# US 2019/0375975 A1 · Betaines for Shale Stabilization

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- Number: US 2019/0375975 A1
- Document ID: US20190375975A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/549,908
- Filed: 2019-08-23
- Published: 2019-12-12
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-06
- Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.
- Inventors: Maria Celeste Rellamas Tria; Catherine Martin Santos
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190375975A1

## CPC

- C09K 8/04: Aqueous well-drilling compositions
- E21B 21/01: Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes
- C09K 2208/12: Swell inhibition, i.e. using additives to drilling or well treatment fluids for inhibiting clay or shale swelling or disintegrating
- E21B 21/003: {Means for stopping loss of drilling fluid (plastering the borehole wall E21B33/138)}
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

Included are drilling fluids for drilling in a subterranean formation. A drilling fluid may include: an aqueous base fluid and a betaine shale stabilizer comprising glycine betaine HCl.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A drilling fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid; and
a betaine shale stabilizer comprising glycine betaine HCl.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid comprises the betaine shale stabilizer in an amount in a range of about 0.5 lb/bbl to about 10 lb/bbl.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid comprises the betaine shale stabilizer in an amount in a range of about 2 lb/bbl to about 7 lb/bbl.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the betaine shale stabilizer further comprises at lease one betaine selected from the group consisting of alkyl betaines, amine functionalized betaines, branched betaines, betaine derivatives, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the aqueous base fluid is present in the drilling fluid in an amount in the range of from about 33% to about 100% by weight of the drilling fluid.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the betaine shale stabilizer possesses one property selected from the group consisting of non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, and combinations thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid further comprises a water-swellable shale.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The drilling fluid of claim 1 wherein the drilling fluid further comprises at least one drilling fluid additive selected from the group consisting of non-betaine shale stabilizers, weighting agents, lost-circulation materials, pH buffers, thixotropic additives, defoaming agents, and combinations thereof.