Environmentally friendly stimulation fluids, processes to create wormholes in carbonate reservoirs, and processes to remove wellbore damage in carbonate reservoirs
View Patent ↗The present invention includes processes to create wormholes in carbonate reservoirs by contacting a formation with a solution comprising glutamic acid N,N-diacetic acid (GLDA) and/or a salt thereof, methylglycine-N,N-diacetic acid (MGDA) and/or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof. The present invention also includes processes to remove wellbore damage in a carbonate reservoir by contacting a damaged zone of the carbonate reservoir with a solution comprising GLDA and/or a salt thereof, methylglycine-N,N-diacetic acid (MGDA) and/or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof. The present invention further includes solutions comprising a salt and further comprising GLDA and/or a salt thereof, methylglycine-N,N-diacetic acid (MGDA) and/or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof.
1. Process to create wormholes in a carbonate reservoir formation by contacting the carbonate reservoir formation with a solution having a pH less than 6, said solution comprising (i) a wormhole-forming agent, said wormhole forming agent consisting essentially of a chelating agent selected from the group consisting of glutamic acid N,N-diacetic acid (GLDA) and/or a salt thereof, methylglycine-N,N-diacetic acid (MGDA) and/or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof, and (ii) a salt other than a salt of either GLDA or MGDA, whereby at least one wormhole is created in said carbonate reservoir formation; wherein the solution is an aqueous solution of about 10 to about 30 wt. % of GLDA and/or a salt thereof, MGDA and/or a salt thereof, or a combination thereof.
2. Process of claim 1 , wherein the salt other than a salt of either GLDA or MGDA comprises a chloride salt, a formate salt, a bromide salt, or a combination thereof.
3. Process of claim 1 , wherein the pH of the solution is about 3 to about 5.
4. Process of claim 1 , wherein the solution is injected into the carbonate reservoir at an injection rate of about 0.25 to about 5 barrels/min.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein said wormhole forming agent consists of said chelating agent.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein said chelating agent is selected from the group consisting of GLDA, salts of GLDA, and combinations thereof.