METHOD OF USING CONTROLLED RELEASE TRACERS

• US 20130126158A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes Incorporated (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Gupta, D.V. Satyanarayana, Brannon, Harold Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,874,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/250.12
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/30 Viscoelastic surfactants [VES]
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/03 Specific additives for general use in well-drilling compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/62 Compositions for forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 47/11 using tracers; using radioactivity

Abstract

Fluids produced from a fractured subterranean formation may be monitored by pumping into the well a fracturing fluid which contains a tracer. The method may be used to monitor produced hydrocarbons as well as produced water. The tracer may also be used in a sand control, frac pack or acid fracturing operation. The tracer is a component of a composite where it may be immobilized within a matrix (such as an emulsion) or porous particulate, onto a support or compressed with a binder into a solid particulate. The tracer may be slowly released from the composite.

Claims

1. A method of fracturing a subterranean formation penetrated by a well which comprises:

(a) pumping into the well in a single step a fracturing fluid at a pressure sufficient to enlarge or create a fracture in the formation, wherein the fracturing fluid comprises a pre-determined solid tracer which is either hydrocarbon soluble, water soluble or both hydrocarbon soluble and water soluble and further wherein the solid tracer is capable of being slowly solubilized into fluids produced from the well; and

(b) slowly solubilizing the solid tracer into fluids produced from the well

wherein the lifetime of the solid tracer introduced in the single step is at least six months.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises a viscosifying polymer or viscoelastic surfactant.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fracturing fluid further comprises a proppant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a composite.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the solid tracer is adsorbed onto a water-insoluble adsorbent.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein water-insoluble adsorbent has a surface area between from about 1 m²/g to about 100 m²/g.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the weight ratio of the solid tracer to adsorbent in the composite is between from about 9:

1 to about 1;

9.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the solid tracer is a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and is adsorbed onto a water-insoluble adsorbent.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a porous particulate and further wherein the porosity and permeability of the porous particulate is such that the solid tracer is absorbed into the interstitial spaces of the porous particulate material.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the porous particulate is a porous ceramic, inorganic oxide or an organic polymeric material.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the porous particulate is an aluminosilicate, silicon carbide, alumina or silica-based material.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the well is a horizontal or deviated well.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the tracer is immobilized in a microemulsion.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a calcined porous metal oxide wherein the porosity and permeability of the calcined porous metal oxide is such that the solid tracer is adsorbed into the interstitial spaces of the porous metal oxide and further wherein:

(a) the surface area of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 1 m²/g to about 10 m²/g;

(b) the diameter of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.1 to about 3 mm; and

(c) the pore volume of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.01 to about 0.10 g/cc.

15. A sand control method for a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, comprising

(a) introducing into the wellbore a slurry containing a pre-determined solid tracer wherein the pre-determined solid tracer is either hydrocarbon soluble, water soluble or both water soluble and hydrocarbon soluble and further wherein the solid tracer is capable of being slowly solubilized into fluids produced from the well;

(b) placing the slurry adjacent the subterranean formation to form a fluid-permeable pack capable of reducing or substantially preventing the passage of formation particles from the subterranean formation into the wellbore while allowing passage of formation fluids from the subterranean formation into the wellbore; and

(c) slowly solubilizing the solid tracer into fluids produced from the well.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the sand control method is simultaneously conducted while unconsolidated formation is hydraulically fractured.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the slurry further comprises a viscosifying polymer or viscoelastic surfactant.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a composite.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the solid tracer is adsorbed onto a water-insoluble adsorbent.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein water-insoluble adsorbent has a surface area between from about 1 m²/g to about 100 m²/g.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the weight ratio of the solid tracer to adsorbent in the composite is between from about 9:

1 to about 1;

9.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the solid tracer is a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and adsorbed onto a water-insoluble adsorbent.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a porous particulate and further wherein the porosity and permeability of the porous particulate is such that the solid tracer is absorbed into the interstitial spaces of the porous particulate material.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the porous particulate is a porous ceramic, inorganic oxide or an organic polymeric material.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the porous particulate is an aluminosilicate, silicon carbide, alumina or silica-based material.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the tracer is immobilized in a microemulsion.

27. The method of claim 15, wherein the solid tracer is immobilized in a calcined porous metal oxide wherein the porosity and permeability of the calcined porous metal oxide is such that the solid tracer is adsorbed into the interstitial spaces of the porous metal oxide and further wherein:

(a) the surface area of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 1 m²/g to about 10 m²/g;

(b) the diameter of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.1 to about 3 mm; and

(c) the pore volume of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.01 to about 0.10 g/cc.

28. A method of monitoring the productivity of hydrocarbons from a sandstone or carbonate formation penetrated by a well, the method comprising:

(a) contacting the formation with a slurry containing solid particulates and a pre-determined solid tracer and an acid, the pre-determined solid tracer being hydrocarbon soluble, water soluble or both hydrocarbon soluble and water soluble and further wherein the solid tracer is capable of being slowly solubilized into fluids produced from the well;

(b) differentially etching the acidizing solution around the solid particulates, thereby creating conductive channels on the surface of the formation; and

(c) removing produced fluids from the well containing solubilized tracer.