Methods and compositions for use in oil and/or gas wells

• US 9,850,418 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2016
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flotek Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Flotek Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Champagne, Lakia M., Fursdon-Welsh, Angus
• Primary Examiner(s): Bland, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US15/288,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20170096594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/26 Oil-in-water emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/36 Water-in-oil emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/40 Spacer compositions, e.g. compositions used to separate well-drilling from cementing masses
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/42 Compositions for cementing, e.g. for cementing casings into boreholes; Compositions for plugging, e.g. for killing wells compositions for plastering C09K8/50
• 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 8/62 Compositions for forming crevices or fractures
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/16 Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons

Abstract

Methods and compositions comprising an emulsion or a microemulsion for use in various aspects of the life cycle of an oil and/or gas well are provided. In some embodiments, the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises water, a solvent, and a surfactant, and optionally, one or more additives.

Claims

1. A composition for use in an oil and/or gas well having a wellbore, comprising a fluid and an emulsion or a microemulsion, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises:

water;

an alcohol;

a solvent comprising a terpene; and

a surfactant having a structure as in Formula II;

2. The composition as in claim 1, wherein X+ is a metal cation or N(R13)4+, wherein each R13 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, optionally substituted alkyl, or optionally substituted aryl.

3. The composition as in claim 1, wherein X+ is NH4+.

4. The composition as in claim 1, wherein X+ is Na+, K+, Mg+2, or Ca+2.

5. The composition as in claim 1, wherein Y—

is —

O—

, —

SO2O—

, or —

OSO2O—

.

6. The composition as in claim 1, wherein at least two of R7, R8, R9, R10, and R11 are —

CH═

CHAr.

7. The composition as in claim 1, wherein R7 and R8 are —

CH═

CHAr and R9, R10, and R11 are each hydrogen.

8. The composition as in claim 1, wherein R7, R8, and R9 are —

CH═

CHAr and R10 and R11 are each hydrogen.

9. The composition as in claim 1, wherein Ar is phenyl.

10. The composition as in claim 1, wherein n is 1-50.

11. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the fluid is a fracturing fluid.

12. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of styrylphenol ethoxylate or a tristyrylphenol ethoxylate.

13. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises between about 1 wt % and 60 wt % water versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

14. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises between about 1 wt % and 30 wt % solvent versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

15. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises between about 5 wt % and 65 wt % surfactant versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

16. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises a first type of surfactant and a second type of surfactant.

17. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises between about 1 wt % and about 50 wt % alcohol versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

18. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the alcohol comprises isopropanol.

19. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises a freezing point depression agent.

20. The composition as in claim 19, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises a first type of freezing point depression agent and a second type of freezing point depression agent.

21. The composition as in claim 19, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion comprises between about 0 wt % and about 25 wt % freezing point depression agent versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

22. The composition as in claim 19, wherein the freezing point depression agent comprises an alkylene glycol, an alcohol, and/or a salt.

23. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion further comprises at least one other additive.

24. The composition as in claim 23, wherein the at least one other additive is selected from the group consisting salts and acids.

25. The composition as in claim 23, wherein the at least one other additive is present in an amount between about 1 wt % and about 30 wt % versus the total emulsion or microemulsion composition.

26. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the emulsion or the microemulsion is present in an amount between about 0.5 gallons per thousand and about 100 gallons per thousand of the fluid.

27. The composition as in claim 1, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of drilling fluids, mud displacement fluids, cementing fluids, perforating fluids, stimulation fluids, kill fluids, EOR/IOR fluids, and stored fluids.