Breaker and displacement fluid and method of use

Abstract

A method of cleaning a wellbore prior to the production of oil or gas is disclosed, wherein the wellbore has been drilled with an invert emulsion drilling mud that forms an invert emulsion filter cake. The method may include the steps of circulating a breaker fluid into the wellbore, where the breaker fluid includes an aqueous fluid, and imino diacetic acid or salt thereof. Optionally an acid buffering agent, and a weighting age are also included. The breaker fluid is formulated such that after a predetermined period of time and the filter cake present in the wellbore or on the wellbore face is substantially degraded. Other methods may also include drilling the wellbore with a water-based drilling mud that forms a water-based filter cake, wherein the method may include the steps of circulating a breaker fluid into the wellbore, where the breaker fluid may include an aqueous fluid, and an iminodiacetic acid or a salt thereof.

What is claimed: 
     
       1. A method of cleaning a wellbore, wherein the wellbore has been drilled with an invert emulsion drilling mud that forms an invert emulsion filter cake, the method comprising:
 circulating a breaker fluid into the wellbore, the breaker fluid comprising:
 an aqueous fluid; and 
 at least one iminodiacetic acid or a salt thereof represented by the formula 
 
 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         
           wherein the M groups each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; Y represents a divalent alkyl group having from 1 to 7 carbon atoms and the divalent alkyl group may be substituted by a hydroxyl group or a COOM group wherein M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; and; W represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or a COOM group wherein; and M each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; 
         
         wherein the breaker fluid is selected so that after a predetermined period of time the invert emulsion of the filter cake substantially degrades. 
       
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the breaker fluid further includes an acidic buffering agent so as to maintain the pH below a value of about 3. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2 , wherein acidic buffering agent is selected from the group consisting of mineral acids including hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and mixtures of these, organic acids including carboxylic acids such as formic, acetic, propionic, butyric acids, fatty acids in the C5 to C30 range, haloacetic acids, alkyl phosphonic acids, alkyl sulfonic acids; compounds that hydrolyze to form acids in situ including hydrolysable anhydrides of carboxylic acids, hydrolysable esters of carboxylic acids; hydrolysable esters of phosphonic acid, hydrolysable esters of sulfonic acid and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 2 , wherein the acidic buffering agent is a hydrolysable ester of the carboxylic acid is a formic acid ester of a C4 to C30 alcohol. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the breaker fluid further includes a weighting agent that is a high density brine containing water soluble salts of alkali and alkaline earth metals. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 removing the broken invert emulsion filter cake from the wellbore. 
 
     
     
       7. A method of producing a hydrocarbon from a formation, the method comprising:
 drilling a wellbore through the formation with an invert emulsion drilling mud and thereby forming an invert emulsion filter cake on the formation; 
 performing at least one completion operation in the wellbore; 
 emplacing a breaker fluid in the wellbore, the breaker fluid comprising:
 an aqueous fluid; 
 at least one iminodiacetic acid or a salt thereof represented by the formula 
 
 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         
           wherein the M groups each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; Y represents a divalent alkyl group having from 1 to 7 carbon atoms and the divalent alkyl group may be substituted by a hydroxyl group or a COOM group wherein M represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; and; W represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group or a COOM group wherein; and M each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; and 
           a weighting agent; and 
         
         shutting the well for a predetermined time to allow the substantial degradation of the invert emulsion filter cake. 
       
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 allowing the formation fluids to enter into the well wellbore; and 
 producing fluids from the well wellbore. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein the completed wellbore contains at least one of a slotted liner, a predrilled liner, a wire wrapped screen, an expandable screen, a sand screen filter, a open hole gravel pack, and casing. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the breaker fluid further includes an acidic buffering agent. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the acidic buffering agent is a mixture of mineral acid and organic acid. 
     
     
       12. The method of claim  11  10, wherein the acidic buffering agent is a hydrolysable ester of a carboxylic acid. 
     
     
       13. A solution, comprising:
 an aqueous fluid;
 at least one iminodiacedtic acid or a salt thereof represented by the formula 
   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         
           wherein Y represents a divalent alkyl group having from 2 to 7 carbon atoms and the divalent alkyl group may be substituted by a COOM group, W represents a hydroxyl group or a COOM group, wherein each M independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group or a substituted ammonium group; 
         
         an acidic buffering agent; and 
         a weighting agent, 
         wherein the aqueous fluid forms the discontinuous phase of an invert emulsion fluid.