摘要:
A scale dissolver fluid for dissolving scale in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprises an effective amount of a scale dissolver formulation and an effective amount of a surfactant for controlling the viscosity of the fluid. In use, formation hydrocarbons act on the surfactant to reduce the viscosity of the fluid so that the fluid selectively invades a hydrocarbon-bearing zone of the formation.
摘要:
A scale dissolver fluid for dissolving scale in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprises an effective amount of a scale dissolver formulation and an effective amount of a surfactant for controlling the viscosity of the fluid. In use, formation hydrocarbons act on the surfactant to reduce the viscosity of the fluid so that the fluid selectively invades a hydrocarbon-bearing zone of the formation.
摘要:
Methods and compositions are disclosed for controlled addition of components that decrease the viscosity of the viscoelastic surfactant fluids or for controlled changes in the electrolyte concentration or composition of the viscoelastic surfactant fluids. One aspect of the invention relates to the use of internal breakers with a delayed activation. Another aspect of the invention relates to the use of precursors that release a breaking system such as alcohol by a process such as melting, slow dissolution, reaction with a compound present in the fluid or added to the fluid during or after the step of injecting, rupture of an encapsulating coating and de-adsorption of a breaking agent absorbed into solid particles. In another aspect of the invention, alcohols are included in a pad to reduce the low-shear viscosity and reduce the resistance to flow of the treatment fluids during a desired phase of the treatment.
摘要:
There is disclosed a method of separating a mixture (e.g. dispersion) of oil and water into oil-rich and water-rich phases, the method comprising the steps: (i) selecting a mixture which comprises oil recovered from a subterranean formation and a treatment formulation, wherein said treatment formulation was added to the oil in order to facilitate its recovery and/or mobility, wherein said treatment formulation has an Interfacial Tension (IFT), measured against a sample of said oil in the range 2 to 20 mN/m; (ii) directing said mixture to a separation means; and (iii) in the absence of a chemical demulsifier, heating the mixture until separation is effected at least partially under gravity. Preferably the IFT is in the range 9 to 12 mN/m. The mixture of oil and water may be formed by treating oil in a subterranean formation.
摘要:
Fracturing of a subterranean formation may be achieved using a hydrogel. A preferred gel is formed from a gel precursor formulation which comprises an aqueous formulation of poly(1,4-di(4-(N-methylpyridinyl))-2,3-di(4-(1-formylphenyl)butylidene), poly (vinyl alcohol) and a suitable proppant, in the presence of an acid catalyst. The gel may be prepared at the surface with a viscosity of greater than 200 cp measured at 100 s−1 and then injected into the subterranean formation under high pressure to fracture the formation.
摘要:
In the rotary drilling of oil wells a drilling mud is used both to transport the cuttings up to the surface and to impose an hydrostatic pressure on the walls of the borehole. For these functions the mud must for example have an acceptable viscosity and density. It is therefore important to monitor the characteristics of the mud, and to keep them within certain limits. Only recently, however, has drilling practice recognized the importance of monitoring the mud's ionic composition. The various techniques proposed involve separation of the mud into liquid and solid portions, and analysis of these. Though they have proven useful, yet there are a number of problems. For example, the separation has not always been easy, and the available techniques often may not satisfactorily remove the fines. The invention suggests that these two problems, at least, can be overcome by the relatively simple expedient of first acidifying the mud sample, for acidification both causes the mud particles to flocculate, and so be more easily separated off, and causes the active fines to dissolve. In a preferred embodiment hydrobromic acid is employed, together with tetramethylammonium bromide (a displacement agent enabling the mud solid's Cationic Exchange Capacity to be measured), the separation is by filtration, and the analysis is by ion chromatography--and the results are fed into a computer model that then calculates the original mud components.
摘要:
A treatment formulation for use in enhanced oil recovery is described which includes a dispersing polymer which may be a partly hydrolyzed polyvinyl alcohol and a displacing polymer which may be a partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide.
摘要:
A method of treating crude oil which comprises contacting the oil with a treatment fluid formulation comprising a polymeric material which comprises vinylalcohol repeat units, wherein said polymeric material is of a type which has a weight average molecular weight in the range 5,000 to 50,000 and/or wherein the viscosity of a 4 wt % aqueous solution of the polymeric material at 2° C. is in the range 1.5-7 cP. The oil may be contacted with the treatment fluid formulation underground by, for example, injection of the fluid formulation into an injection well or production well and the mobility of the oil contacted thereby is significantly improved.
摘要:
An oil well includes a wellbore (2), below ground level (4), which extends to an oil reservoir (6). The wellbore includes a casing (8) within which is arranged a progressing cavity pump (PCP) 10 which includes an inlet (12) at its lower end and is connected at its upper end to production tube (14). An annulus (16) is defined between the pump (10)/tube (14) and the casing (8). The annulus communicates with the reservoir and includes a head (20) of reservoir fluid. A water based formulation which comprises an optionally cross-linked polyvinylalcohol can be poured down the annulus (16) and pass under gravity to the reservoir (6), immediately upstream of inlet (12). The formulation may improve the performance and efficiency of the pump (10) due to its ability to increase the mobility of the oil in the reservoir immediately upstream of the pump (10) and/or enhance the ability of the oil to enter the pump inlet. Furthermore, by improving mobility and/or reducing the level of back pressure when the oil enters the pump inlet (or any other constriction) the rate of flow of oil from the reservoir into the wellbore may be increased resulting in an increased rate of oil production.
摘要:
Method of improving performance or efficiency of a wellbore pump associated with a wellbore and/or for increasing the rate of production of reservoir fluid from a reservoir, in which a wellbore pump is arranged to pump wellbore fluid within the wellbore to a surface. The method includes (a) selecting a wellbore which includes an associated wellbore pump associated with a production tube and arranged within a casing. An annulus is defined between the casing and the pump/production tube, the annulus including reservoir fluid which has a hydrostatic head which is at least 15 m above the level of an inlet of the wellbore pump, and (b) contacting a reservoir fluid in the annulus upstream of an inlet of the wellbore pump with a treatment formulation. The treatment formulation has a first polymeric material which includes —O— moieties pendent from a polymeric backbone thereof, and the first polymeric material is optionally cross-linked.