Agents for enhanced degradation of controlled electrolytic material

1. A method for degrading a downhole article, comprising:

introducing a composition comprising a reducing agent of formula 2 into a borehole;

contacting the downhole article with the reducing agent; and

removing, by the reducing agent, a metal from the downhole article to degrade the downhole article,

wherein R 5 is a group selected from a single bond, alkylene, alkyleneoxy, fluoroalkylene, cycloalkylene, heterocycloalkylene, arylene, aralkylene, aryleneoxy, heteroarylene, heteroaralkylene, alkenylene, alkynylene, or amide, and

R 6 is a functional group selected from hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, alkoxy, fluoroalkyl, cycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, cycloalkyloxy, aryl, aralkyl, aryloxy, aralkyloxy, heteroaryl, heteroaralkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, NH 2 , amine, alkyleneamine, aryleneamine, or alkenyleneamine.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metal is selected from aluminum, calcium, californium, cobalt, copper, chromium, gallium, indium, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, palladium, tin, titanium, tungsten, silicon, yttrium, zinc, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the metal from the downhole article comprises reducing the metal by the reducing agent.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises a metal ion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal ions comprise an element selected from Group 1, Group 2, Group 8, Group 9, Group 10, Group 11, Group 12 of the periodic table, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the metal ions are Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ , Co 3+ , Mn 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu + , Cu 2+ , Cr 3+ , Cr 2+ , Zn 2+ , or a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the metal ions are present in the composition from about 0.001 wt. % to about 1 wt. % based on the weight of the composition.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition further comprises brine.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the brine is seawater, produced water, completion brine, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein a salt is present in the brine in an amount from about 0.5 wt. % to about 50 wt. % based on the weight of the composition.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising adjusting, with the reducing agent, the pH of the borehole proximate to the downhole article to a pH of about 4 to about 8.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein downhole article is a packer element, a blowout preventer element, an O-ring, a T-ring, a gasket, a sucker rod seal, a pump shaft seal, a tube seal, a valve seal, a seal for an electrical component, an insulator for an electrical component, a seal for a drilling motor, a seal for a drilling bit, a ball or ball seat in a valve, a flapper valve, a plunger in a solenoid, degradable cement, or degradable proppant.

13. A composition for degrading a downhole article, comprising:

water;

a reducing agent comprising ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, a derivative thereof, a salt thereof, or a combination thereof, and

0.01 wt. % to 0.25 wt. % of a metal ion selected from Co 3+ , Mn 2+ , Ni 2+ , Cu + , Cu 2+ , Cr 3+ , Cr 2+ , Zn 2+ , or a combination thereof, based on the weight of the composition,

wherein the composition is free of acid except for the reducing agent, an acid produced from the reducing agent, or a combination thereof.

14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the composition further comprises a non-ionic or cationic surfactant.