Dendritic Surfactants and Extended Surfactants for Drilling Fluid Formulations

• US 20120241220A1
• Filed: 05/17/2012
• Published: 09/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Quintero, Lirio, Clark, David E., Cardenas, Antonio Enrique, Salager, Jean-Louis, Forgiarini, Ana, Bahsas, Ali Hasan
• Application Number:
  US13/474,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20120241220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 175/65
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/34 Organic liquids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/36 Water-in-oil emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 37/08 cleaning in situ of down-hole filters, screens, e.g. casing perforations, or gravel packs E21B37/06 takes precedence

Abstract

Modified surfactants may be added to an oil-based drilling fluid where the modified surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an extended surfactant, a dendritic surfactant, a dendritic extended surfactant, and combinations thereof. These oil-based drilling fluids may be used for drilling a well through a subterranean reservoir, while circulating the oil-based drilling fluid through the wellbore. The oil-based drilling fluid may include at least modified surfactant, at least one non-polar continuous phase, and at least one polar non-continuous phase. The modified surfactant may have propoxylated/ethoxylated spacer arms extensions. The modified surfactant may have intramolecular mixtures containing hydrophilic and lipophilic portions. They attain high solubilization in the oil-based drilling fluid and may be, in some instances, insensitive to temperature making them useful for a wide variety of oil types.

Claims

1. A method of drilling a well through a subterranean reservoir, the method comprising:

drilling the well while circulating an oil-based drilling fluid through the wellbore, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid comprises at least one modified surfactant selected from the group consisting of extended surfactants, dendritic surfactants, and dendritic extended surfactants;

at least one non-polar continuous phase; and

at least one polar non-continuous phase.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a hydrophilic center and a plurality of lipophilic moieties.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid comprises an emulsion selected from the group consisting of a macroemulsion, a microemulsion, a nanoemulsion, a miniemulsion, and mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising breaking the emulsion for release of the at least one polar non-continuous phase.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising delivering an additive downhole.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of structural stabilizers, surfactants, viscosifiers, chelating agents, filtration control additives, rheological modifiers, suspending agents, dispersants, wetting agents, solvents, co-solvents, co-surfactants, densifiers, bridging materials, and mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid is selected from the group consisting of a water-in-oil emulsion, a brine-in-oil emulsion, and mixtures thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one modified surfactant further comprises a propoxylated spacer arm having from about 1 to about 20 propoxy moieties and an ethoxylated spacer arm having from 0 to about 20 ethoxy moieties.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a lipophilic moiety selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched hydrocarbon chain, a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon chain, wherein the hydrocarbon chain has from about 8 to about 50 carbon atoms.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a hydrophilic polar head selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene, sulfate, sulfonate, ethoxysulfate, carboxylate, ethoxy-carboxylate, C₆ sugar, xylitol, di-xylitol, ethoxy-xylitol, carboxylate and xytol, carboxylate and glucose, phosphate, and combinations thereof.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a lipophilic spacer arm extension and a hydrophilic polar head, wherein the at least one modified surfactant does not precipitate in the oil-based drilling fluid.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one modified surfactant is present in a concentration from about 0.1% w/w to about 20% w/w of the total oil-based drilling fluid.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid further comprises at least one additional surfactant selected from the group consisting of a non-dendritic surfactant, a non-extended surfactant, a co-surfactant, and combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the co-surfactant is a surface active substance selected from the group consisting of mono or poly-alcohols, low molecular weight organic acids or amines, polyethylene glycol, low ethoxylation solvents, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

15. A method of drilling a well through a subterranean reservoir, the method comprising:

drilling the well while circulating an oil-based drilling fluid through the wellbore, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid comprises at least one modified surfactant selected from the group consisting of an extended surfactant, a dendritic surfactant, and a dendritic extended surfactant;

at least one non-polar continuous phase; and

at least one polar non-continuous phase; and

wherein the at least one modified surfactant is present in a concentration from about 0.1% w/w to about 20% w/w of the total oil-based drilling fluid, and wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises at least one spacer arm extension having from about 1 to about 20 propoxy moieties, from about 0 to about 20 ethoxy moieties, and combinations thereof.

16. An oil-based drilling fluid comprising at least modified surfactant selected from the group consisting of an extended surfactant, a dendritic surfactant, a dendritic extended surfactant, and combinations thereof;

at least one non-polar continuous phase;

at least one polar non-continuous phase; and

at least one additive selected from the group consisting of structural stabilizers, viscosifiers, chelating agents, filtration control additives, rheological modifiers, suspending agents, dispersants, wetting agents, solvents, co-solvents, co-surfactants, densifiers, bridging materials, and mixtures thereof.

17. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a hydrophilic center and a plurality of lipophilic moieties.

18. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid comprises an emulsion selected from the group consisting of a macroemulsion, a microemulsion, a nanoemulsion, a miniemulsion, and mixtures thereof.

19. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid is selected from the group consisting of a water-in-oil emulsion, a brine-in-oil emulsion, and mixtures thereof.

20. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the at least one modified surfactant further comprises a propoxylated spacer arm extension having from about 1 to about 20 propoxy moieties and an ethoxylated spacer arm having from about 0 to about 20 ethoxy moieties.

21. The fluid of claim 20, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a lipophilic moiety selected from the group consisting of a linear or branched hydrocarbon chain, a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon chain, wherein the hydrocarbon chain has from about 8 to about 50 carbon atoms.

22. The fluid of claim 20, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a hydrophilic polar head selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene, sulfate, sulfonate, ethoxysulfate, carboxylate, ethoxy-carboxylate, C₆ sugar, xylitol, di-xylitol, ethoxy-xylitol, carboxylate and xytol, carboxylate and glucose, phosphate, and combinations thereof.

23. The fluid of claim 20, wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises a lipophilic spacer arm extension and a hydrophilic polar head, and wherein the at least one modified surfactant does not precipitate in the oil-based drilling fluid.

24. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the at least one modified surfactant is present in a concentration from about 0.1% w/w to about 20% w/w of the total oil-based drilling fluid.

25. The fluid of claim 16, wherein the oil-based drilling fluid further comprises at least one additional surfactant selected from the group consisting of a non-dendritic surfactant, a non-extended surfactant, a co-surfactant, and combinations thereof.

26. The fluid of claim 25, wherein the co-surfactant is a surface active substance selected from the group consisting of mono or poly-alcohols, low molecular weight organic acids or amines, polyethylene glycol, low ethoxylation solvents, and mixtures and combinations thereof.

27. An oil-based drilling fluid comprising at least one modified surfactant selected from the group consisting of an extended surfactant, a dendritic surfactant, a dendritic extended surfactant, and combinations thereof;

at least one non-polar continuous phase; and

at least one polar non-continuous phase;

wherein the at least one modified surfactant is present in a concentration from about 0.1% w/w to about 20% w/w of the total oil-based drilling fluid, and wherein the at least one modified surfactant comprises at least one spacer arm having from about 1 to about 20 propoxy moieties, from about 0 to about 20 ethoxy moieties, and combinations thereof.