Hybrid stationary loss circulation cake activated in-situ
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorFaramak Almassi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for sealing a loss circulation zone of a subterranean well includes delivering a loss circulation product into a wellbore of the subterranean well. The loss circulation product has a solvent, a fibrous material, and a first reactant. The fibrous material traps the first reactant to form a porous cake across a fracture of the loss circulation zone. A second reactant is delivered into the wellbore of the subterranean well, the second reactant passes through the porous cake and reacts with the first reactant, reducing a porosity of the porous cake across the fracture so that the loss circulation product seals the loss circulation zone.
Claims19
A method for sealing a loss circulation zone of a subterranean well, the method including:
- delivering a loss circulation product into a wellbore of the subterranean well, where the loss circulation product has:
- a non-aqueous solvent;
- a fibrous material;
- and
- a first reactant that is a granular starch that is non-pregelatinzed;
- where
- the fibrous material traps the first reactant to form a porous cake across a fracture of the loss circulation zone;
- and
- delivering a second reactant that includes water into the wellbore of the subterranean well, the second reactant passing through the porous cake and reacting with the first reactant, gelatinizing the granular starch and reducing a porosity of the porous cake across the fracture to form a loss circulation sealant that is a malleable solid mass, the loss circulation sealant being squeezed into the fracture so that the loss circulation product seals the loss circulation zone.
A method for sealing a loss circulation zone of a subterranean well, the method including:
- delivering a loss circulation product into a wellbore of the subterranean well, where the loss circulation product has:
- a non-aqueous solvent;
- a fibrous material;
- and
- a starch binder that is a granular starch that is non-pregelatinzed;
- where
- the fibrous material traps the starch binder to form a porous cake across a fracture of the loss circulation zone;
- the non-aqueous solvent prevents the gelatinization of the starch binder as the loss circulation product is being delivered into the wellbore;
- and
- delivering an activator into the wellbore of the subterranean well, the activator including water and passing through the porous cake so that the water reacts with the starch binder such that the starch binder gelatinizes and reduces a porosity of the porous cake to form a loss circulation sealant, the loss circulation sealant being a malleable solid mass that is squeezed into the fracture by a pressure differential between the wellbore and the loss circulation zone to seal the loss circulation zone.
A system for sealing a loss circulation zone of a subterranean well, the system including:
- a porous cake formed across a fracture of the loss circulation zone of a wellbore, the porous cake formed by a loss circulation product having:
- a non-aqueous solvent;
- a fibrous material;
- and
- a first reactant that is a granular starch that is non-pregelatinzed, where the fibrous material is operable to trap the first reactant to form the porous cake;
- a second reactant that includes water, selected to react with the first reactant to gelatinize the granular starch as the second reactant passed through the porous cake, such that porosity of the porous cake across the fracture is reduced to form a loss circulation sealant that is a malleable solid mass, the loss circulation sealant being squeezed into the fracture, sealing the loss circulation zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.