CA2615024A1

CA2615024A1 - Non-phosphorus-based gellant for hydrocarbon fluids

Info

Publication number: CA2615024A1
Application number: CA 2615024
Authority: CA
Inventors: Clayton Smith; Simon Jm Levey
Original assignee: Innovative Chemical Technologies Canada Ltd
Current assignee: Weatherford Engineered Chemistry Canada Ltd
Priority date: 2006-12-14
Filing date: 2007-12-14
Publication date: 2008-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 2027-12-14
Also published as: CA2615024C

Abstract

A substantially liquid gellant formed as one or more reaction products of a metal carboxylate or metal carboxylate amine salt, one or more organic acids, an ester which drives the reaction so that the reaction products are asymmetrical in structure, and a rheology modifier which preferentially interacts between the reaction products for prevent solidifying of the gellant reaction products until such time as the gellant is mixed with the fracturing fluid containing an activator after which the reaction products preferentially interact with the activator to gel the fracturing fluid. The resulting gellant is capable of gelling a hydrocarbon base fluid in less than about 30 seconds.

Claims

1. A substantially liquid non-phosphorus gellant for gelling a fracturing fluid comprising:

one or more reaction products resulting from the reaction of, a metal salt, being a metal carboxylate salt or metal carboxylate amine salt having carboxylate groups ranging from about C5 to about C54;

one or more organic acids; and an ester, the ester selected to match at least a smaller carboxylate group on the metal carboxylate salt or metal carboxylate amine salt; and an effective amount of a rheology modifier sufficient to preferentially interact with the one or more reaction products for preventing interaction between the one or more reaction products so as to substantially prevent solidifying of the one or more reaction products until such time as the substantially liquid gellant is mixed in the fracturing fluid in which an activator is present;

wherein the one or more reaction products are substantially asymmetrical in structure.

2. The gellant of claim 1 wherein the one or more substantially asymmetrical reaction products comprise one or more of the following structures:
wherein x is from about 5 to about 54; and wherein M is a multivalent metal.

3. The gellant of claim 2 wherein x is from about 6 to about 18.

4. The gellant of claim 2 or 3 wherein the multivalent metal further comprises mixtures of multivalent metals, an oxo-metal or a metal alkoxide complexed to a fatty acid or mixtures thereof.

5. The gellant of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the rheology modifier is a primary amine.

6. The gellant of any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the rheology modifier is formic acid.

7. The gellant of any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein the one or more reaction products are formed at a temperature of about 60°C.

8. The gellant of claim 1 wherein the metal salt is oxoaluminum acylate;

the ester is isopropyl hexanoate ester; and the one or more organic acids are a fatty acid having from about C6 to about C18 and 2-ethylhexanoic acid; and wherein the one or more reaction products are a mixture of an aluminum di-2-ethyl hexanoate-fatty acid ester complex and hydroxyl aluminum di-2-ethyl hexanoate.

9. The gellant of claim 8 wherein the fatty acid is tallow fatty acid.

10. The gellant of claim 8 wherein the fatty acid is lauric acid.

11. Use of the one or more reaction products according to any one of claims 1 to 10 for gelling a hydrocarbon fluid.

12. A hydrocarbon fracturing fluid comprising:
a hydrocarbon base fluid;

a gellant comprising one or more asymmetrical reaction products formed from the reaction of a metal salt, being a metal carboxylate salt or metal carboxylate amine salt having carboxylate groups ranging from about C5 to about C54;

one or more organic acids;

an ester, the ester selected to match at least a smaller carboxylate group on the metal carboxylate salt or metal carboxylate amine salt; and an effective amount of a rheology modifier sufficient to preferentially interact with the one or more reaction products for preventing interaction between the one or more reaction products so as to substantially prevent solidifying of the one or more reaction products; and an effective amount of one or more activators for preferentially interacting between the one or more reaction products for promoting gelling of the hydrocarbon fluid, wherein the gellant causes the hydrocarbon fluid to gel in less than about 30 seconds.

13. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 12 wherein at least one of the one or more activators are polar solvents.

14. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 12 wherein at least one of the one or more activators is a dimer fatty acid.

15. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 14 wherein the dimer fatty acid is a C36 dimer fatty acid.

16. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 12 wherein the one or more activators are a dimer fatty acid and water.

17. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 14 wherein the dimer fatty acid is added in an amount of less than about 5% by volume.

18. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 14 wherein the dimer fatty acid is added in an amount of less than about 1% by volume.

19. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of any one of claims 12 to 18 wherein the gellant is added to the hydrocarbon fluid at less than about 15%
by volume.

20. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of any one of claims 12 to 18 wherein the gellant is added to the hydrocarbon fluid at less than about 10%
by volume.

21. The hydrocarbon fracturing fluid of claim 12 wherein one or more asymmetrical reaction products formed from the reaction of oxoaluminum acylate;
isopropyl hexanoate ester;

C6 to about C18 fatty acid; and 2-ethylhexanoic acid, wherein the one or more reaction products are a mixture of an aluminum di-2-ethyl hexanoate-fatty acid ester complex and hydroxyl aluminum di-2-ethyl hexanoate.