SELF-DEGRADABLE HYDRAULIC DIVERSION SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAKING AND USING SAME

• US 20150300131A1
• Filed: 04/21/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weatherford Technology Holdings, LLC (Weatherford International PLC)
• Original Assignee: Clearwater International, L.L.C (Weatherford International PLC)
• Inventors: Vigderman, Leonid, Saini, Rajesh K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,202,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/24 Bacteria or enzyme containing gel breakers
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/26 Gel breakers other than bacteria or enzymes
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/5086 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/516 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/524 organic depositions, e.g. paraffins or asphaltenes
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/528 inorganic depositions, e.g. sulfates or carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/536 characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/5755 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/605 containing biocides
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/725 Compositions containing polymers
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/74 combined with additives added for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 33/138 Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/02 Subsoil filtering

Abstract

Systems and methods for treating formation intervals including forming a low permeability layer on a surface of the interval and pumping a treating fluid, where the treatment fluid is diverted through the layer permitting improved treatment uniformity across the formation or intervaland permitting a longer interval to be treated, where the layer comprises self-degradable material that degrade over time without harm to the formation or interval surfaces.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a well bore drilled into a geological structure including a producing or injection formation, interval, or intervals,

a self-degradable diversion layer or a plurality of self-degradable diversion layers formed on a surface of the formation, the interval, or the intervals

where the layer or layers have controlled permeabilities and divert a treating fluid passing through the layer or layers so that the treating fluid coverage of the formation, interval, or intervals has improved uniformity and completeness and where the layer degrade over time.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a well screen assembly, a gravel pack, or a sand pack associated with the formation, interval, or intervals, and

wherein the layer is formed on a surface of the screen assembly, the gravel pack or the sand pack or passed through the assembly or packs to form between the assembly or the packs and the formation or interval surfaces or in a lower portion of the assembly or the packs.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a packer or a plurality of packers to isolate the formation, interval or intervals, and

a work string or production tubing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the layer or layers comprise self-degradable particulate materials having a desired particle size distribution, a desired particle shape distribution and size distribution, or a desired particle shape distribution, size distribution, and density distribution, where the permeability of the layer or layers are established due to the packing of the particles forming the layer or layers.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the particulate materials comprise self-degrading materials comprise hydrolytically materials, formation-fluid dissolving materials, slow-dissolving materials, thermally unstable materials, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the permeability of the layer or layers change over time as the materials degrade.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides;

chitin;

chitosan;

proteins;

aliphatic polyesters;

poly(lactides);

poly(glycolides);

poly(ε

-caprolactones);

poly(hydroxybutyrates);

aliphatic polycarbonates;

poly(orthoesters);

poly(amides);

poly(urethanes);

poly(hydroxy ester ethers);

poly(anhydrides);

aliphatic polycarbonates;

poly(orthoesters);

poly(amino acids);

poly(ethylene oxide);

polyphosphazenes.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polylactides, polyglycolides, polycaprolactones, polyanhydrides, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyesteramides, polyorthoesters, polydioxanones, polyacetals, polyketals, polycarbonates, polyorthocarbonates, polyphosphazenes, polyhydroxybutyrates, polyhydroxyvalerates, polyalkylene oxalates, polyalkylene succinates, poly(malic acid), poly(amino acids), poly(methyl vinyl ether), poly(maleic anhydride), chitin, chitosan, and copolymers, terpolymers, or higher poly-monomer polymers thereof or combinations or mixtures thereof.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polyanhydrides, polyorthoesters, poly(l-lactic acid) (PILA), poly(dl-lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), polycaprolactones, copolymers, terpolymer, higher poly-monomer polymers thereof, or combinations or mixtures thereof.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of copolymers of lactic acid and glycolic acid (poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLG)) having a co-monomer (lactide:

glycolide) ratio of between about 100;

0 and about 50;

50 lactic acid to glycolic acid.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the well treatments are selected from the group consisting of a sand control treatment, an aggregating treatment, a zeta modifying treatment, a sticky/tacky material treatment, a sand consolidation/formation consolidation treatment, an in situ polymerizable formation consolidate treatment, a scale inhibitor treatment, a paraffin inhibitor treatment, a wettability modifier treatment, a biocide treatment, a gel breaker treatment, an enzyme treatment, a defoamer treatment, an acid treatment, and mixtures or combinations thereof.

12. A method for diverting well treatments comprising:

forming a self-degradable diversion layer or a plurality of self-degradable diversion layers on a formation surface, an interval surface, on well screen assembly, a gravel pack, and/or a sand pack associated with a formation or interval surface, or between the formation or interval surface and a production tubing or working sting, where the layer or layers have a controlled and/or desirable permeability,

pumping a treating fluid into the well, and

diverting the fluid as it passes through the layer or layers improving treatment coverage, uniformity, completeness, and/or length.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

isolating the interval using an isolation packer or a plurality of packers prior to forming the layers.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the layer or layers comprise particulate materials having a desired particle size distribution, a desired particle shape distribution and size distribution, or a desired particle shape distribution, size distribution, and density distribution, where the permeability of the layer or layers are established due to the packing of the particles forming the layer or layers.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the particulate materials comprise self-degrading materials comprise hydrolytically materials, formation-fluid dissolving materials, slow-dissolving materials, thermally unstable materials, or mixtures and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the permeability of the layer or layers change over time as the materials degrade.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polysaccharides;

chitin;

chitosan;

proteins;

aliphatic polyesters;

poly(lactides);

poly(glycolides);

poly(ε

-caprolactones);

poly(hydroxybutyrates);

aliphatic polycarbonates;

poly(orthoesters);

poly(amides);

poly(urethanes);

poly(hydroxy ester ethers);

poly(anhydrides);

aliphatic polycarbonates;

poly(orthoesters);

poly(amino acids);

poly(ethylene oxide); and

polyphosphazenes.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polylactides, polyglycolides, polycaprolactones, polyanhydrides, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyesteramides, polyorthoesters, polydioxanones, polyacetals, polyketals, polycarbonates, polyorthocarbonates, polyphosphazenes, polyhydroxybutyrates, polyhydroxyvalerates, polyalkylene oxalates, polyalkylene succinates, poly(malic acid), poly(amino acids), poly(methyl vinyl ether), poly(maleic anhydride), chitin, chitosan, and copolymers, terpolymers, or higher poly-monomer polymers thereof or combinations or mixtures thereof.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of polyanhydrides, polyorthoesters, poly(l-lactic acid) (PILA), poly(dl-lactic acid) (PLA), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), polycaprolactones, copolymers, terpolymer, higher poly-monomer polymers thereof, or combinations or mixtures thereof.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the self-degrading materials are selected from the group consisting of copolymers of lactic acid and glycolic acid (poly(dl-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLG)) having a co-monomer (lactide:

glycolide) ratio of between about 100;

0 and about 50;

50 lactic acid to glycolic acid.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the well treatments are selected from the group consisting of a sand control treatment, an aggregating treatment, a zeta modifying treatment, a sticky/tacky material treatment, a sand consolidation/formation consolidation treatment, an in situ polymerizable formation consolidate treatment, a scale inhibitor treatment, a paraffin inhibitor treatment, a wettability modifier treatment, a biocide treatment, a gel breaker treatment, an enzyme treatment, a defoamer treatment, an acid treatment, and mixtures or combinations thereof.

22. A system for diverting well treatments comprising:

a source subsystem including a filter cake composition including sized, selectively self-degradable particles capable of forming predictable low permeability filter-cake layer or layers;

a filter-cake placement subsystem for engineered placement of the filter-cake composition to create a predictable low permeability filter-cake layer or layers on a surface of a producing formation, interval, or intervals, on a surface of an injection formation, interval, or intervals, in an annular space between the formation or interval surfaces and production tubing surface, on a surface of a screen assembly, on a surface of a gravel and/or on a surface of a sand pack, where the filter-cake composition may be a Newtonian fluid or a non-Newtonian fluid; and

an injection subsystem for injecting a treating fluid into the formation, interval or intervals, where the layer or layers divert the treating fluid so that the treating fluid is more uniformly introduced into the formation, and where the layers degrade over time.