Methods to enhance gas production following a relative-permeability-modifier treatment

• US 7,552,771 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2007
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Original Assignee: Halliburton Energy Services Incorporated (Halliburton Company)
• Inventors: Dalrymple, Eldon D., Reddy, B. Raghava, Eoff, Larry S., Everett, Don M., Gutierrez, Mauricio, Zhang, Danhua
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates; Zakiya W.
• Application Number:
  US11/985,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20090120642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 166/279
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/5083 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/5086 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/602 containing surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/882 obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/885 obtained otherwise than by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds

Abstract

Provided embodiments relate to introducing a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent into a subterranean formation to enhance gas production following a relative-permeability-modifier treatment to decrease undesired water production. An exemplary embodiment provides a method of treating a subterranean formation such that initiation of gas production is enhanced following the treatment, the method comprising: introducing a relative-permeability modifier into at least a portion of the subterranean formation such that the relative-permeability modifier reduces permeability of the portion to aqueous fluids; and introducing a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent into at least a portion of the subterranean formation. Another exemplary embodiment provides a treatment fluid comprising a carrier fluid, a relative-permeability modifier, and a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent.

Claims

1. A method of treating a subterranean formation such that initiation of gas production is enhanced following the treatment, comprising:

introducing a relative-permeability modifier into the subterranean formation such that the relative-permeability modifier reduces permeability of the subterranean formation to aqueous fluids, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a water-soluble polymer; and

introducing a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent into the subterranean formation, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of;

a zwitterionic surfactant comprising an organic surfactant comprising an alkyl chain length of from about 12 to about 22 carbons, a cationic group, and an anionic group;

a cationic polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two quaternary ammonium groups;

a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of;

an organic surfactant having the structure shown below;

R₆—

O[(EO)_p—

(PrO)_q—

(BuO)_r]H

wherein R₆ is an alcohol, phenol or phenol derivative or a fatty acid comprising about 12 to about 22 carbons, EO is an ethylene oxide radical, p is 1 to 20, PrO is a propylene oxide radical, q is 0 to 15, BuO is a butylene oxide radical, and r is 0 to 15;

an organic polyethylene carbonate having the structure shown below;

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent is introduced into the subterranean formation after the relative-permeability modifier is introduced into the subterranean formation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the relative-permeability modifier is introduced into a high-permeability, gas-producing zone of the subterranean formation, and wherein at least a portion of the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent is introduced into a low-permeability, gas-producing zone of the subterranean formation.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising producing gas from the subterranean formation after introducing the relative-permeability modifier and the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a water-soluble polymer, wherein the water-soluble polymer comprises a hydrophobically modified polymer, wherein the hydrophobically modified polymer comprises a polymer backbone and a hydrophobic branch, and wherein the hydrophobic branch comprises an alkyl chain of about 4 to about 22 carbons.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the hydrophobically modified polymer comprises an amino methacrylate/alkyl amino methacrylate copolymer.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the polymer backbone comprises polar heteroatoms.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the alkyl chain comprises about 12 to about 18 carbons.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a hydrophobically modified polymer, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a reaction product of at least one hydrophobic compound and at least one hydrophilic polymer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises reactive amino groups in the polymer backbone or as pendant groups.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises dialkyl amino groups.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a hydrophobically modified polymer synthesized from a polymerization reaction that comprises a hydrophilic monomer and a hydrophobically modified hydrophilic monomer, wherein the hydrophobically modified polymer comprises a hydrophobic branch, and wherein the hydrophobic branch comprises an alkyl chain of about 4 to about 22 carbons.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a hydrophilically modified polymer, wherein the hydrophilically modified polymer is water soluble.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises a zwitterionic surfactant comprising an organic surfactant comprising an alkyl chain length of from about 12 to about 22 carbons, a cationic group, and an anionic group.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises at least one nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of:

an organic surfactant having the structure shown below;

R₆—

O[(EO)_p—

(PrO)_q—

(BuO)_r]H

wherein R₆ is an alcohol, phenol or phenol derivative or a fatty acid comprising about 12 to about 22 carbons, EO is an ethylene oxide radical, p is 1 to 20, PrO is a propylene oxide radical, q is 0 to 15, BuO is a butylene oxide radical, and r is 0 to 15;

an organic polyethylene carbonate having the structure shown below;

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate enhancing agent comprises a cationic polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two quaternary ammonium groups.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate enhancing agent comprises a polydimethylsiloxane comprising at least two dialkyl quaternary ammonium groups.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises a solvent-surfactant blend comprising a solvent, a surfactant, an alcohol, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent is introduced into the portion of the subterranean formation in a microemulsion comprising a carrier fluid and the solvent-surfactant blend.

19. A method of treating a subterranean formation with a relative-permeability modifier such that gas production is enhanced following the treatment, comprising:

introducing a treatment fluid into at least a portion of the subterranean formation, wherein the treatment fluid comprises;

an aqueous fluid;

the relative-permeability modifier in an amount in the range of from about 0.05% to about 1% by weight of the treatment fluid, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a water-soluble polymer; and

a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent in an amount in the range of from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of the treatment fluid.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the water-soluble polymer comprises a hydrophobically modified polymer, wherein the hydrophobically modified polymer comprises a polymer backbone and a hydrophobic branch, and wherein the hydrophobic branch comprises an alky chain of about 4 carbons to about 22 carbons.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the alkyl chain comprises about 12 to about 18 carbons.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the water-soluble polymer comprises a hydrophobically modified polymer that is a reaction product of a hydrophobic compound and a hydrophilic polymer, wherein the hydrophilic polymer comprises reactive amino groups in the polymer backbone or as pendant groups, and wherein the hydrophobic compound comprises an alkyl halide having an alkyl chain length of from about 4 carbons to about 22 carbons.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises a solvent-surfactant blend comprising a solvent, a surfactant, an alcohol, and wherein the treatment fluid comprises an oil-in-water microemulsion comprising the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent, the aqueous fluid, and the relative-permeability modifier.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the water-drainage-rate enhancing agent comprises a cationic polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two quaternary ammonium groups.

25. A method of treating a subterranean formation comprising combining a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent with a relative-permeability-modifier treatment to decrease water production from the subterranean formation, such that initiation of gas production from the subterranean formation following the relative-permeability-modifier treatment is enhanced, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

a zwitterionic surfactant comprising an organic surfactant comprising an alkyl chain length of from about 12 to about 22 carbons, a cationic group, and an anionic group;

a cationic polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two quaternary ammonium groups;

a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of;

an organic surfactant having the structure shown below;

R₆—

O[(EO)_p—

(PrO)_q—

(BuO)_r]H

wherein R₆ is an alcohol, phenol or phenol derivative or a fatty acid comprising about 12 to about 22 carbons, EO is an ethylene oxide radical, p is 1 to 20, PrO is a propylene oxide radical, q is 0 to 15, BuO is a butylene oxide radical, and r is 0 to 15;

an organic polyethylene carbonate having the structure shown below;

26. A treatment fluid comprising a carrier fluid, a relative-permeability modifier, and a water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent, wherein the relative-permeability modifier comprises a water-soluble polymer, wherein the water-drainage-rate-enhancing agent comprises at least one compound selected from the group consisting of:

a zwitterionic surfactant comprising an organic surfactant comprising an alkyl chain length of from about 12 to about 22 carbons, a cationic group, and an anionic group;

a cationic polyorganosiloxane comprising at least two quaternary ammonium groups;

a nonionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of;

an organic surfactant having the structure shown below;

R₆—

O[(EO)_p—

(PrO)_q—

(BuO)_r]H

wherein R₆ is an alcohol, phenol or phenol derivative or a fatty acid comprising about 12 to about 22 carbons, EO is an ethylene oxide radical, p is 1 to 20, PrO is a propylene oxide radical, q is 0 to 15, BuO is a butylene oxide radical, and r is 0 to 15;

an organic polyethylene carbonate having the structure shown below;