Design of facile technology for the efficient removal of hydroxypropyl guar gum from fracturing fluid

With the increasing demand for energy, fracturing technology is widely used in oilfield operations over the last decades. Typically, fracturing fluids contain various additives such as cross linkers, thickeners and proppants, and so forth, which makes it possess the properties of considerably complicated components and difficult processing procedure. There are still some difficult points needing to be explored and resolved in the hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG) removal process, e.g., high viscosity and removal of macromolecular organic compounds. Our works provided a facile and economical HPG removal technology for fracturing fluids by designing a series of processes including gel-breaking, coagulation and precipitation according to the diffusion double layer theory. After this treatment process, the fracturing fluid can meet the requirements of reinjection, and the whole process was environment friendly without secondary pollution characteristics. In this work, the fracturing fluid were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy technologies, etc. Further, the micro-stabilization and destabilization mechanisms of HPG in fracturing fluid were carefully investigated. This study maybe opens up new perspective for HPG removal technologies, exhibiting a low cost and strong applicability in both fundamental research and practical applications.

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Improved Gelation Performance of an Acidic Low-Polymer Loading Zirconium Cross-Linked CMHPG Fracturing Fluid by Surface Functionalized 1T-Phase Molybdenum Disulfide Nanosheets

10.2118/204308-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kaiyu Zhang ◽

Jirui Hou ◽

Zhuojing Li

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Molybdenum Disulfide ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Mos2 Nanosheets ◽

Fracturing Fluid ◽

X Ray ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Fracturing Fluids ◽

Cross Linker ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum

Abstract The low and ultra-low permeability reservoirs in China, such as the Changqing, Jidong, and Daqing peripheral oil fields, often apply CO2 as a flooding medium to enhance oil recovery. A serial of water-rock interactions will be occurred among the CO2, formation rock, and formation water under the HT/HP conditions. The pH value of the formation will be converted to acidity accordingly. As a side effect, the traditional guar-based fracturing fluids in an alkaline range, such as the borate cross-linked hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG), cannot result in an effective hydrofracturing operation due to the incompatibility. Consequently, developing an acidic fracturing fluid system with a satisfactory performance is an imperative. Acidic fracturing fluids, such as the zirconium cross-linked carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar gum (CMHPG), can protect the formation during the hydrofracturing process from the damage arising from the swelling and migration of the clay particles. However, the shortcomings of the uncontrollable viscosity growth and the irreversible shear-thinning behavior limit the large-scale use of the acidic fracturing fluids. In this work, a novel organic zirconium cross-linker synthesized in the laboratory was applied to control and delay the cross-link reaction under the acidic condition. The ligands coordinated to the zirconium center were the L-lactate and ethylene glycol. The thickener used was the CMHPG at a low loading of 0.3% (approximately 25 pptg). Meanwhile, the surface functionalized metallic phase (1T-phase) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets were employed to improve the rheological performance of the zirconium cross-linked CMHPG fracturing fluid. The modification reagent utilized was the L-cysteine. The morphology, structure, and property of the fabricated functionalized 1T-MoS2 (Cys-1T-MoS2) nanosheets were systematically characterized using the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) measurements. The results of the characterization tests demonstrated a successful functionalization of the 1T-MoS2 nanosheets with L-cysteine. Then, the effects of this new nanosheet-enhanced zirconium cross-linked CMHPG fracturing fluid systems with different cross-linker and nanosheet loadings on gelation performance were systematically assessed employing the Sydansk bottle testing method combined with a rheometer under the controlled-stress or controlled-rate modes. The results indicated that the nanosheet-enhanced fracturing fluid had a desirable delayed property. Compared with the blank fracturing fluid (without nanosheets), the nanosheet-enhanced fracturing fluid had a much better shear-tolerant and shear-recovery performance.

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Understanding the temperature–resistance performance of a borate cross-linked hydroxypropyl guar gum fracturing fluid based on a facile evaluation method

RSC Advances ◽

10.1039/c7ra11687j ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (84) ◽

pp. 53290-53300 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Haiming Fan ◽

Zheng Gong ◽

Zhiyi Wei ◽

Haolin Chen ◽

Haijian Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evaluation Method ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Temperature Tolerance ◽

Fracturing Fluid ◽

Temperature Resistance ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Fracturing Fluids ◽

Resistance Performance ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum

A facile procedure has been proposed to evaluate the temperature–resistance performance of fracturing fluids, which was used to understand the temperature–tolerance performance of a borate cross-linked hydroxypropyl guar gum fracturing fluid.

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Treatment of fracturing fluid waste by Fenton reaction using transition metal complexes catalyzes oxidation of hydroxypropyl guar gum at high pH

Environmental Chemistry Letters ◽

10.1007/s10311-018-0805-9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 559-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ying Tang ◽

Haomiao Ren ◽

Pengwei Yang ◽

Hong Li ◽

Jie Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Transition Metal ◽

Metal Complexes ◽

Transition Metal Complexes ◽

Fenton Reaction ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Fracturing Fluid ◽

High Ph ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum

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Optimizing Seawater Based Fracture Fluids Rheology Utilizing Chelating Agents

10.2118/204684-ms ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Amro Othman ◽

Murtada Saleh Aljawad ◽

Muhammad Shahzad Kamal ◽

Mohamed Mahmoud ◽

Shirish Patil

Keyword(s):

Chelating Agents ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Polymer Concentration ◽

High Viscosity ◽

Fluid Viscosity ◽

Fracturing Fluid ◽

Gulf Region ◽

Low Viscosity ◽

Fracturing Fluids ◽

Ph Level

Abstract Due to the scarcity and high cost of freshwater, especially in the Gulf region, utilization of seawater as a fracturing fluid gained noticeable interest. However, seawater contains high total dissolved solids (TDS) that may damage the formation and degrade the performance of the fracturing fluids. Numerous additives are required to reduce the damaging effect and improve the viscosity resulting in an expensive and non-eco-friendly fracturing fluid system. Chelating agents, which are environmentally benign, are proposed in this study as the replacement of many additives for seawater fracturing fluids. This study focuses on optimizing chelating agents to achieve high viscosity employing the standard industry rheometers. Carboxymethyl Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum (CMHPG) polymer, which is effective in hydraulic fracturing, was used in this research with 0.5 and 1.0 wt% in deionized water (DW) as well as seawater (SW). It was first tested as a standalone additive at different conditions to provide a benchmark then combined with different concentrations, and pH level chelating agents. In this study the hydration test was conducted through different conditions. It was observed that CMHPG, when tested as a standalone additive, provided slightly higher viscosity in SW compared to DW. Also, increasing polymer concentration from 0.5 to 1.0 wt% provided three folds of viscosity. The viscosity did not show time dependence behavior at room temperature for the aforementioned experiments where all hydration tests were run at 511 1/s shear rate. Temperature, however, had a significant impact on both viscosity magnitude and behavior. At 70 °C, the fluid viscosity increased with time where low viscosity was achieved early on but kept increasing with shearing time. Similarly, high pH chelating agents provided time dependant viscosity behavior when mixed with CMHPG. This behavior is important as low viscosity is favorable during pumping but high viscosity when the fluids hit the formation. The study investigates the possibility of utilizing chelating agents with seawater to replace numerous additives. It acts as a crosslinker at early shearing times, where a gradual increase in viscosity was observed and a breaker in the reservoir harsh conditions. It also captures the divalent ions that are common in seawater, which replaces the need for scale inhibitors. The viscosity increase behavior can be controlled by adjusting the pH level, which could be desirable during operations.

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Laboratory Testing of Fracture Conductivity Damage by Foam-Based Fracturing Fluids in Low Permeability Tight Gas Formations

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14061783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 1783

Author(s):

Klaudia Wilk-Zajdel ◽

Piotr Kasza ◽

Mateusz Masłowski

Keyword(s):

Hydraulic Fracturing ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Polymer Concentration ◽

Laboratory Research ◽

Damage Effect ◽

Tight Gas ◽

Fracturing Fluid ◽

Fracture Conductivity ◽

Fracturing Fluids ◽

Sandstone Rock

In the case of fracturing of the reservoirs using fracturing fluids, the size of damage to the proppant conductivity caused by treatment fluids is significant, which greatly influence the effective execution of hydraulic fracturing operations. The fracturing fluid should be characterized by the minimum damage to the conductivity of a fracture filled with proppant. A laboratory research procedure has been developed to study the damage effect caused by foamed and non-foamed fracturing fluids in the fractures filled with proppant material. The paper discusses the results for high quality foamed guar-based linear gels, which is an innovative aspect of the work compared to the non-foamed frac described in most of the studies and simulations. The tests were performed for the fracturing fluid based on a linear polymer (HPG—hydroxypropyl guar, in liquid and powder form). The rheology of nitrogen foamed-based fracturing fluids (FF) with a quality of 70% was investigated. The quartz sand and ceramic light proppant LCP proppant was placed between two Ohio sandstone rock slabs and subjected to a given compressive stress of 4000–6000 psi, at a temperature of 60 °C for 5 h. A significant reduction in damage to the quartz proppant was observed for the foamed fluid compared to that damaged by the 7.5 L/m3 natural polymer-based non-foamed linear fluid. The damage was 72.3% for the non-foamed fluid and 31.5% for the 70% foamed fluid, which are superior to the guar gum non-foamed fracturing fluid system. For tests based on a polymer concentration of 4.88 g/L, the damage to the fracture conductivity by the non-foamed fluid was 64.8%, and 26.3% for the foamed fluid. These results lead to the conclusion that foamed fluids could damage the fracture filled with proppant much less during hydraulic fracturing treatment. At the same time, when using foamed fluids, the viscosity coefficient increases a few times compared to the use of non-foamed fluids, which is necessary for proppant carrying capacities and properly conducted stimulation treatment. The research results can be beneficial for optimizing the type and performance of fracturing fluid for hydraulic fracturing in tight gas formations.

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Degradation of hydroxypropyl guar gum at wide pH range by a heterogeneous Fenton-like process using bentonite-supported Cu(0)

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2020.436 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 82 (8) ◽

pp. 1635-1642

Author(s):

Ling Zhou ◽

Zhongying Xu ◽

Jie Zhang ◽

Zhifang Zhang ◽

Ying Tang

Keyword(s):

Active Sites ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Heterogeneous Reaction ◽

Removal Rate ◽

Catalytic Performance ◽

High Dispersion ◽

Application Process ◽

Experimental Conditions ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum

Abstract To seek for efficient Fenton-like oxidation processing for treatment of waste fracturing fluid containing hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPGG), in heterogeneous reaction, five bentonite-supported zero-valent metal catalysts were prepared by liquid-phase reduction. The results showed that the bentonite-supported zero-valent copper exhibited best catalytic performance, attributed to the high dispersion of active sites of zero-valent copper. The effects of the most relevant operating factors (H2O2 concentration, catalyst dosage, temperature and pH) were evaluated in detail. Moreover, the chemical oxygen demand removal rate of HPGG can achieve 76% when the reaction time was selected at 45 min under optimal experimental conditions. The stability evaluation showed that the catalytic performance was almost unaffected after the catalyst was recycled and used once more showing the good stability of the bentonite-supported zero-valent copper in the application process.

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Combined treatment of hydroxypropyl guar gum in oilfield fracturing wastewater by coagulation and the UV/H2O2/ferrioxalate complexes process

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2017.552 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 565-575 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zhenchao Zhang

Keyword(s):

Removal Efficiency ◽

Guar Gum ◽

Combined Treatment ◽

Cod Removal ◽

Treated Wastewater ◽

Spectra Analysis ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Coagulation Process ◽

Cod Removal Efficiency ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar Gum

Abstract Hydroxypropyl guar gum is considered to be a main component of oilfield fracturing wastewater (OFW). This work is intended to optimize the experimental conditions for the maximum oxidative degradation of hydroxypropyl guar gum by the coagulation and UV/H2O2/ferrioxalate complexes process. Optimal reaction conditions were proposed based on the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency and UV_vis spectra analysis. The overall removal efficiency of COD reached 83.8% for a dilution ratio of raw wastewater of 1:2, pH of 4 and FeCl3 loading of 1,000 mg/L in the coagulation process; the dosage of H2O2 (30%,v/v) was 0.6% (v/v) and added in three steps, the n(H2O2)/n(Fe2+) was 2:1, n(Fe2+)/n(C2O42−) was 3:1 and pH was 4 in the UV/H2O2/ferrioxalate complexes process; pH was adjusted to 8.5–9 by NaOH and then cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) of 2 mg/L was added in the neutralization and flocculation process. The decrease in COD during the coagulation process reduced the required H2O2 dosage and improved efficiency in the subsequent UV/H2O2/ferrioxalate complexes process. Furthermore, COD removal efficiency significantly increased by more than 13.4% with the introduction of oxalate compared with UV/Fenton. The UV_vis spectra analysis results indicated that the coagulation and UV/H2O2/ferrioxalate complexes process could efficiently remove the hydroxypropyl guar gum dissolved in OFW. An optimal combination of these parameters produced treated wastewater that met the GB8978-1996 Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard level III emission standard.

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Robust Conductive Hydrogels with Ultrafast Self-Recovery and Nearly Zero Response Hysteresis for Epidermal Sensors

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11071854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1854

Author(s):

Xiuru Xu ◽

Chubin He ◽

Feng Luo ◽

Hao Wang ◽

Zhengchun Peng

Keyword(s):

Guar Gum ◽

Strain Range ◽

Sio2 Nanoparticles ◽

Fast Response ◽

Gauge Factor ◽

Practical Applications ◽

Hydroxypropyl Guar ◽

Stable Chemical ◽

Conductive Hydrogel ◽

Conductive Hydrogels

Robust conductive hydrogels are in great demand for the practical applications of smart soft robots, epidermal electronics, and human–machine interactions. We successfully prepared nanoparticles enhanced polyacrylamide/hydroxypropyl guar gum/acryloyl-grafted chitosan quaternary ammonium salt/calcium ions/SiO2 nanoparticles (PHC/Ca2+/SiO2 NPs) conductive hydrogels. Owing to the stable chemical and physical hybrid crosslinking networks and reversible non-covalent interactions, the PHC/Ca2+/SiO2 NPs conductive hydrogel showed good conductivity (~3.39 S/m), excellent toughness (6.71 MJ/m3), high stretchability (2256%), fast self-recovery (80% within 10 s, and 100% within 30 s), and good fatigue resistance. The maximum gauge factor as high as 66.99 was obtained, with a wide detectable strain range (from 0.25% to 500% strain), the fast response (25.00 ms) and recovery time (86.12 ms), excellent negligible response hysteresis, and good response stability. The applications of monitoring the human’s body movements were demonstrated, such as wrist bending and pulse tracking.

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