Interfacial tension reduction and wettability alteration using metal oxide nanoparticles to reduce condensate banking

• US 10,351,763 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2018
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Original Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Government of Saudi Arabia)
• Inventors: Almohsin, Ayman Mohammed, Bataweel, Mohammed, Alali, Eyad
• Primary Examiner(s): Runyan, Silvana C
• Application Number:
  US15/905,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20180244985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 166303
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/10 Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/845 containing inorganic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/92 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material C09K8/70 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/164 Injecting CO2 or carbonated water in combination with organic material C09K8/594
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/24 using heat, e.g. steam injection

Abstract

Treating a gas condensate reservoir having a porous formation material includes introducing a formation treatment fluid to the gas condensate reservoir and maintaining the formation treatment fluid in the gas condensate reservoir. The formation treatment fluid is a dispersion including metal oxide nanoparticles, and the gas condensate reservoir includes discrete portions of condensate in contact with the porous formation material.

Claims

1. A method of treating a gas condensate reservoir comprising a porous formation material, the method comprising:

introducing a formation treatment fluid to the gas condensate reservoir, wherein the gas condensate reservoir comprises condensate in contact with the porous formation material, and the formation treatment fluid is a dispersion comprising;

metal oxide nanoparticles; and

at least one additive selected from a group consisting of xanthan gum, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, sodium hexadecyl diphenyl oxide disulfonate, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxic, and stearic acid; and

maintaining the formation treatment fluid in the gas condensate reservoir, such that at least a portion of the condensate is displaced from the porous formation material to yield free condensate in the gas condensate reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation treatment fluid is maintained in the gas condensate reservoir for sufficient time for the formation treatment fluid to form a wedge film between the condensate and the porous formation material.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the free condensate from the gas condensate reservoir.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles have a maximum dimension in a range of 1 nanometer (nm) to 100 nm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a concentration of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is up to 1 weight percent (wt %).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles comprise an oxide of silicon, aluminum, zinc, magnesium, iron, zirconium, nickel, or tin, or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide nanoparticles comprise silica nanoparticles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation treatment fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the concentration of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is at least 0.1 wt %.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation treatment fluid comprises an additive having a concentration in the formation treatment fluid in a range of 0.01 wt % to 10 wt %.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additive comprises a surfactant, a polymer, an acid, a base, a solute, an alcohol, or combinations thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a particle volume fraction of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is up to 0.25.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the formation treatment fluid is configured to apply a force greater than 50,000 Pascal at a vertex between the porous formation material and the condensate.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the particle volume fraction of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is at least 0.01.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the particle volume fraction of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is in a range of 0.01 to 0.2.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the particle volume fraction of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is at least 0.1.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the particle volume fraction of the metal oxide nanoparticles in the formation treatment fluid is in a range of 0.1 to 0.2.