MECHANISM FOR TREATING SUBTERANEAN FORMATIONS WITH EMBEDDED ADDITIVES

• US 20120067581A1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Auzerais, Francois, Ganguly, Partha, Lecerf, Bruno, Tu, Huilin, Maheshwari, Sudeep, Khiestkin, Vadim
• Application Number:
  US12/884,917
• Publication Number:
  US 20120067581A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/308.1
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 40/0633 Chemical separation of ingredients, e.g. slowly soluble activator
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/44 containing organic binders only
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/516 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/685 containing cross-linking agents

Abstract

The subject disclosure discloses mechanisms for embedding and controlling multifunctional additives within a polymer matrix for use in oilfield applications. More particularly, the subject disclosure discloses methods of treating a subterranean formation with a polymer matrix comprising one or a plurality of polymers and one or a plurality of functional additives embedded into this polymer matrix.

Claims

1. A method of producing a material for treating a subterranean formation, comprising:

combining at least one functional additive with at least one polymer to form a polymer matrix; and

processing said polymer matrix into an article characterized by a particular shape.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing is by extruding, molding and/or fiber spinning said polymer matrix to produce said particular shape.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one polymer is a degradable polymer.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one functional additive delays degradation of the degradable polymer.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one functional additive accelerates degradation of the degradable polymer.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the degradable polymer comprises a water-degradable polymer.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the water-degradable polymer comprises a polyester.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the polyester comprises a polylactide.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the polylactide comprises one or more of PLLA (poly-L-lactide), PDLA (poly-D-lactide) or PDLLA (poly-DL-lactide), PGA (polyglycolic acid), PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), polybutylene succinate, PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoate), poly(ε

-caprolactone), polyethylene terephthalate, or derivatives thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one polymer is a swellable polymer.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the swellable polymer comprises one or more PAA (polyacrylic acid) or PMA (polymethyacrylic acid) or PAM (polyacrylamide) or PAA-co-PAM (poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) or PEO (polyethylene oxide) or PEG (polyethylene glycol) or PPO (polypropylene oxide), or derivatives thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer matrix comprises at least one of a degradable polymer, a non-degradable polymer, a swellable polymer, a non-swelling polymer, or mixtures thereof.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the polymer matrix comprises copolymers, homopolymers, and blends thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein a polymer structure of the at least one polymer is a linear, branched, grafted, cyclic or crosslinked polymer structure, or combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a weight average molecular weight of the at least one polymer is in the range of 1000-10,000,000.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising one or a plurality of different functional additives.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising increasing or decreasing a concentration of the one or a plurality of different functional additives.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one functional additive is a degradation catalyst, a crosslinker, a degradation initiator and/or a polymerization initiator, or combinations thereof.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein an additive weight ratio is within a range of 0.1-99%.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein an additive weight ratio is within a range of 0.5-20%.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein a particular shape is selected from the group consisting of fibers, rods, pellets or disc.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the treatment comprises fluid loss control, diversion, cementing, completion, or water control, or any combination thereof.

23. A composition for use in treating a subterranean formation, comprising:

at least one functional additive with at least one polymer to form a polymer matrix; and

said polymer matrix processed into an article characterized by a particular shape.

24. The composition of claim 23 wherein the at least one polymer is a degradable polymer.

25. The composition of claim 23 wherein the particular shape is a fiber.

26. The composition of claim 24 further comprising one or a plurality of different functional additives wherein a degradation rate of the degradable polymer is manipulated by using the one or a plurality of different functional additives.

27. The composition of claim 26 wherein the one or a plurality of different functional additives increase or decrease the degradation rate of the degradable polymer.

28. The composition of claim 24 having improved degradability by increasing a concentration of the at least one functional additive.

29. The composition of claim 23 used for treating lost circulation.

30. A method of well treatment, comprising:

injecting a slurry comprising the composition of claim 23;

allowing the article to form a plug in one or more than one of a perforation, a fracture, and a wellbore in a well penetrating a formation; and

performing a downhole operation; and

allowing the article to at least partially degrade after a selected duration such that the plug disappears.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the method of well treatment comprises hydraulic fracturing.

32. A method of treating a subterranean formation, comprising:

providing one or a plurality of polymers;

compounding one or a plurality of additives into the one or a plurality of polymers and forming a polymer matrix;

processing said polymer matrix into an article having one or more shapes; and

introducing said polymer matrix into a wellbore.

33. A method of producing a material for treating a subterranean formation, comprising:

combining at least one functional additive with at least one polymer to form a polymer matrix;

varying a concentration of the at least one functional additive; and

processing said polymer matrix into an article characterized by a particular shape.