Method of using shaped compressed pellets in well treatment operations

• US 9,976,070 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 05/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: Baker Hughes, a GE Company, LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Gupta, D. V. Satyanarayana, Shen, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): DiTrani, Angela M
• Application Number:
  US14/690,809
• Publication Number:
  US 20160009980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/20 Hydrogen sulfide elimination
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/22 Hydrates inhibition by using well treatment fluids containing inhibitors of hydrate formers
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/32 Anticorrosion additives
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/03 Specific additives for general use in well-drilling compositions
• 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: E21B 37/06 using chemical means for preventing or limiting , e.g. eliminating, the deposition of paraffins or like substances

Abstract

A shaped compressed pellet formed from a composite of a well treatment agent adsorbed onto a calcined porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the calcined porous metal oxide may be introduced into an oil or gas producing well. The well treatment agent of the shaped compressed pellet may be used to prevent and/or control the formation of deposits in the well.

Claims

1. A method of inhibiting or controlling the rate of release of a well treatment agent in a well by:

(a) introducing into the well a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and a well treatment composite, the well treatment composite comprising a well treatment agent and calcined porous metal oxide wherein the porosity and permeability of the calcined porous metal oxide is such that the well treatment agent is adsorbed onto the porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the porous metal oxide, the shaped compressed pellet prepared by (i) calcining a porous metal oxide, (ii) adsorbing the well treatment agent onto the calcined porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the calcined porous metal oxide to form the well treatment composite, (iii) adding a binder to the well treatment composite, and then (iv) compressing the binder and well treatment composite into a desired shape; and

(b) releasing the well treatment agent from the compressed pellet into the well.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following conditions prevail:

a. the surface area of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 1 m²/g to about 10 m²/g;

b. the diameter of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.1 to 3 mm;

c. the pore volume of the calcined porous metal oxide is between from about 0.01 to about 0.10 cc/g;

d. the bulk density of the composite is between from about 75 to about 150 lb/ft³;

or

e. the specific gravity of the well treatment composite is less than or equal to 3.75 g/cc.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shaped compressed pellet is spherical.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the well treatment composite contains between from about 1 to about 50 weight percent of the well treatment agent.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the calcined porous metal oxide further contains silica.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the well treatment agent is selected from the group consisting of scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, paraffin inhibitors, salt inhibitors, gas hydrate inhibitors, asphaltene inhibitors, oxygen scavengers, hydrogen sulfide scavengers, water soluble tracers, oil soluble tracers, biocides, foaming agent, emulsion breakers and surfactants and mixtures thereof.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the well treatment agent is a scale inhibitor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the porous metal oxide subjected to calcination in (a)(i) is alumina.

9. The method of claim 1, where the well treatment agent is released from the calcined porous metal oxide at a constant rate over an extended period of time into formation fluid within the well or the subterranean formation penetrated by the well.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising introducing the well treatment agent into the well after at least a portion of the well treatment agent on the composite has been depleted in order to recharge or reactivate the calcined porous metal oxide of the well treatment composite.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following conditions prevail:

(a) the shaped compressed pellet is directly dropped into the well from the well head;

(b) the shaped compressed pellet is directly dropped into the production tubing within the well;

or

(c) the shaped compressed pellet is introduced into the well in a receptacle and further wherein the receptacle is suspended in the well to a targeted area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the shaped compressed pellet is introduced into the well in a receptacle suspended at the bottom of the well by a wireline.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the shaped compressed pellet is introduced into the well in a receptacle hung to bottom of a rod pump.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the well is a horizontal or deviated well.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the well is a deviated well and wherein the deviations in the well are between from 45°

to about 89°

or wherein the deviations in the well are S-shaped.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of binder added to the composite to form the compressed pellet is from about 0.5 to about 50 percent based on the total weight of the binder and composite prior to compression.

17. A method of inhibiting or controlling the rate of release of a well treatment agent in a well comprising:

(a) placing into a receptacle a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and a composite of a well treatment agent adsorbed onto a water-insoluble adsorbent or into interstitial spaces of the adsorbent;

the shaped compressed pellet prepared by (i) adsorbing the well treatment agent onto the water-insoluble adsorbent or into the interstitial spaces of a porous metal oxide to form the well treatment composite, (iii) adding a binder to the well treatment composite, and then (iv) compressing the binder and well treatment composite into a desired shape; and

(b) affixing the receptacle to the bottom of a bottom hole electric submersible pump by hanging the receptacle from the bottom of the bottom hole electric submersible pump;

(c) lowering the bottom hole electric submersible pump with the affixed receptacle into the well; and

(d) continuously releasing the well treatment agent from the water-insoluble adsorbent.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the composite comprises a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and a well treatment composite, the well treatment composite comprising a well treatment agent and calcined porous metal oxide wherein the porosity and permeability of the calcined porous metal oxide is such that the well treatment agent is adsorbed onto the porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the porous metal oxide.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the well treatment agent is a scale inhibitor.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the adsorbent is diatomaceous earth.

21. A method of inhibiting or controlling the formation of unwanted deposits in a deviated well by:

(a) introducing into tubing in the well a shaped compressed pellet of a binder and a well treatment composite comprising a well treatment agent and calcined porous metal oxide wherein the porosity and permeability of the calcined porous metal oxide is such that the well treatment agent is adsorbed onto the calcined porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the calcined porous metal oxide and wherein the shaped compressed pellet is produced by (i) preparing a well treatment composite by adsorbing onto the calcined porous metal oxide or into the interstitial spaces of the calcined porous metal oxide the well treatment agent;

(ii) mixing the well treatment composite with a binder; and

(iii) compressing the well treatment composite and binder;

(b) flowing the shaped compressed pellet over obstructions within the tubing and deviations in the well into a targeted area in the well where unwanted deposits are undesired; and

(c) continuously releasing the well treatment agent from the shaped compressed pellet into the targeted area.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the shaped compressed pellet is spherical.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the well treatment agent is a scale inhibitor.