Gellable treatment fluids with clay-based gel retarders and related methods
Clay-based retarders may be useful in delaying the gel time of a gellable treatment fluid and, consequently, subterranean operations. For example, a method may involve providing a gellable treatment fluid comprising: an aqueous base fluid; a base polymer comprising an acrylamide monomer unit; a polymeric organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethyleneimine, polyvinylamine, chitosan, any derivative thereof, any salt thereof, and any combination thereof; and a clay-based gel retarder; introducing the gellable treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and forming a gel with the gellable treatment fluid in at least a portion of the wellbore, at least a portion of the subterranean formation, or both. In some instances, producing the gellable treatment fluid may involve not pre-hydrating the clay-based gel retarder. In some instances, the gellable treatment fluid may not be thixotropic or pseudoplastic before introduction into the wellbore.
1. A method comprising:
providing a gellable treatment fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid;
a base polymer;
a polymeric organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer; and
a clay-based gel retarder comprising a plurality of clay platelets, wherein the platelets have at least one surface that has been treated with a surface activity modifier that comprises one selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate, an alkaline lignosulfate, an amino alkylene phosphonate, propylene carbonate, and any combination thereof,
wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a laponite, a modified laponite, and combination thereof, wherein the clay-based gel retarder is used in aggregate, not pre-hydrated, form and wherein the base polymer comprises a copolymer of acrylamide and t-butyl acrylate and the crosslinkable polymer is polyethyleneimine;
introducing the gellable treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and
forming a gel with the gellable treatment fluid in at least a portion of the wellbore, at least a portion of the subterranean formation, or both.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the gellable treatment fluid involves concurrently combining the aqueous base fluid, the base polymer, the polymeric organic crosslinking agent, and a dry form of the clay-based gel retarder.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises a plurality of clay platelets having an average diameter of about 10 nm to about 100 nm and an average thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 2 nm.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises aggregates of a plurality of clay platelets having an average diameter of about 100 nm to about 2000 nm.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gellable treatment fluid further comprises a clay-activator.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clay-based gel retarder is present in the gellable treatment fluid in an amount of about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the aqueous base fluid.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base polymer is present in the gellable treatment fluid in an amount of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the aqueous base fluid.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric organic crosslinking agent is present in the gellable treatment fluid in an amount of about 0.1% to about 5% by weight of the aqueous base fluid.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the base polymer and the polymeric organic crosslinking agent are at a relative weight ratio of about 1:2 to about 50:1.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
infiltrating a porous matrix of the subterranean formation with at least a portion of the gellable treatment fluid; and
forming the gel in at least a portion of the porous matrix of the subterranean formation with the gellable treatment fluid.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the gel is in an annulus within the wellbore.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the gel is in a gravel pack, and wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises a plurality of clay platelets having an average diameter of about 10 nm to about 100 nm and an average thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 2 nm.
13. A system comprising:
a pump fluidly coupled to a tubular that penetrates a subterranean formation,
wherein the tubular contains a gellable treatment fluid that comprises
an aqueous base fluid;
a base polymer;
a polymeric organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer; and
a clay-based gel retarder comprising a plurality of clay platelets, wherein the platelets have at least one surface that has been treated with a surface activity modifier that comprises one selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate, an alkaline lignosulfate, an amino alkylene phosphonate, propylene carbonate, and any combination thereof;
wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a laponite, a modified laponite, and combination thereof, wherein the clay-based gel retarder is used in aggregate, not pre-hydrated, form and wherein the base polymer comprises a copolymer of acrylamide and t-butyl acrylate and the crosslinkable polymer is polyethyleneimine.
14. A method comprising:
providing a gellable treatment fluid comprising:
an aqueous base fluid;
a base polymer;
a polymeric organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer; and
a clay-based gel retarder that comprises a plurality of clay platelets having an average diameter of about 10 nm to about 100 nm and an average thickness of about 0.5 nm to about 2 nm and, wherein the platelets have at least one surface that has been treated with a surface activity modifier that comprises one selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate, an alkaline lignosulfate, an amino alkylene phosphonate, propylene carbonate, and any combination thereof;
wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a laponite, a modified laponite, and combination thereof, wherein the clay-based gel retarder is used in aggregate, not pre-hydrated, form and wherein the base polymer comprises a copolymer of acrylamide and t-butyl acrylate and the crosslinkable polymer is polyethyleneimine;
introducing the gellable treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation, the subterranean formation comprising a porous matrix;
infiltrating at least a portion of the porous matrix of the subterranean formation with the gellable treatment fluid; and
forming a gel in the porous matrix of the subterranean formation with the gellable treatment fluid.
15. A method comprising:
providing a gellable treatment fluid by concurrently combining an aqueous base fluid, a base polymer, a polymeric organic crosslinking agent comprising a crosslinkable polymer, and a dry form of a clay-based gel retarder,
wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises (1) at least one selected from the group consisting of a laponite, a modified laponite, a natural hectorite, a montmorillonite, a sapiolite, and any combination thereof and (2) a plurality of clay platelets, wherein the platelets have at least one surface that has been treated with a surface activity modifier that comprises one selected from the group consisting of sodium silicate, an alkaline lignosulfate, an amino alkylene phosphonate, propylene carbonate, and any combination thereof;
wherein the clay-based gel retarder comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a laponite, a modified laponite, and combination thereof, wherein the clay-based gel retarder is used in aggregate, not pre-hydrated, form and wherein the base polymer comprises a copolymer of acrylamide and t-butyl acrylate and the crosslinkable polymer is polyethyleneimine;
introducing the gellable treatment fluid into a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; and
forming a gel with the gellable treatment fluid in at least a portion of the wellbore, at least a portion of the subterranean formation, or both.