Clearwater, Inc.

Todd R Thomas

Kevin W Smith

Motorcycle footrest

Hydrocarbon fracturing fluids are made by combining organic phosphate esters with polyvalent metal salts in hydrocarbon carriers to form gels; breaking of the gel is retarded or otherwise controlled over a wide range of water concentrations through the use of slowly soluble alkaline earth metal compounds, preferably hard burned magnesium oxide, which may be added along with the gel component.

Delayed breaking of gelled hydrocarbon fracturing fluid

Hydrocarbon fracturing fluids are made by combining organic phosphate esters with polyvalent metal salts in hydrocarbon carriers to form gels; breaking of the gel is retarded or otherwise controlled over a wide range of water concentrations, through the use of slowly soluble alkaline earth metal compounds, preferably hard burned magnesium oxide, which may be added along with the gel component. The slowly soluble alkaline earth metal compound is employed together with an oily acid breaker retarding agent such as tall oil.

Controlled gel breaker

Solid gas-drying forms are made by heating drying salts with a polar solvent to form a saturated solution, then cooling, freezing and forming. Preferred salts are combinations of calcium and lithium bromides and chlorides in particularly effective molar ratios.

Eutectic drying composition and method

Swelling and migration of subterranean clay is inhibited during drilling for and stimulation of the production of hydrocarbon fluids, and preparation therefor, by treating said formations with a copolymer of about 5% to about 50% of an anionic monomer such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, or 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid and the balance a cationic monomer selected from dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride, or acryloxy or methacryloxy ethyl, propyl or 3-methyl butyl trimethyl ammonium chlorides or methosulfates. Permeability damage to the formation is reduced in the presence of the copolymer; it is particularly effective in spite of the presence of a foaming agent.

Method of treating shale and clay in hydrocarbon formation drilling

In the removal of particulates from a wellbore, such as in air drilling for hydrocarbon recovery, a mixture of an amphoteric foaming agent and, typically, an anionic surfactant is employed. An aqueous solution thereof having a pH of at least 9.5 is used to generate a foam for removing the particulates; then the foam is collapsed by the introduction of acid to reduce the pH below about 4, the particles are removed mechanically, the pH is restored to greater than 9.5, and the foaming solution is returned to the wellbore. The solution may be used several times; partial losses of foaming agent in the process may be easily replenished with each cycle. Cationic surfactants may be used instead of anionic, with foaming and foam collapse being controlled at opposite pH's. Savings are realized in water, drilling chemicals, and settling pits and the like for removing particulates from the foam.

Iterated foam process and composition for well treatment

Moulding and migration of subterranean clay is inhibited during stimulation of the production of hydrocarbon fluids, and preparation therefor, by treating said formations with a compound of the formula (CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH-CH.sub.2).sub.n N+(CH.sub.3).sub.4-n X.sup.- where X may be any anion which does not adversely react with the formation or treatment fluid and n is an integer from 1 to 4.

Growing community of inventors

Coraopolis, PA, United States of America

Todd R Thomas