Wellbore treatment compositions containing foam extenders and methods of use thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to fluid compositions used in treating a subterranean formation. In particular, the invention is aqueous wellbore treatment compositions which are foams containing a viscosifying agent, a foam extender, a gas component, and a surfactant, as well as methods of forming such fluids, and uses thereof. The viscosifying agent may be a hydratable polymer, viscoelastic surfactant, or heteropolysaccharide. The foam extender may be a material such as a polyoxyalkyleneamines, ethylenepolyamines, tertiary polyamines, bicarbonate, carbonate, phosphate, or sesquicarbonate.

1 . A wellbore treatment foam composition comprising an aqueous medium, a foam extender, a gas component, a surfactant, and viscosifying agent.  
     
     
         2 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the foam extender provides at least about an average 10% increase in measured viscosity values over at least a 10 minute period as measured over about a 180 minute evaluation interval.  
     
     
         3 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the foam extender is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium peroxycarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, trisodium phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, ammonium pyrophosphate, sodium meta phosphate, potassium meta phosphate, ammonium meta phosphate, pyrodisodium phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, trilithium phosphate, polyoxyalkyleneamines with at least two amino groups in their structure, ethylenepolyamines, tertiary polyamines, substituted propylamines, piperazines, and any mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         4 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the foam extender is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium peroxycarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, tetraethylenepentamine, and any mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         5 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the viscosifying agent is a hydratable polymer selected from the group consisting of guar, hydroxypropyl guar, carboxymethyl guar, carboxymethylhydroxypropyl guar, hydrophobically modified guars and guar derivatives, synthetic and natural water soluble polymers, guar-containing compounds, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose; and the weight average molecular weight (Mw) for the polymer is from about 10 5  to about 2×10 7  daltons.  
     
     
         6 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 5  wherein the viscosifying agent is a hydratable polymer incorporated in an amount from about 0.01% to about 10.00% by weight of the composition total liquid phase weight, preferably from about 0.10% to about 8.00% by weight of the composition total liquid phase weight.  
     
     
         7 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the viscosifying agent is xanthan gum or a heteropolysaccharide having a tetrasaccharide repeating unit in the polymer backbone as represented by the chemical formula:  
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein at least three different saccharides are present in the repeating unit, such saccharides including D-glucose, D-glucuronic acid, and either L-rhamnose or L-mannose; M +  is an ionic species; R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , R 8 , R 9 , and R 10  are selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, methyl, acetyl, glyceryl, or a saccharide group containing one to three saccharides units; R 11  is a methyl or methylol group; and the weight average molecular weight (Mw) for the heteropolysaccharide is from about 10 5  to about 10 7  daltons.  
     
     
         8 . The foam composition according to  claim 7  wherein the heteropolysaccharide is selected from the group consisting of gellan gum and gellan gum derivatives, welan gum and welan gum derivatives, diutan gum and diutan gum derivatives, rhamsan gum and rhamsan gum derivatives, polysaccharide S-88 and polysaccharide S-88 derivatives, polysaccharide S-198 and polysaccharide S-198 derivatives, polysaccharide NW11 and polysaccharide NW11 derivatives, and any mixtures thereof, wherein the heteropolysaccharide is incorporated in an amount from about 0.01% to about 1.00% by weight of total liquid phase weight, preferably incorporated in an amount from about 0.10% to about 0.60% by weight of total liquid phase weight.  
     
     
         9 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the viscosifying agent is a cationic, anionic, zwitterionic, amphoteric, or nonionic viscoelastic surfactant, or any combination thereof, and is incorporated in an amount from about 0.2% to about 15% by weight based upon total fluid weight, preferably from about 1% to about 10% by weight based upon total fluid weight, more preferably from about 1% to about 7% by weight based upon total fluid weight.  
     
     
         10 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  further comprising a clay stabilizer incorporated in an amount of from about 0.01 wt % to about 12.0 wt % of the composition total liquid phase weight, preferably the clay stabilizer is selected from the group consisting of tetramethyl ammonium chloride, potassium chloride, and any mixture thereof, and is preferably incorporated in an amount of from about 0.05 wt % to about 8.0 wt % of the composition total liquid phase weight.  
     
     
         11 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the gas component comprises a gas selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide, air, nitrogen, and any mixtures thereof, the gas component comprising from about 10% to about 90% of the composition total volume percent measured at downhole conditions of temperature and pressure, preferably from about 30% to about 80% of the composition total volume percent measured at downhole conditions of temperature and pressure, and more preferably from about 40% to about 75% of the composition total volume percent measured at downhole conditions of temperature and pressure.  
     
     
         12 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the gas component is carbon dioxide comprising 30% to about 80% of the composition total volume percent, and more preferably from about 40% to about 75% of the composition total volume percent.  
     
     
         13 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  further comprising a proppant.  
     
     
         14 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 13  wherein the proppant is selected from the group consisting of sand, walnut shells, sintered bauxite, glass beads, ceramic materials, naturally occurring materials, or any mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         15 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  further comprising a crosslinker containing a metal ion selected from the group consisting of chromium, iron, boron, titanium, aluminum, and zirconium or containing an aldehyde, dialdehyde, phenolic-aldehyde composition, multifunctional amine, or a multifunctional imine.  
     
     
         16 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 15  which is acid additive free.  
     
     
         17 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  further comprising a breaker.  
     
     
         18 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  further comprising an organoamino compound selected from the group consisting of triethanolamine, diethanolamine, monoethanolamine, dimethylethanolamine and any mixtures thereof, and the organoamino compound is incorporated in an amount from about 0.01 wt % to about 2.0 wt % based on the composition total liquid phase weight, and preferably in an amount from about 0.05 wt % to about 1.0 wt % based on the composition total liquid phase weight.  
     
     
         19 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the viscosity is from about 20 mPa·s@100 s −1  to about 500 mPa·s@100 s −1  at treatment temperature.  
     
     
         20 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 19  wherein the viscosity is from about 100 mPa·s@100 s −1  to about 300 mPa·s@100 s −1  at treatment temperature.  
     
     
         21 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  wherein the percent gas component volume is about 75% or less, based upon the total volume of gas and liquid phases.  
     
     
         22 . A wellbore treatment foam composition comprising an aqueous medium, a foam extender, a gas component selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and any mixtures thereof, a viscoelastic surfactant viscosifying agent, and a clay stabilizer, and wherein the viscoelastic surfactant is incorporated in an amount from about 1.0% to 10% based on the composition of total composition weight, wherein the viscosity of the foam composition is from about 20 mPa·s@100 s −1  to about 500 mPa·s@100 s −1 , and wherein the foam extender provides at least about an average 10% increase in measured viscosity values over at least a 10 minute period as measured over about a 180 minute evaluation interval.  
     
     
         23 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 22  wherein the foam extender is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium peroxycarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, trisodium phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, ammonium pyrophosphate, sodium meta phosphate, potassium meta phosphate, ammonium meta phosphate, pyrodisodium phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, trilithium phosphate, polyoxyalkyleneamines with at least two amino groups in their structure, ethylenepolyamines, tertiary polyamines, substituted propylamines, piperazines, and any mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         24 . An wellbore fracturing foam composition comprising an aqueous medium, a gas component incorporated in an amount from about 40% to about 75% of the composition total fluid volume percent, a hydratable polymer incorporated in an amount from about 0.10% to about 0.50% by weight of the composition total liquid phase weight, a foaming agent wherein the foaming agent is incorporated in amount of about 0.02 wt % to about 5 wt % of total liquid phase weight, and an effective amount of a foam extending agent, wherein the viscosity of the foam composition is from about 20 mPa·s@100 s −1  to about 500 mPa·s@100 s −1 , and wherein the foam extender provides at least about an average 10% increase in measured viscosity values over at least a 10 minute period as measured over about a 180 minute evaluation interval.  
     
     
         25 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 24  wherein the gas component is carbon dioxide, nitrogen, or any mixture thereof.  
     
     
         26 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 24  wherein the gas component is nitrogen.  
     
     
         27 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 24  wherein the foam extender is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium peroxycarbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, trisodium phosphate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, sodium pyrophosphate, potassium pyrophosphate, ammonium pyrophosphate, sodium meta phosphate, potassium meta phosphate, ammonium meta phosphate, pyrodisodium phosphate, tripotassium phosphate, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, trilithium phosphate, polyoxyalkyleneamines with at least two amino groups in their structure, ethylenepolyamines, tertiary polyamines, substituted propylamines, piperazines, and any mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         28 . The wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  as used in a method of fracturing a subterranean formation comprising injecting the fluid into a subterranean formation at a pressure sufficient to fracture the formation.  
     
     
         29 . A wellbore treatment foam composition according to  claim 1  as used for wellbore treatment operations including fracturing, cleanup, gravel packing, sand control, placement of a chemical plug to isolate zones or to assist an isolating operation, and diversion of treatment chemicals to achieve invasion into a plurality of zones.