Methods for producing and employing oil and gas well drilling and completion fluids as well as hydraulic fracturing fluids employing triglyceride processing by products and propylene glycol recovered from aircraft deicing operations

Abstract

The present invention relates to processes employing industrial streams, including glycerol-containing by-products of triglyceride processing as well as waste glycol streams recovered from several sources, to produce oil well drilling, completion and hydrofracturing fluids.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for producing water-based oil and gas well drilling and/or completion fluids, said process comprising;
 (a) recovering a crude glycerin stream selected from the group consisting of transesterification crude glycerin, neutralized transesterification crude glycerin, heterogeneous catalyzed transesterification crude glycerin, saponification crude glycerin, hydrolysis crude glycerin, or mixtures thereof,   (b) adding to the crude glycerin stream one or more components selected from the group consisting of glycol, methyl glucoside, polyglycerine, inorganic salts, lubricants, gelling agents, methyl cellulose, corrosion inhibitors, water and mixtures of any of the foregoing and optionally   (c) prior to step (b), employing an ultrafiltration step to remove at least part of organic materials having higher molecular weight than glycerin from said crude glycerin stream.   
     
     
         2 . A method for producing water-based oil and gas well drilling or completion fluids as described in  claim 1  wherein said glycol is at least partly derived from waste streams from the group consisting of residues from aircraft deicing operations, waste heat transfer fluids and waste gas dehydration fluids. 
     
     
         3 . A method for producing water-based oil and gas well drilling or completion fluids, said process comprising:
 (a) distillation of a crude glycerin stream selected from the group consisting of transesterification crude glycerin, neutralized transesterification crude glycerin, hydrolysis crude glycerin, saponification crude glycerin and mixtures thereof, said distillation producing a bottoms product comprising at least approximately 7% of the glycerin contained in the crude glycerin stream, and one or more overhead products consisting essentially of glycerin and optionally water and,   (b) adding to at least a portion of said bottoms product one or more components selected from the group consisting of glycol, methyl glucoside, polyglycerine, inorganic salts, lubricants, gelling agents, methyl cellulose, corrosion inhibitors, weighting agents, water and mixtures of any of the foregoing, (c) optionally, prior to step (b), adding water to said bottoms product and processing it by ultrafiltration to remove at least a portion of organic impurities having higher molecular weights than glycerin.   
     
     
         4 . A method for producing water-based oil and gas well drilling or completion fluids as described in  claim 3  wherein said glycol is at least partly derived from waste streams from the group consisting of residues from aircraft deicing operations, waste heat transfer fluids and waste gas dehydration fluids. 
     
     
         5 . A method of producing a hydrofracturing fluid, said method comprising blending one or more crude glycerin streams selected from the group consisting of transesterification crude glycerin, neutralized transesterification crude glycerin, heterogeneous catalyzed transesterification crude glycerin, saponification crude glycerin, hydrolysis crude glycerin, a bottoms product from the process of  claim 3 , or mixtures thereof with water and at least one compound from the group consisting of inorganic acids, biocides, breakers, corrosion inhibitors, crosslinkers, friction reducers, gels, iron control agents, potassium chloride, oxygen scavengers, pH adjusting agents, proppants, scale inhibitors, surfactant and mixtures of any of the foregoing. 
     
     
         6 . A method of producing a hydrofracturing fluid as described in  claim 5  wherein said friction reducer comprises monoesters produced from triglycerides by transesterification. 
     
     
         7 . A method of producing a hydrofracturing fluid as described in  claim 5  wherein said inorganic acid is at least partially HCl included in neutralized transesterification crude glycerin. 
     
     
         8 . A method of producing a hydrofracturing fluid as described in  claim 5  wherein said potassium chloride comprises potassium chloride included in neutralized transesterification crude glycerin. 
     
     
         9 . A method of producing a hydrofracturing fluid as described in  claim 5  wherein at least part of organic materials having higher molecular weight than glycerin contained in said crude glycerin stream and/or bottoms product is removed by employing an ultrafiltration step. 
     
     
         10 . A method for producing glycerin meeting the requirements for products consisting essentially of glycerin and optionally water, said method comprising the process steps of  claim 3  and further comprising, obtaining at least part of the one or more overhead products consisting essentially of glycerin and optionally water, and optionally performing one or more of the following;
 a) stripping to remove alcohol 
 b) distillation to remove water 
 c) removal of impurities comprising color bodies and high molecular weight organic compounds. 
 
     
     
         11 . A method for producing glycerin meeting the requirements for products consisting essentially of glycerin and optionally water of  claim 10  wherein said products are selected from the group consisting of technical grade, USP grade, kosher grade, halal grade and mixtures thereof.