SONICALLY ACTIVATING SETTABLE COMPOSITIONS

• US 20110048697A1
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Reyes, Priscilla, Badalamentl, Anthony, Lewis, Sam, Gupta, Vijay, Stoner, Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US12/547,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20110048697A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/177.4
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 12/04 Alkali metal or ammonium silicate cements ; Alkyl silicate cements; Silica sol cements; Soluble silicate cements alkali metal silicates per se, their preparation C01B33/32; ammonium silicates per se, their preparation C01C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/1033 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/0046 added as monomers or as oligomers
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 2103/46 Water-loss or fluid-loss reducers, hygroscopic or hydrophilic agents, water retention agents
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/062 of the alkali or alkaline-earth metals
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/085 containing nitrogen in the anion, e.g. nitrites
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/10 containing carbon in the anion
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 22/124 Chlorides of ammonium or of the alkali or alkaline earth metals, e.g. calcium chloride
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 24/12 Nitrogen containing compounds organic derivatives of hydrazine hydrazine C04B22/00
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 28/02 containing hydraulic cements other than calcium sulfates
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0227 Sonic or ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0658 Retarder inhibited mortars activated by the addition of accelerators or retarder-neutralising agents
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/467 containing additives for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/14 for cementing casings into boreholes

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to a system and method for sonically activating cement slurries. In some implementations, a composition for treating a subterranean formation includes a settable composition and an activator. The activator is released in response to a sonic signal to initiate setting of the settable composition.

Claims

1. A composition for treating a wellbore, comprising:

a settable composition; and

an activator, wherein the activator is released in response to a sonic signal to initiate setting of the settable composition.

2. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition comprises at least one of a cement composition, a resin composition, a settable mud, a conformance fluid, or a lost circulation composition.

3. The composition of claim 1, wherein the released activator is configured to increase a setting rate of the settable composition.

4. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition includes a polymeric additive.

5. The composition of claim 4, wherein the polymer additive comprises at least one of a monomer, a pre-polymer, an oligomer, or a short chain polymer that polymerizes in response to the sonic signal.

6. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition comprises a free-radical dopant that releases autocatalytic free radicals in response to the sonic signal.

7. The composition of claim 6, wherein the settable composition includes a polymeric additive, the released autocatalytic free radicals initiate polymerization of at least a portion of the settable composition.

8. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sonic signal decreases a particulate size in the settable composition.

9. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sonic signal increases at least one of pressure or temperature of the settable composition.

10. The composition of claim 1, wherein a frequency for transmitting the sonic signal is based, at least in part, on an inhibitor chemistry of the settable composition.

11. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sonic signal comprises an ultrasonic signal.

12. The composition of claim 11, wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises transmitted at a frequency in the range of from about 20 kiloHertz (kHz) to about 2 MegaHertz (MHz).

13. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sonic signal comprises an acoustic signal.

14. The composition of claim 13, wherein the acoustic signal is transmitted at a frequency in the range of from about 20 Hertz to about 20 kHz.

15. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is enclosed in a shell selected from the group consisting of a polystyrene, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethylmethacrylate polyurethanes, polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, polyvinylalcohol, polyvinylacetate, hydrolyzed ethylene/vinyl acetate, and copolymers thereof.

16. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is enclosed in a shell that is sonically responsive polymer.

17. The composition of claim 16, wherein at least one dimension of the shell is from about 10 nanometers to about 10,000 micrometers.

18. The composition of claim 16, wherein the shell comprises a spheroid with at least one dimension in a range from about 5 micrometers (μ

m) to about 20 μ

m.

19. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is mixed with the settable composition at a concentration from about 0.5% to about 30% by weight of the settable composition.

20. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition comprises a hydraulic cement, a base fluid and a retarder.

21. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition is selected from the group consisting of Portland cement, pozzolanic cement, high aluminate cement, gypsum cement, silica cement, high alkalinity cement, and sorel cement.

22. The composition of claim 1, wherein the settable composition sets in a range from about one minute to about 24 hours after reacting with the activator.

23. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is selected from a group consisting of sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, amine compounds, salts comprising calcium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, and combinations thereof.

24. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is selected from the group consisting of calcium chloride, calcium nitrite, calcium nitrate, sodium chloride, sodium aluminate, sodium silicate, magnesium chloride, and combinations thereof.

25. The composition of claim 1, wherein the activator is selected from a group consisting of triethanol amine, tripropanol amine, tri-isopropanol amine, diethanol amine, and combinations thereof.

31. The composition of claim 1, wherein the sonic signal comprises an acoustic signal.

32. The composition of claim 13, wherein the acoustic signal is transmitted at a frequency in the range of from about 20 Hertz to about 20 kHz.

26. A composition for treating a wellbore, comprising:

a settable composition; and

a set retarder, wherein the set retarder responds to a sonic signal to accelerate setting of the settable composition.

27. The composition of claim 26, wherein the sonic signal substantially deactivates the set retarder.

28. The composition of claim 26, wherein the settable composition sets in a range from about one minute to about 24 hours after the set retarder responds to the sonic signal.

29. The composition of claim 26, wherein the sonic signal comprises an ultrasonic signal.

30. The composition of claim 29, wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises transmitted at a frequency in the range of from about 20 kiloHertz (kHz) to about 2 MHz.