosilicate is metakaolin, an amount of alkaline reagent, and a permeability enhancer;
allowing the geopolymer precursor fluid to fill the fractures in the reservoir;
shutting-in the wellbore at a wellbore pressure, wherein the wellbore pressure is operable to maintain the geopolymer precursor fluid in the fractures;
allowing the geopolymer precursor fluid to harden for a hardening time to form a geopolymer in the fractures, wherein the geopolymer has a geopolymer matrix, wherein the geopolymer matrix has a permeability, wherein the geopolymer has a compressive strength, wherein the geopolymer does not comprise hydraulic cement; and
reducing the wellbore pressure, wherein reducing the wellbore pressure is operable to allow a reservoir fluid to flow from the reservoir through the geopolymer matrix of the geopolymer to the wellbore.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of alkaline reagent is an alkaline reagent selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate solution and potassium silicate solution.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the permeability enhancer is polylactic acid fiber.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid further comprises an accelerator, the accelerator operable to advance the hardening time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid further comprises a retarder, the retarder operable to prolong the hardening time.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compressive strength is greater than an overburden pressure of the reservoir.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the compressive strength is in the range between 3,000 psi and 20,000 psi.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the permeability is in the range of 0.1 mD to 2,000 mD.

9. A method of generating a geopolymer with a geopolymer matrix in situ in fractures in a reservoir, the method comprising the steps of:
mixing an amount of aluminosilicate and an amount of alkaline reagent to form a geopolymer precursor fluid, wherein the aluminosilicate is metakaolin, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid has a precursor viscosity, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid has an Si to Al ratio;
pumping the geopolymer precursor fluid through a wellbore into the reservoir at a fracture pressure to generate the fractures in the reservoir, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid is operable to fill the fractures;
allowing the geopolymer precursor fluid to harden for a hardening time to form the geopolymer in the fractures, the geopolymer having the geopolymer matrix, wherein the geopolymer matrix has a permeability, wherein the geopolymer has a compressive strength, wherein the geopolymer does not comprise hydraulic cement, wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid is not pumped into the reservoir during the hardening time; and
reducing a wellbore pressure in the wellbore, wherein reducing the wellbore pressure is operable to allow reservoir fluids to flow from the reservoir through the geopolymer matrix of the geopolymer to the wellbore.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the Si to Al ratio is in the range between 0.5:1 and 2:1.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the precursor viscosity is in the range between 10 cP and 400 cP.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid further comprises an accelerator, the accelerator operable to advance the hardening time.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid further comprises a retarder, the retarder operable to prolong the hardening time.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the permeability is in the range of 0.1 mD to 2,000 mD.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the compressive strength is greater than an overburden pressure of the reservoir.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the compressive strength is in the range between 3,000 psi and 20,000 psi.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the geopolymer precursor fluid further comprises a permeability enhancer.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the permeability enhancer is polylactic acid fibers.

19. The method of claim 9 , wherein the amount of alkaline reagent is an alkaline reagent selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate solution and potassium silicate solution.

Assignees

• Aramco Services Co
• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Hull Katherine L
• Sayed Mohammed
• Al-Muntasheri Ghaithan A

Classifications

• C09K8/80 Primary

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

• C04B2103/24

  Hardening retarders · CPC title

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• C04B18/12

  from quarries, mining or the like · CPC title

• C04B28/006

  containing mineral polymers, e.g. geopolymers of the Davidovits type · CPC title