METHOD FOR DETERMINING RESIDUAL SURFACTANT CONCENTRATIONS IN PRODUCED WATER

• US 20150275627A1
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: XU, Liang, FU, Qiang, RANE, Jayant
• Granted Patent: US 10,241,100 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/00 Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells applicable only to water E03B
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 44/00 Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 49/08 Obtaining fluid samples or testing fluids, in boreholes or wells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 13/02 Investigating surface tension of liquids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/96 using ion-exchange G01N30/02, G01N30/90 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1826 Organic contamination in water
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/2823 Raw oil, drilling fluid or polyphasic mixtures

Abstract

A method is disclosed for determining a first concentration of a first component in an aqueous solution, the surface tension of which is altered by the presence of the first component. The method can include identifying a second concentration of at least one second component in the aqueous solution. The at least one second component can also after the surface tension of the aqueous solution. The method can further include comparing a plurality of dynamic surface tension measurements of each of a plurality of aqueous test solutions with at least one dynamic surface tension measurement of the aqueous solution to determine the first concentration. The plurality of aqueous test solutions can include the first component at a plurality of concentrations and the at least one second component at the second concentration.

Claims

1. A method for determining a first concentration of a first component in an aqueous solution, wherein the first component afters the surface tension of the aqueous solution, the method comprising:

identifying a second concentration of at least one second component in the aqueous solution, wherein the at least one second component afters the surface tension of the aqueous solution; and

determining the first concentration by comparing (i) a plurality of dynamic surface tension measurements of each of a plurality of aqueous test solutions, wherein the plurality of aqueous test solutions comprises the first component at a plurality of concentrations and the at least one second component at the second concentration with (ii) at least one dynamic surface tension measurement of the aqueous solution.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the aqueous solution is produced water from an oil well.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the produced water is collected from the well head of the oil well.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one second component is selected from the group consisting of an inorganic material, a friction reducer, a scale inhibitor, a biocide, an emulsion breaker, a pour point depressant, a water clarifier, a shale and clay stabilizer, an antifoam, a scale inhibitor, an H₂S and O₂ scavenger, a corrosion inhibitor, and combinations thereof.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the inorganic material is selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, calcium, magnesium, barium, strontium, potassium, iron, zinc, lead, ammonia, manganese, chloride, sulfate, bicarbonate, carbonate, and combinations thereof.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the scale inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of a polyphosphate, a poly(meth)acrylate, a phosphonate, an aminophosphonate, a polymeric carboxylic acid, and combinations thereof.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the polymeric carboxylic acid is poly[maleic acid].

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the friction reducer is a polymeric material having a weight average molecular weight of from about 5 to 25 million Daltons.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of guar, a guar-derived polymer, a polymethylmethacrylate polymer, a polyethyleneoxide polymer, a polyacrylamide polymer, a polymethacrylamide polymer, a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymer, a cationic polyacrylamide-derived polymer, an anionic polymer, a polysaccharide, a mannose sugar, a galactose sugar, a cellulose derivative, and combinations thereof.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the guar-derived polymer is selected from the group consisting of hydropropyl guar (HPG), carboxymethyl guar (CMG), carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG), and combinations thereof.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cellulose derivative is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), carboxymethylhydroxyethylcellulose (CMHEC), and combinations thereof.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the cationic polyacrylamide-derived polymer is obtained by radical polymerization of one selected from the group consisting of dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), 2-(methacryloyloxy)-ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (MADQUAT), methacrylamidopropyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (MAPTAC), diallyldimethylammonium chloride (DADMAC), and combinations thereof.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the anionic polymer is polyAMPS (poly 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid).

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first component is a surfactant.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first component is one selected from the group consisting of nonionic surfactants, ionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, and combinations thereof.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an ethylene glycol monostearate, a propylene glycol myristate, a glyceryl monostearate, a glyceryl stearate, a polyglyceryl-4-oleate, a sorbitan acylate, a sucrose acylate, a polyethylene glycol (PEG-150) laurate, a polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) monolaurate, a polyoxyethylene monolaurate, a polysorbate, a ii polyoxyethylene octylphenylether, a polyethylene glycol (PEG-1000) cetyl ether, a polyoxyethylene tridecyl ether, a polypropylene glycol butyl ether, a stearoyl monoisopropanolamide, a polyoxyethylene, a hydrogenated tallow amide, a fatty acid glycerine ester, a sorbitan fatty acid ester, a sucrose fatty acid ester, a polyglycerine fatty acid ester, an alcohol ethylene oxide adduct, a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, a polyoxyethylene alkyl allyl ether, a polyoxyethylene lanolin alcohol, a polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, a polyoxyethylene glycerine fatty acid ester, a polyoxyethylene propylene glycol fatty acid ester, a polyoxyethylene sorbitol fatty acid ester, a polyoxyethylene castor oil, a castor oil derivative, a polyoxyethylene lanolin derivative, a polyoxyethylene fatty acid amide, a polyoxyethylene alkyl amine, an alkylpyrrolidone, a glucamide, an alkylpolyglucoside, a monoalkanol amide, a dialkanol amide, a polyoxyethylene alcohol monoamide, a polyoxyethylene alcohol diamide, a alkylamine, and combinations thereof.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first component is an ionic surfactant.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the ionic surfactant is an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of fatty acid soaps, ether carboxylic acids and salts thereof, alkane sulfonate salts, α

-olefin sulfonate salts, sulfonate salts of fatty acid esters, alcohol sulfate ester salts, fatty alcohol ether sulfates salts, alcohol phosphate ester salts, fatty alcohol ether phosphate ester salts, condensates of fatty acids and amino acids, collagen hydrolysate derivatives and combinations thereof.

19. A method for determining the concentration of a target component in an aqueous sample solution comprising:

identifying an aqueous sample solution comprising the target component and a secondary background component, wherein both the target component and the secondary background component are surface tension altering components;

measuring the concentration of the secondary background component;

conducting a plurality of dynamic surface tension measurements with an aqueous test solution comprising the secondary background component at the measured concentration and the target component at a plurality of concentrations;

obtaining a calibrative dynamic surface tension fingerprint of the aqueous test solution as a function of the concentration of the target component;

measuring the dynamic surface tension of the aqueous sample solution; and

determining the concentration of the target component in the aqueous sample solution by comparing the dynamic surface tension of the aqueous sample solution to the calibrative dynamic surface tension fingerprint.

20. A method for optimizing oil production of an oil well based on a determination of a first concentration of a first component in produced water from the oil well, wherein the first component alters the surface tension of the produced water, the method comprising:

analyzing a sample of the produced water to identify a second concentration of at least one second component, wherein the at least one second component afters the surface tension of the produced water;

determining the first concentration by comparing (i) a plurality of dynamic surface tension measurements of each of a plurality of aqueous test solutions, wherein each of the plurality of aqueous test solutions comprises the at least one second component at the second concentration and a unique concentration of the first component, with (ii) a plurality of dynamic surface tension measurements of the produced water; and

using the first concentration in a material balance to determine at least one of a pumping rate of the first component and an amount of the first component in the oil well.