Process fluid with environmentally friendly biostabilisator

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process fluid comprising an environmentally friendly biostabiliser, for industrial scale use in the Earth's crust, preferably for use in oil and natural gas extraction, in particular in hydraulic fracturing. The biostabiliser is characterised in that it comprises at least one organic acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, wherein the at least one organic acid is selected from the group consisting of hop acids, resin acids, fatty acids and mixtures thereof. The biostabiliser is preferably a mixture of hop extract, rosin and myristic acid. The invention further relates to corresponding application and production methods.

1 . A process fluid for use in the Earth's crust, comprising a biostabilizer wherein the biostabilizer includes at least one organic acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, wherein the at least one organic acid is selected from a group consisting of hop acids, resin acids, fatty acids and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         2 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the process fluid is for use in oil and natural gas extraction, and wherein the process fluid further includes a proppant and comprises at least one substance which is selected from a group consisting of gelling agents, clay stabilizers, friction modifiers, chain breakers, crosslinkers, and buffering agents. 
     
     
         3 . The process fluid according to  claim 2 , wherein it further includes at least one gelling agent, wherein the gelling agent is a biopolymer or a .polymeric derivative thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The process fluid according to  claim 3 , wherein the process fluid is for use in hydraulic fracturing, wherein the biopolymer is a polysaccharide, wherein the polysaccharide is a starch, a vegetable gum or a pectin; and wherein the process fluid further includes a water softener. 
     
     
         5 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the biostabilizer comprises a mixture, which consists of:
 at least one hop acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one fatty acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, or   at least one resin acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one fatty acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, or   at least one hop acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one resin acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one fatty acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof; or   wherein the biostabiliser is a mixture of at least one hop acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one resin acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof, and at least one fatty acid, or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof.   
     
     
         6 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the biostabilizer is a mixture of at least one of the following components:
 hop extract,   a natural resin, the natural resin is added in dissolved form, and   myristic acid or a salt thereof.   
     
     
         7 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the biostabilizer is obtainable by adding of at least one, of the following components:
 hop extract,   a natural resin, wherein the natural resin is added in dissolved form, and   myristic acid or a salt thereof.   
     
     
         8 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the biostabilizer is characterized in that:
 the hop acid is an alpha hop acid, selected from a group consisting of humulone, isohumulone, cohumulone, adhumulone, prehumulone, posthumulone, tetrahydroisohumulone, and tetrahydrodeoxyhumulone, or a beta hop acid, selected from the group consisting of lupulone, colupulone, adlupulone, prelupulone, postlupulone, hexahydrocolupulone, and hexahydrolupulone; and/or   the resin acid is selected from the group consisting of pimaric acid, neoabietic acid, abietic acid, dehydroabietic acid, levopimaric acid, and palustrinic acid; and/or   the fatty acid is selected from the group consisting of capric acid, undecylenic acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, margaric acid, stearic acid, arachinic acid, behenic acid, lignoceric acid, cerotic acid, palmitoleinic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, vaccenic acid, icosenoic acid, cetoleic acid, erucic acid, nervonic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, arachidonic acid, timnodonic acid, clupanodonic acid, and cervonic acid.   
     
     
         9 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a total concentration of hop acids in the process fluid is 0.01-1000 ppm; and/or   a total concentration of resin acids in the process fluid is 0.05-5000 ppm; and/or   a total concentration of fatty acids in the process fluid is 0.05-5000 ppm.   
     
     
         10 . The process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein it further comprises at least one other microbially active substance and/or biostabilizer, preferably selected from acetic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, formic acid, and salts thereof. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A method for biostabilization in the Earth's crust, in oil and natural gas extraction, comprising pumping the process fluid according to  claim 1  into the Earth's crust, comprising the direct contact of the process fluid with the Earth's crust. 
     
     
         13 . A process for preparation of the process fluid according to  claim 1 , wherein the process fluid includes water, comprising:
 adding at least one organic acid or a salt, alcohol or aldehyde thereof to water or a water-containing portion of the process fluid,   wherein the at least one organic acid is selected from a group consisting of hop acids, resin acids, fatty acids, and mixtures of two or all of them.   
     
     
         14 . The process according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one resin acid is added, and wherein the at least one resin acid is added in the form of a resin or a distillate thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The process according to  claim 14 , wherein the resin or a distillate thereof is added as an alcoholic solution or suspension, as a 1 to 95% solution of ethanol, or as 0.5 to 35% alkaline solution; and wherein the resin is a natural resin. 
     
     
         16 . The process according to  claim 13 , wherein at least one resin acid and/or fatty acid is added, and wherein the at least one resin acid and/or fatty acid is added as a saline solution or suspension, as a 0.5 to 35% potassium salt solution, or as a 0.5 to 35% alkaline solution or suspension. 
     
     
         17 . The process according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one hop acid is added, wherein the at least one resin acid is added in the form of a hop extract; and wherein the resin is in the form of rosin. 
     
     
         18 . The process according to  claim 13 , wherein the process further comprises the addition of a antimicrobial agent or of a stabilizer to water or a water-containing portion of the process fluid. 
     
     
         19 . The process according to  claim 13 , for the preparation of the process fluid for use in oil and natural gas extraction,
 wherein the process further comprises adding a proppant and preferably at least one substance to water or a water-containing portion of the process fluid, wherein the substance is selected from the group consisting of clay stabilizers, friction modifiers, chain breakers, gelling agents, crosslinkers, and buffering agents.   
     
     
         20 . The process according to  claim 19 , wherein the process fluid is for use in hydraulic fracturing. 
     
     
         21 . The process according to  claim 18 , wherein the antimicrobial agent or stabilizer is selected from acetic acid, lactic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, sorbic acid, formic acid, and salts thereof.