Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.

International Paper Company

Georgia-pacific Corrugated LLC

Sandeep D Kulkarni

Dale E Jamison

Kushabhau Dagadu Teke

Matthew Lynn Miller

Kushabhau D Teke

Sharath Savari

Peter Matthew Froass

Richard C Williams

Robert J Murphy

Victor P Holbert

Rick C Williams

Yuan Ling

Lalit N Mahajan

Pubudu Hasanka Gamage

William Walter Shumway

Xiangnan Ye

Andrew David Vos

Kenneth Heidt Matthews, Iii

Pubudu Gamage

Jacob Michael Sieverling

Cato Russell McDaniel

John L Maida

John Paul Bir Singh

Vikrant Bhavanishankar Wagle

Kay Ann Galindo

Krishna Babu Yerubandi

Dhanashree Gajanan Kulkarni

Richard D Faber

Ernest Barfield Widner

Adam Dotson

Arunesh Kumar

Vitor Lopes Pereira

Jessica Paola Ramirez Angulo

Don L Whitfill

Charles R Kersnick

Rodney T Barron

Brian J Reilly

Don Whitfill

Systems and methods of the disclosed embodiments include a rheometer having a housing with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, a cylinder with a cavity located to receive fluid that passes into the fluid inlet, a motor configured to rotate the cylinder, a torsion bob within the cavity, and a controller located remotely from the rheometer. The controller includes a pressure regulator configured to pressurize fluid to power the motor, a rotation sensor configured to receive an optical rotation signal indicating a rotation speed of the cylinder, and a torque sensor configured to receive an optical signal indicating a torque on the torsion bob. The controller may be configured to receive a rotation speed signal from the rotation sensor, a torque signal from the torque sensor, and to calculate a shear stress for the fluid based on the rotation speed signal and the torque signal.

Optical fluidic methods for a rheometer

Characterizing the decay of the microstructure of a drilling fluid gel using a model based on two exponential functions. Based on the model, identify at least two components of the decay model comprising a fast decay component and a slow decay component, wherein the fast decay component decays more quickly than the slow decay component. The decay of the microstructure of the gel over a time period can be determined using a rheometer or viscometer. Wellbore processes, including start up and tripping operations can be optimized based on the determination of the fast decay component and/or a slow decay component of the drilling fluid gel.

Fragile and normal viscoelastic components of drilling fluid gels

Disclosed are methods in which measurements are obtained from a plurality of sensors secured in spaced relation to one another across at least a portion of the depth of reservoir of some form in order to identify one or more characteristics of the fluids within the reservoir. The sensors are used to monitor ambient forces exerted by fluids within the tank proximate each sensor. An example mechanism for obtaining the measurements includes a plurality of sensors, such as strain gauges, supported on a structure that supports the sensors in fixed relation to one another, and can, in some examples, support the sensors in a known relation relative to boundaries of the reservoir.

Method and apparatus for measuring characteristics of fluid in a reservoir

A system can identify a type of contamination for drilling fluid based on measured fluid properties of the drilling fluid and fluid properties of a reference drilling fluid. A system can measure a first plurality of fluid properties for a drilling fluid sample contaminated from a wellbore drilling operation. A system can select a predicted model in relation to one or more types of contamination by comparing the first plurality of fluid properties and a second plurality of fluid properties measured from a reference fluid sample. A system can analyze the first plurality of fluid properties and a third plurality of fluid properties generated from the predicted model to determine a first type of contamination in the drilling fluid sample.

Identifying types of contaminations of drilling fluids for a drilling operation

Drilling fluid can be monitored throughout a drill site and at various stages of drilling operations. The drilling fluid may be analyzed to identify components that make the drilling fluid as well as the volume of each of the components, The volume of each component can be used, for example, to determine a percentage of water in a water-based drilling fluid and the average specific gravity of the water-based drilling fluid without further decomposition of the drilling fluid. The percentage of water and the average specific gravity can then be used to modify the drilling fluid, in real-time, based on conditions in the wellbore.

Dynamic formulation of water-based drilling fluids

The equivalent circulating density ('ECD') in a wellbore may be managed during a wellbore operation using ECD models that take into account the rheology of the wellbore fluid and the rotational speed of tubulars in the wellbore. For example, a method may include rotating a rotating tubular in a stationary conduit while flowing a fluid through an annulus between the rotating tubular and the stationary conduit; calculating an equivalent circulating density ('ECD') of the fluid where a calculated viscosity of the fluid is based on an ECD model ?_eff=f(? ?_eff)*h(Re), wherein ?_eff is the viscosity of the fluid, ? ?_eff is an effective shear rate of the fluid, and Re is a Reynold's number for the fluid for the rotational speed of the rotating tubular; and changing an operational parameter of the wellbore operation to maintain or change the ECD of the fluid.

Managing equivalent circulating density during a wellbore operation

Systems and methods for adjusting well operations utilize measured values and curve fitting to determine predicted values of the gel strength of well-treatment fluids. The systems and methods are exemplified by first measuring a plurality of measured values representative of the gel strength of the well-treatment fluid, then determining a mathematical function that fits the plurality of measured values. From the mathematical function, the projected values are determined. The projected values are representative of the gel strength for the well-treatment fluid after a projected-value static period.

Gel prediction modeling of wellbore fluids using rheology measurements

A treatment fluid comprises: a base fluid; a lost-circulation material, wherein the lost-circulation material inhibits or prevents some or all of the treatment fluid from penetrating into a subterranean formation from a wellbore, wherein the wellbore penetrates the subterranean formation; and a suspending agent, wherein the suspending agent consists of a plurality of fibers, and wherein the suspending agent provides a lost-circulation material distribution of at least 30% for a test treatment fluid consisting essentially of the base fluid, the lost-circulation material, and the suspending agent at the temperature of a lost-circulation zone of the subterranean formation and static aging for at least 1 hour.

Fiber suspending agent for lost-circulation materials

Various embodiments disclosed relate to methods, compositions, and systems for enhanced oil recovery including a viscosifier polymer. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of enhanced oil recovery that can include obtaining or providing a composition that includes a viscosifier polymer. The viscosifier polymer includes an ethylene repeating unit including a &#x2014;C(O)NHgroup and an ethylene repeating unit including an &#x2014;S(O)ORgroup, where the repeating units are in block, alternate, or random configuration. At each occurrence Rcan be independently selected from the group consisting of &#x2014;H and a counterion. The method can include placing the composition in a subterranean formation downhole via an injection wellbore. The method can also include extracting material comprising petroleum from the subterranean formation downhole via a production wellbore.

Viscosifier for enhanced oil recovery

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for wellbore pressure control with separated fluid columns. One embodiment is a composition comprising: a base fluid, a hectorite clay, a secondary clay comprising at least one clay selected from the group consisting of an attapulgite clay, a sepiolite clay, a palygorskite clay, and any combination thereof, and a plurality of fibers. Another embodiment is a method comprising: introducing a first fluid into a wellbore; introducing a barrier pill into the wellbore, wherein the barrier pill comprises: a base fluid, a hectorite clay, and a plurality of fibers; and introducing a second fluid into the wellbore. Another embodiment is a method comprising: introducing a first fluid into a wellbore; introducing a barrier pill into the wellbore, wherein the barrier pill comprises: a base fluid, a hectorite clay, and a secondary clay comprising at least one clay selected from the group consisting of an attapulgite clay, a sepiolite clay, a palygorskite clay, and any combination thereof; and introducing a second fluid into the wellbore.

Barrier pills

A well system including a drill string having an inlet and extending from a surface location into a wellbore and defining an annulus between the drill string and the wellbore; a fluid circuit that circulates a treatment fluid, the fluid circuit extending from the inlet, through the drill string to a bottom of the wellbore, back to the surface location within the annulus, and back to the inlet; and one or more ultrasound devices arranged at-line, off-line, or in-line with fluid circuit to monitor the treatment fluid and track a real-time particle size distribution (PSD) of one or more particles suspended within the treatment fluid.

Real-time ultrasound techniques to determine particle size distribution

Some embodiments described herein relate to methods comprising providing a proposed invert emulsion formulation, wherein the proposed invert emulsion formulation comprises an oil phase, an aqueous phase, and a particulates fraction comprising a first sub-fraction and a second sub-fraction, wherein the first sub-fraction comprises high-gravity particulates and the second sub-fraction comprises low-gravity particulates; calculating an initial associative stability value of the proposed invert emulsion based on the degree of association between the aqueous phase and the particulates fraction comprising both the first sub-fraction and the second sub-fraction; manipulating the proposed invert emulsion based on the initial associative stability value so as to produce an associatively stable invert emulsion having a final associative stability value in the range of between about 50% and about 100%; and introducing the associatively stable invert emulsion into a subterranean formation.

Methods of designing an invert emulsion fluid having high associative stability

Various embodiments disclosed related to methods, compositions, and systems for treatment of a subterranean formation. In various embodiments, the present invention provides a method of treating a subterranean formation. The method can include obtaining or providing a composition including a crosslinkable viscosifier polymer. The crosslinkable viscosifier polymer can include an ethylene repeating unit including a &#x2014;C(O)NHgroup and an ethylene repeating unit including an &#x2014;S(O)ORgroup, wherein the repeating units are in block, alternate, or random configuration. At each occurrence Rcan be independently selected from the group consisting of &#x2014;H and a counterion. The composition can also include at least one crosslinker. The method also includes placing the composition in a subterranean formation downhole.

Temperature-triggered viscosifier for treatment of a subterranean formation

A wellbore fluid sampling system may comprise a mixing system coupled to a wellbore sample supply and a recycled diluent supply, a fluid analysis system coupled to the mixing system, and a diluent recycle system coupled to the fluid analysis system and the mixing system, wherein the diluent recycle system comprises an evaporator and a condenser. A method for recycling diluent may comprise combining a wellbore fluid sample with a diluent to form a diluted wellbore fluid sample, analyzing the diluted wellbore fluid sample to determine one or more fluid properties, separating at least a portion of the diluent from the wellbore fluid sample in the diluted wellbore fluid sample, and recycling the separated portion of the diluent for re-use.

Growing community of inventors

Kingwood, TX, United States of America

Sandeep D Kulkarni