Thermal insulating fluids
AssigneeTetra Technologies, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey McKennis, Marshall Chiasson, Mohammad Hossaini, Nam-Sook Bae
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Abstract
Aqueous and substantially anhydrous fluids having particularly low thermal conductivities and variable densities are disclosed. The fluids include: one or more organic and/or inorganic salts and at least one aprotic polar organic solvent, a mixture of aprotic and protic polar organic solvents, and/or a polar organic solvent having both protic and aprotic polar functional group linkages. The fluids optionally include one or more viscosifying agents and are free of cross-linking agents. Methods for formulating and using the fluids are also disclosed.
Claims22
A fluid formulated to have low thermal conductivity, the fluid comprising a mixture of
- one or more salts selected from the group consisting of:
- an inorganic salt, an organic salt, and mixtures thereof;
- and
- one or more aprotic polar organic solvents and one or more protic polar solvents, wherein the aprotic polar organic solvents comprises about 20% to about 80% of the mixture of aprotic polar organic solvents and one or more protic polar organic solvents such that the ratio of the concentration of the aprotic polar solvents to the concentration of protic polar organic solvents in the mixture is in the range of about 1:4 to about 4:1 in order to lower the thermal conductivity of the mixture,
- the one or more salts are added in amounts sufficient to maintain the density of the fluid between about 9.0 lb/gal to about 18.0 lb/gal, and
- wherein the fluid is devoid of an amine solvent additive.
A fluid formulated to have low thermal conductivity, the fluid comprising a mixture of:
- one or more salts selected from the group consisting of:
- an inorganic salt, an organic salt, and mixtures thereof;
- and
- one or more aprotic polar organic solvents and one or more protic polar solvents, wherein the aprotic polar organic solvents comprise about 20% to about 80% of the mixture of aprotic polar organic solvents and one or more protic polar organic solvents such that the ratio of the concentration of the aprotic polar solvents to the concentration of protic polar organic solvents in the mixture is in the range of about 1:4 to about 4:1 to lower the thermal conductivity of the mixture,
- wherein the fluid is devoid of an amine solvent additive, and
- wherein the fluid further comprises one or more viscosifying agents.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.