Ultra High Temperature Solids-Free Insulating Packer Fluid for Oil and Gas Production, Steam Injection, and Geothermal Wells

Author(s):  
Ryan G. Ezell ◽  
Douglas Jeffrey Harrison

SPE Journal ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 177-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.. Fan ◽  
W.. Shi ◽  
P.. Zhang ◽  
H.. Lu ◽  
N.. Zhang ◽  
...  

Summary Scale control in deepwater oil and gas production is often challenging not only because of the geological and mechanical limitations associated with deepwater wells, but also because of the high-temperature (>150°C) and high-pressure (>10,000 psi) (HT/HP) environment, which may be associated with brine containing high total dissolved solids (TDSs) (>300,000 mg/L). These extreme conditions make scale prediction, control, and testing difficult because of the requirements for special alloys, pumps, and control equipment that are not readily available. Therefore, few reliable ultrahigh-temperature/ultrahigh-pressure (ultra-HT/HP) data are available. To overcome such challenges, an efficient flow-loop method has been established to study both the equilibrium and the kinetics of scale formation and inhibition at ultra-HT/HP conditions. This paper will discuss (1) an efficient flow-loop method to study the solubility of scale minerals at ultra-HT/HP conditions, (2) solubility of barite at temperature up to 200°C and pressure up to 20,000 psi, and (3) scale control and inhibitor selection for deepwater oil and gas production at ultra-HT/HP conditions. Specifically, the performance and thermal stability of some common scale inhibitors at the high-temperature conditions were studied in terms of barite-scale inhibition. The results to date indicated that (1) the solubility of barite at up to 200°C and 24,000 psi can be measured precisely by this newly developed flow-loop apparatus, (2) the rate of mineral scale formation at HT/HP may be considerably faster than previously projected from low-temperature studies and, hence, difficult to inhibit, (3) different scale inhibitors have shown considerably different thermal stability. The results and findings from these studies validate a new HT/HP apparatus for scale and inhibitor testing and information for better scale control at HT/HP conditions.



Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1539
Author(s):  
Daquan Li ◽  
Qingjian Liu ◽  
Wenlong Wang ◽  
Lei Jin ◽  
Huaping Xiao

Seawater leakage commonly leads to corrosion in the inner lining of submarine bimetallic pipes, with significant financial implications for the offshore oil and gas production industry. This study aims to improve understanding of the performance of bimetallic pipes by investigating the corrosion behaviors of mechanically bonded 316L stainless steel. Immersion experiments were conducted in a seawater environment, under both atmospheric conditions and high temperature and high pressure conditions, and corroded surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to reveal micromorphology and elementary compositions. The results demonstrated that the corrosion rates of the bonded 316L specimen were between 5% and 20% higher than those of specimens without bonding under atmospheric conditions. This is attributed to the stress cracking that occurs during corrosion. Under high temperature and high pressure conditions, the corrosion rates were remarkably increased (91% to 135%) and the corrosion process took longer to reach equilibrium. This may be attributed, firstly, to the products becoming increasingly porous and weak, and also to the fluid stress caused by stirring in these experiments to simulate seawater movement.



2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samridhdi Paudyal ◽  
Gedeng Ruan ◽  
Ji-young Lee ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Alex Lu ◽  
...  

Abstract Halite scaling has been observed in the oil/gas field with high TDS and low water cut. Due to its higher solubility, slight changes in temperature (T) and pressure (P) and evaporative effect could yield a large amount of scale, causing significant operational problems. Accurate prediction and control of halite scaling in the oil and gas production system have been a challenge. Therefore, this study aims to shed light on the prediction of halite scale formation, deposition behavior, and inhibition at close to oil field conditions. We have designed and developed a dynamic scale loop (DSL) test methodology that can be used at various T and P. The test method utilizes a change in temperature (ΔT) as a driving force to create halite supersaturation and follow with the scale precipitation/deposition. The tube blocking experiments suggest that the tube blockage can be caused by bulk precipitation and or deposition of halite precipitate. SEM analysis of the tube cross-sections indicated that tube blockage, presumably by bulk precipitation, could be seen at the beginning of the reaction tube, but deposition was observed towards the exit end of the tube. Similarly, various experimentation to simulate the water dilution at constant pressure and ΔT were conducted. The effect of the addition of water to prevent halite deposition was analyzed computationally by using ScaleSoftPitzer (SSP) software. Brine compatibility of several inhibitors were tested via bottle tests and autoclave tests and qualified inhibitors were tested in the tube blocking experiments to identify the performance of the inhibitor to treat the halite precipitation at high temperature and pressure. Overall, a robust test method was designed and developed for halite scaling under high temperature and pressure that can simulate the oil and gas production in the field.



SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (01) ◽  
pp. 069-079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Zhaoyi Dai ◽  
Chao Yan ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Fei Yan ◽  
...  

Summary Barite (BaSO4) is one of the common scales in oil-and-gas production. Extensive work has been conducted to study barite nucleation and inhibition at temperatures below 100°C. However, with the advance in deepwater exploration and production (E&P) which can encounter high-temperature (HT) conditions, a better understanding of barite-scaling risk at HT (e.g., > 150°C) becomes essential. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to explore barite nucleation kinetics from 70 to 200°C in synthetic brines containing phosphonate (0–10 ppm) or polymeric (5–10 ppm) scale inhibitors. A 2-hour protection time with or without any detectable barite nucleation was used to define the scaling risk. To detect barite nucleation, two novel apparatuses were developed—a modified dynamic flow loop and a batch reactor. The modified dynamic flow loop has a retention time of up to 4 hours and is ideal to carry out experiments at higher than 100°C. Ba concentrations in the effluents were monitored to determine barite nucleation more precisely compared with traditional “tube blocking” technique. The new batch reactor uses our newly developed laser-detection method, a transparent pressure tube, and an oil bath. The transparent pressure tube allows laser light to pass through and can withstand 150-psi pressure at 175°C, therefore providing an efficient approach to study the precipitation kinetics of scales and to evaluate inhibition efficiency of inhibitors at HT. Constant inhibitor-concentration isopleths of diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP) for barite inhibition were constructed on the basis of our experimental data. Finally, a semiempirical model that is based on data of barite nucleation and inhibition kinetics from this study and previous work was built to predict scaling risk of barite at different physicochemical conditions. This model covers a wide range of temperature (from 4 to 200°C) and brine compositions. It also covers the effect of Ba2+–SO42− ratio in solution, common cations (e.g., Ca2+), and thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors on barite precipitation. Model precipitations were found to be consistent with field observations. The results of this study can guide the design of barite-scale treatment for HT oil-and-gas production.



2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson ◽  
Chao Yan


SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (03) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson

Summary A novel barite-inhibition assay based on the nucleation and inhibition model has been proposed and used to evaluate the thermal stability of phosphonates and polymeric scale inhibitors with regard to their potential application in high-temperature wells. Systematic experiments have been conducted to investigate the time (minutes to days) and temperature (up to 200°C) dependence of inhibitor thermal degradation, the impact of stainless steel and iron on the degradation of inhibitors at high temperatures, and the difference between aging tests with inhibitors in solution and with those inhibitors adsorbed on core materials. The results not only enable a more accurate understanding of the thermal degradation of scale inhibitors but also facilitate the selection and placement of scale inhibitors for high-temperature oil and gas production.



2007 ◽  
Vol 129 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Elsayed

Drill strings are used in oil and gas production as well as geothermal wells. They experience destructive vibrations, many of which are highly dependent on drill string modes. In this paper, we show that the lowest frequency modes are not necessarily the most critical and we delineate a methodology for reducing the number of modes representing the drill string. The frequency response function and stability diagram are used as measures of dynamic similarity between the proposed model and the drill string. We also introduce a novel approach to represent a drill string in laboratory test rigs. This approach not only represents the drill string dynamics but also offers flexibility to modify, remove, or augment the modes representing the system. The underlying principle is that in a multi-degree-of-freedom in-series spring-mass system with Rayleigh damping, dynamic modes can be decoupled. Applying the force to the end node (bit), the modes can then be configured separately in a parallel arrangement where their contributions to bit displacement are added algebraically. A practical arrangement for this purpose is proposed in this paper. Construction of a test rig that accurately represents the drill string dynamics is critical to validation of any test data on bits, bottom hole assemblies, instrument subs, and so on.



2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Narayan Bhandari ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson ◽  
Chao Yan

Abstract Barite (BaSO4) is one of the common scales in oil and gas production. Extensive work has been conducted to study barite nucleation and inhibition at temperatures below 100 °C. However, with the advance in deepwater exploration and production which can encounter high temperature conditions, a better understanding of barite scaling risk at high temperature (e.g., >150 °C) becomes essential. In this paper, a systematic study was conducted to explore barite nucleation kinetics from 70-200 °C in synthetic brines containing phosphonate (0-10 ppm) or polymeric (5-10 ppm) scale inhibitors. A 2-hour protection time with or without any detectable barite nucleation was employed to define the scaling risk. To detect barite nucleation, two novel apparatus were developed, a modified dynamic flow loop and a batch reactor. The modified dynamic flow loop has a retention time of up to 4 hours and is ideal to carry out experiments at above 100 °C. Ba concentrations in the effluents were monitored to determine barite nucleation more precisely compared to traditional “tube blocking” technique. The new batch reactor employs our newly developed laser detection method, a transparent pressure tube, and an oil bath. The transparent pressure tube allows laser to pass through and can withstand 150 psi pressure at 150 °C, which therefore provides an efficient and convenient approach to study the precipitation kinetics of scales and evaluate inhibition efficiency of inhibitors at high temperature. Constant inhibitor concentration isoplethes of diethylenetriamine pentamethylene phosphonic acid (DTPMP) for barite inhibition were constructed based on our experimental data. The results of this study can facilitate the selection of an appropriate DTPMP concentration for scale treatment for high-temperature oil and gas production.



SPE Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (06) ◽  
pp. 1169-1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Amy T. Kan ◽  
Fangfu Zhang ◽  
Chao Yan ◽  
Mason B. Tomson

Summary As the oil and gas industry is making firm strides in deepwater and shale exploration and development, possible thermal degradation of scale-inhibitor molecules poses a great challenge for scaling control and flow assurance for high-temperature reservoirs. Although extensive research has been conducted to test thermal stability of scale inhibitors, little work has been devoted to study the thermodynamics/kinetics of thermal degradation of scale inhibitors. In this work, a novel and efficient testing approach based on inhibition kinetics has been developed and successfully applied to determine the fraction of the active inhibitor molecules in preheated samples of scale inhibitors with various generic chemistries. Moreover, for the first time, we have modeled the kinetics of inhibitor thermal degradation on the basis of the integrated first-order rate equation and Arrhenius equation, with good agreements between the model predictions and experimental data. The preheated scale inhibitors have been analyzed by nuclear-magnetic-resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for organic-compound characterization. Our results and predictions based on inhibition testing assay are consistent with the 31P/1H NMR analyses. This work has enabled an in-depth understanding of the time and temperature dependence of thermal degradation of scale inhibitors, and facilitates the rational selection and deployment of scale inhibitors for high-temperature oil and gas production.



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