Method to consolidate solid materials during subterranean treatment operations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909404-B2
Application number	US-201414546288-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2008
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

Compositions include (1) aggregating compositions capable of forming deformable partial or complete coatings on formation surfaces, formation particle surfaces, downhole fluid solid surfaces, and/or proppant surfaces, where the coatings increase aggregation and/or agglomeration propensities of the particles and surfaces to form particles clusters or pillars having deformable coatings, and (2) aggregation stabilizing and/or strengthening compositions capable of altering properties of the coated clusters or pillars to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars. Methods for stabilizing aggregated particle clusters or pillars include (1) treating the particles with an aggregating composition to form aggregated clusters or pillars and (2) treating the aggregated particle clusters or pillars with a stabilizing or strengthening composition to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for fracturing a subterranean formation comprising:
a proppant placement stage comprising injecting under fracturing conditions into the formation penetrated by a wellbore at least two fracturing fluids differing in: (1) at least one proppant composition property, or (2) at least one fluid property, or (3) a combination of these differences, where at least one of the two fracturing fluids includes an aggregating composition consisting of: 1) an amine/phosphate reaction product, 2) an amine component and an amine/phosphate reaction product, 3) a polymeric amine; 4) a polymeric amine and an amine/phosphate reaction products, 5) a polymeric amine, an amine component, and an amine/phosphate reaction product, 6) an amine component, or 7) mixtures and combinations thereof and at least one of the two fracturing fluids includes a coating crosslinking composition comprising inorganic crosslinking agents, organic crosslinking agents, or mixtures and combinations thereof, wherein the aggregating composition forms partial, substantially complete or complete coatings on the proppant, downhole particulate materials, and surfaces of the formation causing the proppant to aggregate into islands within the fractures, and wherein the coating crosslinking composition forms crosslinks in the coating strengthening and stabilizing the islands, and wherein

the amine component is selected from the group consisting of alkyl pyridines or mixtures of alkyl pyridines, alkyl pyrroles or mixtures of alkyl pyrroles, alkyl piperidines or mixtures of alkyl piperidines, alkyl pyrrolidines or mixtures of alkyl pyrrolidines, alkyl indolizines or mixture of alkyl indolizines, alkyl indoles or mixture of alkyl indoles, alkyl imidazole or mixtures of alkyl imidazole, alkyl quinoline or mixture of alkyl quinoline, alkyl isoquinoline or mixture of alkyl isoquinoline, alkyl pyrazine or mixture of alkyl pyrazine, alkyl quinoxaline or mixture of alkyl quinoxaline, alkyl acridine or mixture of alkyl acridine, alkyl pyrimidine or mixture of alkyl pyrimidine, alkyl quinazoline or mixture of alkyl quinazoline, and mixtures or combinations thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the fracturing fluid properties include fluid composition, fluid pressure, fluid temperature, fluid pulse duration, proppant settling rate, or mixtures and combinations thereof,
the proppant composition properties include proppant types, proppant sizes, proppant strengths, proppant shapes, or mixtures and combinations thereof, and
one of the fracturing fluids comprises proppant-free fluids including (i) a base fluid, (ii) a base fluid, the aggregating composition, the coating crosslinking composition, and/or a viscosifying composition and the other one of the fracturing fluids comprises proppant-containing fluids including (i) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, and a proppant composition or (ii) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, and the aggregating composition or (iii) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, and the coating crosslinking composition or (iv) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, the aggregating composition and the coating crosslinking composition,
the proppant composition including untreated proppant, treated proppant, or mixtures and combinations thereof, and
the treated proppant comprises a proppant having a partial or complete coating of the aggregating composition.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the proppant compositions differ in at least one of the following properties: (a) amounts of untreated and treated proppant, (b) densities of the untreated and/or treated proppants, (c) sizes of the untreated and/or treated proppants, (d) shapes of the untreated and/or treated proppants, or (e) strengths of the untreated and/or treated proppants.

4. The island of claim 3 , wherein the proppant compositions further include (i) a non-erodible fiber, (ii) an erodible material comprising erodible particles, erodible fibers, or mixtures and combinations thereof, or (iii) mixtures or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the proppant settling rate is controlled by adjusting a pumping rates and wherein the viscosified fracturing fluids differ in the viscosifying composition.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the injecting step comprises:
injecting the at least two different fracturing fluids according to an injection sequence.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the fluids is a proppant-free fluid and at least one of the fluids is a proppant-containing fluid.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the injection sequence comprises injecting the at least two different fracturing fluids in alternating stages during the fracturing operation.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising
prior to the proppant placement step, a pad stage comprising injecting into the formation a pad fluid comprising a base fluid and a viscosifying composition or a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, and the aggregating composition.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
one of the fracturing fluids comprises at least one proppant-free fluid selected from the group consisting of a non-viscosified proppant-free fluid and a viscosified proppant-free fluid,
another of the fracturing fluids comprises at least one proppant-containing fluid selected from the group consisting of a non-viscosified proppant-containing fluid and a viscosified proppant-containing fluid,
the injecting occurs through a pattern of perforations comprising groups of perforations separated by non-perforated spans and comprises a sequence of slugs of the at least one proppant-free fluid and the at least one proppant-containing fluid,
wherein the non-viscosified proppant-free fluid comprises:
(a) a base fluid,
(b) a base fluid and the aggregating composition,
(c) a base fluid and the coating crosslinking composition, or
(d) a base fluid, the aggregating composition, and the coating crosslinking composition,

wherein the viscosified proppant-free fluid comprises:
(a) a base fluid and a viscosifying composition,
(b) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, and the aggregating composition,
(c) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, and the coating crosslinking composition, or
(d) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, the aggregating composition, and the coating crosslinking composition,

wherein the non-viscosified proppant-containing comprises:
(a) a base fluid and a proppant composition, or
(b) a base fluid, a proppant composition, and the aggregating composition,
(c) a base fluid, a proppant composition, and the coating crosslinking composition, or
(d) a base fluid, a proppant composition, the aggregating composition, and the coating crosslinking composition,

wherein the viscosified proppant-containing comprises:
(a) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition and, a proppant composition or
(b) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, and the aggregating composition,
(c) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, and the coating crosslinking composition, or
(d) a base fluid, a viscosifying composition, a proppant composition, the aggregating composition, and the coating crosslinking composition,

where the aggregating composition comprises an amine-phosphate reaction product, amine component, amine polymeric aggregating composition, a coacervate aggregating composition, or mixtures and combinations thereof,
where the coating crosslinking composition comprising inorganic crosslinking agents, organic crosslinking agents, or mixtures and combinations thereof, and
wherein the proppant-containing flu

Assignees

• Lubrizol Oilfield Solutions Inc
• Lubrizol Corp

Inventors

• Hwang Chih Chau
• Saini Rajesh K
• Vigderman Leonid
• Treybig Duane
• Smith Clayton S
• Samuel Mathew M
• Smith Kern L

Classifications

• C09K8/685

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title

• C09K2208/18

  Bridging agents, i.e. particles for temporarily filling the pores of a formation; Graded salts · CPC title

• C09K8/70

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

• C09K2208/08

  Fiber-containing well treatment fluids · CPC title

• C09K8/887

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title