Submicron particles surfactant method for improved oil recovery from subterranean reservoirs

• US 20140305649A1
• Filed: 04/12/2013
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ChemEOR, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ChemEOR, Inc.
• Inventors: Tang, Hongxin, Lu, Zayne Hai
• Granted Patent: US 9,725,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 166/308.2
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/10 Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/584 characterised by the use of specific surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/602 containing surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/70 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. foams

Abstract

Methods of stimulating a well comprising providing a stimulation fluid comprising at least one surfactant and submicron particles, the submicron particles having a particle size between about 200 nm and about 800 nm and a specific surface area greater than about 5 square meters per gram; and introducing the stimulation fluid into a wellbore. Additional methods to enhance oil recovery from subterranean reservoirs accessible via a well are described.

Claims

1. A method of stimulating a well comprising:

providing a stimulation fluid comprising at least one surfactant, and submicron particles, the submicron particles having a particle size between about 200 nm and about 800 nm and a specific surface area greater than about 5 square meters per gram; and

introducing the stimulation fluid into a wellbore.

2. The method of claim 1 and wherein the stimulation fluid is defined by properties comprising at least one of the following features:

(a) the ability to change a wetting of a porous matrix portion of a reservoir in fluid communication with the well to prefer wetting by an aqueous phase;

(b) the ability to lower an oil and water interfacial tension between oil and water in the reservoir;

(c) the ability to enhance a mobility or a spreading of hydrocarbons out of the porous matrix portion of the reservoir;

or

(d) to enhance compatibility with chemicals in other well treatment processes that can be performed on the well.

3. The method of claim 1 and wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated alkylphenols, ethoxysulfate alkylphenols, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxysulfate alcohols, ethoxylated amines, ethoxylated amides, alpha olefin sulfonates, internal olefin sulfonates, alkyl aryl sulfonates, petroleum sulfonates, propoxylated ethoxylated alcohols, propoxylated ethoxylated sulfates, propoxylated ethoxylated sulfonates, propoxylated ethoxylated amines, propoxylated ethoxylated amides, alkyl polyglycosides, amine salts, ammonium salts, and mixtures thereof, including primary amines.

4. The method of claim 1 and wherein the well is in fluid communication with a subterranean formation comprising a fractured reservoir.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising introducing a hydraulic fracturing compound into the well to synthetically fracture a reservoir that is in fluid communication with the well, either simultaneously or in sequence with introducing the stimulation fluid.

6. The method of claim 1 and wherein the stimulation fluid further comprises urea.

7. The method of claim 1 and wherein the providing step and the introducing step are modified by first combining the submicron particles with dry treatment additives to be introduced into the well to fashion a dry mixture, such that when said mixture meets any of a second fluid that is separately introduced, the second fluid being a diluent of the surfactant, the surfactant, or a treatment fluid distinct from the stimulation fluid, the stimulation fluid is provided and introduced.

8. The method of claim 1 and wherein a surfactant portion of the stimulation fluid is manufactured from biosynthesis (biosurfactant), including glycolipid and lipopeptide types thereof.

9. The method of claim 1 and wherein the surfactant portion of the stimulation fluid comprises a surfactant manufactured from biosynthesis (biosurfactant), including glycolipid and lipopeptide types thereof.

10. A method to enhance oil recovery from a subterranean reservoir, the reservoir being accessible via a well, the method comprising:

injecting a submicron particles surfactant dispersion comprising submicron particles and at least one surfactant into the well, wherein the submicron particles have a particle size between about 200 nm and about 800 nm and a specific surface area greater than about 5 square meters per gram, the dispersion selected to increase an oil-to-water ratio of oil recovery from a porous matrix portion of the reservoir; and

injecting a well-servicing volumetric solution into the well to perform a second well treatment process, wherein the second well treatment process is selected from the group consisting of a scale inhibition squeeze process, a well acidizing process, a chemical process to reduce water production rate, an acid fracturing process, and a hydraulic fracturing process; and

the submicron particles surfactant dispersion and the second well treatment solution are injected into the well within less than about six months of one another.

11. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles have a particle size between about 200 nm and about 300 nm.

12. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles have an average specific surface area greater than about 150 square meters per gram.

13. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles comprise at least one particle selected from the group consisting of aluminosilicate, aluminum oxide, aluminum silicate, lanthanum gallate, lanthanum strontium gallate magnesite, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, carbon, graphite, and any combination thereof.

14. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles comprise at least one particle selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, gallium oxide, iron oxide, lanthanum gallium silicate, lanthanum oxide, zinc borate, and any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 10 and wherein the dispersion is defined by properties comprising at least one of the following features:

(a) the ability to change a wetting of the porous matrix rock to prefer wetting by an aqueous phase;

(b) the ability to lower an oil and water interfacial tension between oil and water in the reservoir;

(c) the ability to enhance a mobility or a spreading of hydrocarbons out of the porous matrix portion of the reservoir;

or

(d) to enhance compatibility with chemicals in the second well treatment process.

16. The method of claim 10 and wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated alkylphenols, ethoxysulfate alkylphenols, ethoxylated alcohols, ethoxysulfate alcohols, ethoxylated amines, ethoxylated amides, alpha olefin sulfonates, internal olefin sulfonates, alkyl aryl sulfonates, petroleum sulfonates, propoxylated ethoxylated alcohols, propoxylated ethoxylated sulfates, propoxylated ethoxylated sulfonates, propoxylated ethoxylated amines, propoxylated ethoxylated amides, alkyl polyglycosides, amine salts, ammonium salts, and mixtures thereof, including primary amines.

17. The method of claim 10 and wherein the subterranean formation is a fractured reservoir.

18. The method of claim 10 and further comprising introducing a hydraulic fracturing compound into the well to synthetically fracture the reservoir, either simultaneously or in sequence with introducing the dispersion.

19. The method of claim 10 and further comprising providing urea in the submicron particles surfactant dispersion.

20. The method of claim 10 and further comprising, prior to injecting the dispersion, combining the submicron particles with dry treatment additives to be introduced into the well to fashion a dry mixture, such that when said mixture meets any of a fluid that is separately introduced, the fluid being a diluent of the surfactant, the surfactant, the second well treatment solution, or a treatment fluid distinct from either the dispersion or the second well treatment solution, a dispersion forms, providing the submicron particles surfactant dispersion.

21. The method of claim 10 and wherein a surfactant portion of the dispersion is manufactured from biosynthesis (biosurfactant), including glycolipid and lipopeptide types thereof.

22. The method of claim 10 and wherein the surfactant portion of the dispersion comprises a surfactant manufactured from biosynthesis (biosurfactant), including glycolipid and lipopeptide types thereof.

23. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles are present in the dispersion in an amount in a range of from about 0.00004% to about 0.1% by weight based on the total weight of the dispersion.

24. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles are present in a pre-diluted dispersion in an amount in a range of from about 0.1% to about 30% by weight based on the total weight of said dispersion.

25. The method of claim 10 and further comprising injecting a spacer slug into the reservoir in sequence with the dispersion and the well-servicing volumetric solution, and wherein the spacer slug is selected from the group consisting of fresh water brine and a hydrocarbon.

26. The method of claim 10 and further comprising adding to the well-servicing volumetric solution at least one of a portion of the submicron particles surfactant dispersion, or a second surfactant selected to increase the oil-to-water ratio of oil recovery from the porous matrix portion of the reservoir.

27. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

(a) halting fluid production from the well;

(b) simultaneously injecting the well-servicing volumetric solution and the submicron particles surfactant dispersion into the well;

(c) shutting in the well for a soaking period of time; and

(d) returning the well to production to recover additional oil from the reservoir.

28. The method of claim 27 and further comprising, between steps (b) and (c), injecting a spacer slug of inert fluid into either the production or injection well.

29. The method of claim 10 and wherein the submicron particles surfactant dispersion and the well-servicing volumetric solution are injected into the well within less than about thirty days of one another.