Methods using well drilling fluids having clay control properties
View Patent ↗Clay is stabilized in methods for drilling of wells and other formation treatment for hydrocarbon production by the addition to the drilling or other fluid including a choline compound together with an formation control additive.
1. A method for controlling clay swelling comprising the step of:
drilling a well through a formation including swellable clay with an aqueous drilling fluid consisting essentially of a choline compound and a formation control additive, where the formation control additives including an amine, a cationic formation control additive, or mixtures and combinations thereof.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the choline compound is selected from the group consisting of an alkali salt of choline, a carboxyate salt of choline, choline sulfate, choline sulfite, choline phosphate, choline phosphite, amine borate, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the choline compound is selected from the group consisting of choline fluoride, choline chloride, choline bromide, choline iodide, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the choline compound comprises choline chloride.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amine is selected from the group consisting of di-tri-alkyl substituted amines, tri-alkyl substituted amines, and mixtures or combinations thereof, where the alkyl groups include from 3 to 20 carbon atoms and/or hetero atoms.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic formation control additive is selected from the group consisting of single-site cationic ammonium compounds, oligocationic ammonium compounds, polycationic ammonium compounds, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises tetramethylammonium chloride.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises a homopolymer of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises a copolymer of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride and about 1% to about 65% by weight acrylic acid or hydrolyzed acrylamide.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising potassium formate.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of choline compound to formation control additive is from about 75:25 to about 25:75.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a combined concentration of the formation control additive and the choline compound is at least 0.001% by weight of the well drilling fluid.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the choline compound a carboxyate salt of choline.
14. A method for controlling clay swelling comprising the step of:
drilling a well with a first drilling fluid, and
adding a clay control composition consisting essentially of a choline compound and a formation control additive to the drilling fluid when the drilling fluid is in contact with a formation including swellable clay, where the formation control additives including an amine, a cationic formation control additive, or mixtures and combinations thereof.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the choline compound is selected from the group consisting of an alkali salt of choline, a carboxyate salt of choline, choline sulfate, choline sulfite, choline phosphate, choline phosphite, amine borate, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the choline compound is selected from the group consisting of choline fluoride, choline chloride, choline bromide, choline iodide, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the choline compound comprises choline chloride.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the amine is selected from the group consisting of di-tri-alkyl substituted amines, tri-alkyl substituted amines, and mixtures or combinations thereof, where the alkyl groups include from 3 to 20 carbon atoms and/or hetero atoms.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cationic formation control additive is selected from the group consisting of single-site cationic ammonium compounds, oligocationic ammonium compounds, polycationic ammonium compounds, and mixtures or combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises tetramethylammonium chloride.
21. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises a homopolymer of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride.
22. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cationic formation control additive comprises a copolymer of dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride and about 1% to about 65% by weight acrylic acid or hydrolyzed acrylamide.
23. The method of claim 14 , further comprising potassium formate.
24. The method of claim 14 , wherein a ratio of choline compound to formation control additive is from about 75:25 to about 25:75.
25. The method of claim 14 , wherein a combined concentration of the formation control additive and the choline compound is at least 0.001% by weight of the well drilling fluid.
26. The method of claim 14 , wherein the choline compound a carboxyate salt of choline.