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US 9,175,208 B2Granted
Compositions and methods for breaking hydraulic fracturing fluids
OwnerJoseph E. Thompson, Sr., Sarkis R. Kakadjian +2inventors
InventorsJoseph E. Thompson, Sr., Sarkis R. Kakadjian, Jose L. Garza, Frank Zamora
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Abstract
Breaking compositions are disclosed for controlled breaking of borate cross-linked fracturing fluids, and to method for making and using same, where the composition includes an oxidative component and an ester component.
Claims21
A method for stimulating a formation comprising:
- injecting, into a formation under fracturing condition, a fracturing fluid including:
- an oxidative component including an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chlorite or a plurality of alkali metal chlorites, in the absence or presence of an oxidative additive, and
- an ester component including one ester of a carboxylic acid or a mixture of esters of carboxylic acids,
- where the ester groups are carbyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms,
- where the carboxylic acids have between 2 and 20 carbon atoms where one or more of the carbon atoms can be replaced by an oxygen atom, and
- where a ratio of the oxidative component to the ester component is between about 4:1 and about 20:1 and is adjusted so that a breaking profile of a borate cross-linked fracturing fluid is substantially the same over a temperature range between about 100° F. and about 260° F. and the ratio is decreased as a temperature of the fracturing fluid increases,
- where for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 180° F., the ratio is between about 5:1 and about 8:1,
- where for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 200° F., the ratio is between about 8:1 and about 11:1, and
- wherein for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 220° F., the ratio is between about 11:1 and about 13:1.
6 more elements
A method for fracturing a formation comprising the steps of:
- injecting into a formation a borate cross-linked fracturing fluid comprising a cross-linkable gel, a borate cross-linking agent and an effective amount of a breaking composition,
- where the breaking composition comprises:
- an oxidative component comprising an aqueous solution of an alkali metal chlorite or a plurality of alkali metal chlorites, in the absence or presence of an oxidative additive, and
- an ester component comprising one diester of a dicarboxylic acid or a mixture of diesters of dicarboxylic acids, where the carboxylic acids have between 2 and 20 carbon atoms and the ester groups are carbyl group having 1 or 2 carbon atoms,
- where the effective amount comprises from about 1 gpt to about 20 gpt of the oxidative component and from about 0.1 gpt to about 5 gpt of the ester component,
- where the oxidative additive is selected from the group consisting of an alkali metal chlorate, an alkali metal chloride, and mixtures or combinations thereof, where the alkali metal includes lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and/or cesium, and
- where a ratio of the oxidative component to the ester component is between about 4:1 and about and about 20:1 and is adjusted so that a breaking profile of a borate cross-linked fracturing fluid is substantially the same over a temperature range between about 100° F. and about 260° F. and the ratio is decreased as a temperature of the fracturing fluid increases,
- where for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 180° F., the ratio is between about 5:1 and about 8:1,
- where for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 200° F., the ratio is between about 8:1 and about 11:1, and
- wherein for a borate cross-linked fracturing temperature of about 220° F., the ratio is between about 11:1 and about 13:1.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.