Method of inhibiting fouling on a metallic surface using a surface modifying treatment agent
AssigneeBaker Hughes Incorporated
InventorsTerry D. Monroe, Naima Bestaoui-Spurr, Sumit Bhaduri, Qi Qu
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Abstract
Fouling caused by contaminants onto a metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel in an underground reservoir or extending from or to an underground reservoir may be inhibited by applying onto the surface of the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel a treatment agent comprising a hydrophobic tail and an anchor. The anchor attaches the treatment agent onto the surface of the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel.
Claims37
A method of inhibiting fouling caused by contaminants onto a metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel in an underground reservoir or extending from or to an underground reservoir, the method comprising:
- (a) introducing onto a metal oxide on the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel a surface modifying treatment agent comprising an anchor and a hydrophobic tail;
- (b) attaching the anchor onto at least a portion of the metal oxide;
- and
- (a) inhibiting fouling from a fluid onto the tubular, flow conduit or vessel by exposing the fluid to the hydrophobic tail.
The method of claim 21, wherein R″ is aliphatic or aromatic substituent substituted with a perfluorinated alkyl group or a perfluorinated alkylene ether group.
The method of claim 22, wherein the perfluoroalkylene ether group of Rf is of the structure:
- where A is an oxygen radical or a chemical bond;
- n is 1 to 20;
- Y is H, F, CnH2n+1 or CnF2n+1;
- b is at least 1;
- m is 0 to 50;
- p is 1 to 20;
- and X is H, F or an acid group or an acid derivative.
The method of claim 21, wherein the perfluorinated alkyl group is of the structure:
- where Y is F or CnF2n+1 and m is 4 to 20.
The method of claim 17, wherein R or R′ contains a terminal or omega functional groups.
The method of claim 26, wherein the terminal or omega functional group is selected from the group consisting of carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, imino, amido, thio, cyano, sulfonate, carbonate, phosphonic acid or a mixture thereof.
The method of 3, wherein the metal of the anchor is a Group 3, 4, 5, or 6 metal.
A method of inhibiting the deposition of contaminants onto a metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel in a well or extending from or to a well, the method comprising:
- (a) applying a primer onto at least a portion of the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel and forming a coating from the primer on at least a portion of the surface of the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel;
- (b) applying onto the coating a surface modifying treatment agent having an anchor and a hydrophobic tail wherein a reactive site for the anchor is on the coating;
- (c) attaching the anchor of the surface modifying treatment agent onto at least a portion of the reactive site;
- and
- (d) inhibiting the deposition of contaminants from a fluid onto the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel by exposing the fluid to the hydrophobic tail.
A method of inhibiting the deposition of scales, rust, paraffin, asphaltenes, salts, bacteria or mixtures thereof onto a metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel in a well or extending from or to a well wherein the metallic tubular, flow conduit or vessel is composed of alloy steel or carbon steel and wherein the alloy steel or carbon steel is treated with a primer to impart reactive functional groups onto its surface, the method comprising:
- (a) pumping into a well a fluid comprising a surface modifying treatment agent comprising an anchor and a hydrophobic tail, wherein the anchor binds to a reactive functional group on the alloy steel or carbon steel and further wherein the hydrophobic tail is not directly attached to the alloy steel or carbon steel;
- and
- (b) inhibiting the deposition of contaminants onto the metallic well tubular surface by exposing the hydrophobic tail of the surface modifying treatment agent to fluids containing the contaminants.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.