Method for drilling underground cavities, compositions comprising alkyl polyglycosides, and use thereof as a lubricant in the production of aqueous drilling muds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9945182-B2
Application number	US-201314428039-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2013
Priority date	Sep 14, 2012
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A method for drilling cavities in underground formations in which drill cuttings are removed by injecting an aqueous composition (C) into the drill hole. Composition (C) includes between 1 and 65 wt. % salt(s), between 0.05 and 2 wt. % anti-foaming agent(s), between 13 and 97.95 wt. % water, and between 1 and 20 wt. % composition (C 2 ). Composition (C 2 ) includes, optionally, between 0.1 and 30 wt. % auxiliary agent(s), between 0 and 100 wt. % of a surfactant system of one or more compositions (C 1 ) according to R 1 —O-(G 1 )p-H, R 1 being an aliphatic radical including between 4 and 16 carbon atoms, G 1 being a reducing sugar residue and 1.05≤p≤5, and between 0 and 50 wt. % alcohol(s) according to R 1 —OH, R 1 being an aliphatic radical including between 4 and 16 carbon atoms. Also, compositions (C 2 ) and their use as a lubricant for producing an aqueous drilling mud.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for drilling cavities in subterranean formations, said process comprising discharging drilling cuttings from said subterranean formations by injection, into a drilling well, of an aqueous composition (C) comprising, per 100% by weight:
from 1% to 65% by weight of at least one salt (S) selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium carbonate, calcium bromide, zinc bromide, sodium silicate, sodium metasilicate and sodium tetraborate;
from 0.05% to 2% by weight of at least one antifoaming agent,
from 13% to 97.95% by weight of water, and
from 1% to 20% by weight of a composition (C 2 ) comprising, per 100% of said composition (C 2 ):
from 0.1% to 30% by weight of at least one auxiliary agent selected from the group consisting of erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, sodium gluconate, glucose and maltodextrins;
from 35% to 99.9% by weight of a surfactant (Su) system consisting of, for 100% by weight of said surfactant (Su) system, a mixture of:
(1) 25% to 78% by weight of a first composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a heptyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said first composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p,
(2) 20% to 50% by weight of a second composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a decyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said second composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p,
(3) 1% to 15% by weight of a third composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a dodecyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said third composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p, and
(4) 1% to 10% by weight of a fourth composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a tetradecyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said fourth composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p, and

from 0% to 35% by weight of at least one alcohol of formula (II):
R 1 —OH  (II)

 in which R 1 represents a saturated or unsaturated and linear or branched aliphatic radical comprising from 4 to 16 carbon atoms.

2. The process as defined in claim 1 , wherein said composition (C 2 ) comprises, per 100% by weight:
greater than or equal to 90% and less than 100% by weight of said surfactant (Su) system, and
greater than 0% and less than or equal to 10% by weight of said alcohol of formula (II).

3. A composition (C 21 ) comprising, per 100% by weight:
from 0.1% to 30% by weight of at least one auxiliary agent selected from the group consisting of erythritol, xylitol, sorbitol, sodium gluconate, glucose and maltodextrins,
from 5% to 100% by weight of a mixture (M 1 ) consisting of, per 100% by weight of said mixture (M 1 ):
(1) from 25% to 78% by weight of a first composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a heptyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said first composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p,
(2) from 20% to 50% by weight of a second composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a decyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said second composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p,
(3) from 1% to 15% by weight of a third composition (C 1 ) represented by formula (I):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) p -H  (I)

 in which R 1 represents a dodecyl radical, G 1 represents the residue of a reducing sugar selected from the group consisting of glucose, xylose and arabinose, and p represents a decimal number greater than or equal to 1.05 and less than or equal to 2.5, said third composition (C 1 ) consisting of a mixture of compounds represented by the formulae (I 1 ), (I 2 ), (I 3 ), (I 4 ) and (I 5 ):
R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 1 -H  (I 1 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 2 -H  (I 2 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 3 -H  (I 3 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 4 -H  (I 4 ),

R 1 —O-(G 1 ) 5 -H  (I 5 ),

 in the respective molar proportions a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 and a 5 such that a 1 +a 2 +a 3 +a 4 +a 5 is equal to 1, and a 1 +2a 2 +3a 3 +4a 4 +5a 5 is equal to p, and
(4) from 1% to 10% by weight of a fourth composition (C 1 ) represented by formul

Assignees

• Soc Dexploitation De Produits Pour Les Industries Chimiques Seppic

Inventors

• Gayral Chirac Marie-Francoise

Classifications

• C09K2208/12

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

• C09K2208/34

  Lubricant additives · CPC title

• E21B7/00 Primary

  Special methods or apparatus for drilling · CPC title

• C09K8/08 Primary

  containing natural organic compounds, e.g. polysaccharides, or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• E21B21/00

  Methods or apparatus for flushing boreholes, e.g. by use of exhaust air from motor (freeing objects stuck in boreholes by flushing E21B31/03) · CPC title