| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20080202744 | Methods and Compositions for Fracturing Subterranean Formations - Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) gelled aqueous fluids containing water, a VES, an internal breaker, a VES stabilizer, a fluid loss control agent and a viscosity enhancer are useful as treating fluids and particularly as fracturing fluids for subterranean formations. These VES-based fluids have faster and more complete clean-up than polymer-based fracturing fluids. The use of an internal breaker permits ready removal of the unique VES micelle based pseudo-filter cake with several advantages including reducing the typical VES loading and total fluid volume since more VES fluid stays within the fracture, generating a more optimum fracture geometry for enhanced reservoir productivity, and treating reservoirs with permeability above the present VES limit of approximately 400 md to at least 2000 md. | 08-28-2008 |
| 20080248978 | Compositions and Methods for Water and Gas Shut-Off in Subterranean Wells With VES Fluids - Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) based fluid systems for zone isolation and flow control are effective in water and/or gas shutoff applications. The fluid systems may include brine, a viscosity enhancer, as well as the VES, and optionally a stabilizer for high temperature applications. The stabilizer may be an alkali earth metal oxide, alkali earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxide, alkali metal hydroxide, Al | 10-09-2008 |
| 20090107673 | Nano-Sized Particle-Coated Proppants for Formation Fines Fixation in Proppant Packs - A fracturing fluid, gravel pack fluid and/or frac pack fluid containing particles such as proppants, gravel and/or sand, may contain an effective amount of a nano-sized particulate additive to fixate or reduce fines migration, where the particulate additive is an alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides piezoelectric crystals and pyroelectric crystals. The nano-sized particulate additive is bound to the particles with a coating agent such as an oil. The particle size of the magnesium oxide or other agent may be nanometer scale, which scale may provide unique particle charges that help fixate the formation fines. The carrier fluid used in the treating fluid may be aqueous, brine, alcoholic or hydrocarbon-based. | 04-30-2009 |
| 20090312201 | Nano-Sized Particles for Formation Fines Fixation - A treating fluid may contain an effective amount of a particulate additive to fixate or reduce fines migration, where the particulate additive is an alkaline earth metal oxide alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides piezoelectric crystals and pyroelectric crystals. The particle size of the magnesium oxide or other agent may be nanometer scale, which scale may provide unique particle charges that help fixate the formation fines. These treating fluids may be used as treatment fluids for subterranean hydrocarbon formations, such as in hydraulic fracturing, completion fluids, gravel packing fluids and fluid loss pills. The carrier fluid used in the treating fluid may be aqueous, brine, alcoholic or hydrocarbon-based. | 12-17-2009 |
| 20100071957 | Drill-In Fluids For Oil and Gas Reservoirs With High Carbonate Contents - Compositions Including Relatively Low Reactivity Acids, Mixed with viscoelastic surfactants (VESs) and internal breakers may serve as drill-in fluids to open underground hydrocarbon reservoirs with carbonate contents of 10 wt % or above. The drill-in fluids have low viscosities in the drilling pipe. After the fluid flows out of the drill bit, the acids react with carbonates in the formation thereby increasing the pH of the drill-in fluids causing the VES to gel the fluid at the bottom of the hole and the downhole annulus between the drilling pipe and the formation rock. The viscosified drill-in fluid will reduce fluid loss and will carry no dissolved drilling debris to the surface. After drilling through the targeted formation, the internal breakers in the viscosified drill-in fluids will break down the fluids to permit their removal, and the well is ready to produce with very little or no near well bore damage. | 03-25-2010 |
| 20100261622 | Methods and Compositions for Fracturing Subterranean Formations - Viscoelastic surfactant (VES) gelled aqueous fluids containing water, a VES, an internal breaker, a VES stabilizer, a fluid loss control agent and a viscosity enhancer are useful as treating fluids and particularly as fracturing fluids for subterranean formations. These VES-based fluids have faster and more complete clean-up than polymer-based fracturing fluids. The use of an internal breaker permits ready removal of the unique VES micelle based pseudo-filter cake with several advantages including reducing the typical VES loading and total fluid volume since more VES fluid stays within the fracture, generating a more optimum fracture geometry for enhanced reservoir productivity, and treating reservoirs with permeability above the present VES limit of approximately 400 md to at least 2000 md. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100286000 | Nano-Sized Particle-Coated Proppants for Formation Fines Fixation in Proppant Packs - A fracturing fluid, gravel pack fluid and/or frac pack fluid containing particles such as proppants, gravel and/.or sand, may contain an effective amount of a nano-sized particulate additive to fixate or reduce fines migration, where the particulate additive is an alkaline earth metal oxide, alkaline earth metal hydroxide, alkali metal oxides, alkali metal hydroxides transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides piezoelectric crystals and pyroelectric crystals. The nano-sized particulate additive is optionally bound to the particles with a coating agent such as an oil, alcohol, glycol, glycol ethers, ketones, terpenes, etc. The particle size of the magnesium oxide or other agent may be nanometer scale but may be a larger scale than nanometer but still relatively small, which scale may provide unique particle charges that help fixate the formation fines. The carrier fluid used in the treating fluid may be aqueous, brine, alcoholic or hydrocarbon-based. | 11-11-2010 |
| 20110098377 | Method of Controlling Water Production Through Treating Proppants With RPMS - Water production from a subterranean formation is inhibited or controlled by pumping a fluid containing coated particles through a wellbore into the formation. The particles have been previously coated with a relative permeability modifier (RPM). Upon contact with water, the RPM coating expands or swells and inhibits and controls the production of water. The RPM may be a water hydrolyzable polymer having a weight average molecular weight greater than 100,000. The particles may be conventional proppants or gravel. | 04-28-2011 |
