Methods of generating a gas in a plugging composition to improve its sealing ability in a downhole permeable zone
First Claim
1. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:
- circulating a drilling fluid in the wellbore;
upon loss of circulation of the drilling fluid, introducing a plugging composition into the wellbore;
allowing the plugging composition to flow into a permeable zone in the wellbore; and
generating a gas in the plugging composition in situ within the permeable zone;
wherein said generating the gas comprises introducing a first reactant and a second reactant to the plugging composition, and wherein the volume of the plugging composition increases by from about 0.1% to about 50% by total volume of the composition at a pressure of from about 3,000 psi to about 5,000 psi.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods of servicing a wellbore include generating gas in a plugging composition in situ within a permeable zone in the wellbore, thereby improving the ability of the plugging composition to seal the permeable zone. The gas may be generated via a chemical reaction by, for example, introducing first and second reactants to the plugging composition that can react at ambient temperatures in the wellbore. In an embodiment, the first and second reactants are concurrently pumped into the wellbore via separate flow paths within two concentric conduits to the permeable zone where they are allowed to contact each other in the presence of the plugging composition. In another embodiment, the first reactant, the second reactant, and a retarder for slowing the reaction between the two reactants are concurrently pumped to the permeable zone. In yet another embodiment, one of the reactants is encapsulated to delay a reaction between the two reactants.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:
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circulating a drilling fluid in the wellbore; upon loss of circulation of the drilling fluid, introducing a plugging composition into the wellbore; allowing the plugging composition to flow into a permeable zone in the wellbore; and generating a gas in the plugging composition in situ within the permeable zone;
wherein said generating the gas comprises introducing a first reactant and a second reactant to the plugging composition, and wherein the volume of the plugging composition increases by from about 0.1% to about 50% by total volume of the composition at a pressure of from about 3,000 psi to about 5,000 psi. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:
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circulating a drilling fluid within the wellbore; upon loss of circulation of the drilling fluid introducing a plugging composition to the wellbore; allowing the plugging composition to flow into a permeable zone in the wellbore; and generating a gas in a plugging composition in situ within the permeable zone;
wherein said generating the gas comprises introducing a first reactant and a second reactant to the plugging composition;
wherein the first reactant, the second reactant, or both are encapsulated with at least one material for delaying the gas generating reaction and wherein the material is selected from the group consisting of a drying oil, a polyurethane, a crosslinked partially hydrolyzed polyacrylic, a water degradable compound or polymer, diatomaceous earth, zeolites, silica, alumina, metal salts of alumino-silicates, clays, hydrotalcite, styrenedivinylbenzene based materials, cross-linked polyalkylacrylate esters, cross-linked modified starches, EDPM rubber, polyvinyldichloride, nylon, polyurethanes, and combinations thereof, and wherein the volume of the plugging composition increases by from about 0.1% to about 50% by total volume of the composition at a pressure of from about 3,000 psi to about 5,000 psi. - View Dependent Claims (44)
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37. A method of improving a plugging composition, comprising:
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circulating a drilling fluid within the wellbore; upon loss of circulation of the drilling fluid introducing a plugging composition to the wellbore; allowing the plugging composition to flow into a permeable zone in the wellbore and generating gas in the plugging composition in situ within the permeable zone to increase friction between the plugging composition and an adjacent surface in a wellbore upon a loss of circulation in the wellbore; and
wherein said generating the gas comprises introducing a first reactant and a second reactant to the plugging composition; and
wherein the volume of the plugging composition increases by from about 0.1% to about 50% by total volume of the composition at a pressure of from about 3,000 psi to about 5,000 psi. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method of servicing a wellbore, comprising:
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circulating a drilling fluid within the wellbore; upon loss of circulation of the drilling fluid introducing a plugging composition to the wellbore; allowing the plugging composition to flow into a permeable zone in the wellbore and generating a gas in a plugging composition in situ within the permeable zone, wherein the plugging composition expands to fill a cross-section of the permeable zone, thus blocking the flow of fluid through the zone and wherein the permeable zone is a loss circulation zone, wherein the volume of the plugging composition increases by from about 0.1% to about 50% by total volume of the composition at a pressure of from about 3,000 psi to about 5,000 psi.
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Specification