RELEASING ACTIVATORS DURING WELLBORE OPERATIONS

• US 20130126164A1
• Filed: 11/22/2011
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Sweatman, Ronald, Thaemlitz, Carl, Perez, Gregory, Bour, Daniel Lee
• Application Number:
  US13/302,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20130126164A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/282
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/035 Organic additives
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/467 containing additives for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/516 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 21/003 Means for stopping loss of drilling fluid plastering the borehole wall E21B33/138

Abstract

In some implementations, a method for reducing material loss includes adding, to a downhole fluid circulated through a drill string, encapsulants encapsulating one or more activators. One or more parameters in a wellbore associated with a fault in operating conditions are determined. One or more energy waves in the downhole fluid configured to release the one or more activators from the encapsulants are emitted.

Claims

1. A method for reducing material loss, comprising:

adding to a downhole fluid circulated through a drill string encapsulants encapsulating one or more activators;

determining one or more parameters in a wellbore associated with a fault in operating conditions; and

emitting one or more energy waves in the downhole fluid configured to release the one or more activators from the encapsulants.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a location associated with a subset of encapsulants, wherein the one or more activators are released at least proximate the determined location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the released chemicals are configured to react with the downhole fluid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the downhole fluid includes a settable composition, and the one or more released activators are configured to increase a setting rate of the settable composition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the settable composition comprises at least one of a cement composition, a resin composition, a settable mud, a conformance fluid, a lost circulation composition, an influx or blowout controlling fluid, or a polymeric additive.

7. The method claim 5, wherein the settable composition sets in a range from about one minute to about 24 hours after reacting with the one or more chemicals.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more conditions comprises a drill pipe incorrectly positioned in the wellbore.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more activators are enclosed in a shell that releases the one or more activators in response to at least the one or more energy waves.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one dimension of the shell is from about 10 nanometers to about 1 millimeter.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise an obstruction in the wellbore.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the downhole fluid comprises a drilling fluid, and the one or more released activators alter a viscosity of the drilling fluid.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more energy waves comprises at least one of sonic signals, ultrasonic signals, microwave, or radio waves.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising remotely activating, at a surface of the wellbore, a signal generator affixed at least proximate a terminus of a drilling string.

4. The method of 1, wherein the one or more energy waves are emitted in response to at least determining a rate of loss of the downhole fluid exceeds a specified threshold.

15. A system, comprising:

a dispenser configured to add, to a downhole fluid circulated through a drill string, encapsulants encapsulating one or more activators;

one or more sensors configured to determine one or more parameters in a wellbore associated with a fault in operating conditions; and

a transmitter configured to emit one or more energy waves in the downhole fluid configured to release the one or more activators from the encapsulants.

16. The system of claim 15, a location module configured to determine a location associated with a subset of encapsulants, wherein the one or more activators are released at least proximate the determined location.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the released chemicals are configured to react with the downhole fluid.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more energy waves are emitted in response to at least determining a rate of loss of the downhole fluid exceeds a specified threshold.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the downhole fluid includes a settable composition, and the one or more released activators are configured to increase a setting rate of the settable composition.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the settable composition comprises at least one of a cement composition, a resin composition, a settable mud, a conformance fluid, a lost circulation composition, an influx or blowout controlling fluid, or a polymeric additive.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the settable composition sets in a range from about one minute to about 24 hours after reacting with the one or more chemicals.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more conditions comprises a drill pipe incorrectly positioned in the wellbore.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more activators are enclosed in a shell that releases the one or more activators in response to at least the one or more energy waves.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein at least one dimension of the shell is from about 10 nanometers to about 1 millimeter.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more parameters comprise an obstruction in the wellbore.

26. The system of claim 15, wherein the downhole fluid comprises a drilling fluid, and the one or more released activators alter a viscosity of the drilling fluid.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more energy waves comprises at least one of sonic signals, ultrasonic signals, microwave, or radio waves.

28. The system of claim 15, further comprising a trigger configured to remotely activate, at a surface of the wellbore, a signal generator affixed at least proximate a terminus of a drilling string.