Controlled Electrolytic Metallic Materials for Wellbore Sealing and Strengthening

Abstract

Contacting the wellbore with a fluid composition and forming a metallic powder barrier at or near the tip of a fracture extending from the wellbore into a subterranean formation may strengthen a wellbore. The fluid composition may include a base fluid and a metallic powder having a plurality of metallic powder particles. The base fluid may include a drilling fluid, a completion fluid, a servicing fluid, a fracturing fluid, and mixtures thereof. The metallic powder particles may have a particle core and a metallic coating layer. The particle core may include a core material selected, such as magnesium, zinc, aluminum, manganese, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, silicon, nitride, tungsten, and a combination thereof. The metallic coating layer may be disposed on the particle core thereby forming a metallic powder particle. The metallic powder particles may be configured for solid-state sintering to one another to form the metallic particle compacts.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for strengthening a wellbore comprising:
 contacting the wellbore with a fluid composition, wherein the fluid composition comprises:
 a base fluid selected from the group consisting of a drilling fluid, a completion fluid, a servicing fluid, a fracturing fluid, and mixtures thereof; and 
 metallic powder comprising a plurality of metallic powder particles, each powder particle comprising:
 a particle core comprising a core material having a melting temperature (T p ), and wherein the core material is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, zinc, aluminum, manganese, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, silicon, nitride, tungsten, and a combination thereof; and 
 a metallic coating layer disposed on the particle core, wherein the metallic coating layer comprises a metallic coating material having a melting temperature (T c ); and 
 
   forming a first metallic powder barrier at or near the tip of a fracture extending from the wellbore into a subterranean formation with the metallic powder.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder particles are configured for solid-state sintering to one another at a predetermined sintering temperature (T s ) to form a metallic particle compact, and wherein T s  is less than T p  and T c . 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the size of the metallic particle compact ranges from about 500 μm to about 20 cm. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid composition comprises a concentration of the metallic powder in an amount ranging from about 0.05 wt % to about 10 wt % of the total fluid composition. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising reducing additional growth of the fracture as compared to the wellbore absent the metallic powder barrier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising reducing an amount of the base fluid lost to the formation as compared to the amount of fluid lost to the formation in the absence of the metallic powder barrier. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising forming a second metallic powder barrier on the wellbore to prevent solid and fluid going from or into the formation. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising contacting the metallic powder barrier with a surfactant to reverse the wettability of at least a portion of the metallic powder particles therein. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the surfactant is part of a mesophase fluid selected from the group consisting of a miniemulsion, a nanoemulsion, a macroemulsion, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising degrading at least a portion of the metallic powder barrier after a predetermined condition selected from the group consisting of a temperature change, the presence of an acid, an amount of time, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the degrading the metallic powder particles occurs by a method selected from the group consisting of dissolving the metallic powder particles, disintegrating the metallic powder particles, corroding the metallic powder particles, melting the metallic powder particles, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the core material is selected from the group consisting of an Mg—Zn alloy, an Mg—Al alloy, an Mg—Mn alloy, an Mg—Zn—Y alloy, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the size of the powder particle ranges from about 25 nm to about 5000 μm. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particle core has a diameter ranging from about 1 μm to about 300 μm. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the core material comprises an Mg—Al—X alloy; and wherein X is selected from the group consisting of Zn, Mn, Si, Ca, Y, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the Mg—Al—X alloy comprises up to about 85 wt % of Mg, up to about 15 wt % Al, and up to about 5 wt % X. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the metallic coating material is selected from the group consisting of Al, Zn, Mn, Mg, Mo, W, Cu, Fe, Si, Ca, Co, Ta, Re, Ni, an oxide thereof, a carbide thereof, a nitride thereof, and a combination of any of the aforementioned materials; and wherein the metallic coating material has a different chemical composition than the chemical composition of the particle core. 
     
     
         18 . A method for strengthening a wellbore comprising:
 contacting the wellbore with a fluid composition, wherein the fluid composition comprises:
 a base fluid selected from the group consisting of a drilling fluid, a completion fluid, a servicing fluid, a fracturing fluid, and mixtures thereof; and 
 a metallic powder comprising a plurality of metallic powder particles, each powder particle comprising:
 a particle core comprising a core material having a melting temperature (T p ), and wherein the core material is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, zinc, aluminum, manganese, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, silicon, nitride, tungsten, and a combination thereof; and 
 a metallic coating layer disposed on the particle core, wherein the metallic coating layer comprises a metallic coating material having a melting temperature (T c ); and 
 
 wherein the metallic powder particles are configured for solid-state sintering to one another at a predetermined sintering temperature (T S ), and T S  is less than T P  and T C  to form a metallic particle compact; and 
   forming a metallic powder barrier with the metallic powder at or near the tip of a fracture extending from the wellbore into a subterranean formation to reduce additional growth additional growth of the fracture as compared to the fracture in the absence of the metallic powder barrier; and   degrading at least a portion of the metallic powder barrier after a predetermined condition selected from the group consisting of a temperature change, the presence of an acid, an amount of time, and combinations thereof.   
     
     
         19 . A method for strengthening a wellbore comprising:
 contacting the wellbore with a fluid composition, wherein the fluid composition comprises:
 a base fluid selected from the group consisting of a drilling fluid, a completion fluid, a servicing fluid, a fracturing fluid, and mixtures thereof; and 
 a metallic powder comprising a plurality of metallic powder particles ranging in size from about 25 nm to about 5000 nm, each powder particle comprising:
 a particle core comprising a core material having a melting temperature (T p ), and wherein the core material is selected from the group consisting of magnesium, zinc, aluminum, manganese, vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, iron, cobalt, silicon, nitride, tungsten, and a combination thereof; and 
 a metallic coating layer disposed on the particle core, wherein the metallic coating layer comprises a metallic coating material having a melting temperature (T c ); and 
 
   forming a metallic powder barrier at or near the tip of a fracture extending from the wellbore into a subterranean formation with the metallic powder;   contacting the metallic powder barrier with a surfactant to reverse the wettability of at least a portion of the metallic powder particles therein.