Abstract:
A foamed gel is provided having utility for use as a completion, workover or kill fluid for well completions, workovers and other procedures where it is desirable to kill a well.
Abstract:
A process for catalytically dehydrogenating an anthrahydroquinone to form anthraquinone and a hydrogen product. A catalyst which is a metal, a metal compound, or a metal or metal compound dispersed on a support or is a liquid is selected to have an electronegativity greater than about 2.30 so as to result in the substantially complete conversion of anthrahydroquinone to anthraquinone and hydrogen and thereby essentially eliminate formation of unwanted hydrogenolysis by-products, such as anthrones and/or anthranols.
Abstract:
An apparatus and method for perforating and fracturing subterranean formations to enhance fluid production. At least one unlined punch charge is loaded into at least one punch charge carrier (26), and the void spaces in the punch charge carrier are filled with sand. The punch charge carrier is assembled with at least one perforating charge carrier (32), loaded with at least one perforating charge, and a means for detonation. The assembly is positioned in a well containing a pressurized fluid adjacent the interval to be perforated and/or fractured, and the charges are detonated. The one or more punch charges create one or more apertures in the punch charge carrier, allowing sand to enter the well and be carried by the fluid in the well into the perforations and/or fractures created by the perforating charges and the pressurized fluid. The sand scours and/or props the perforations and/or fractures.
Abstract:
A process is provided for reducing the inhibiting effect of gas coning on liquid hydrocarbon production at a production wellbore penetrating a subterranean reservoir having a gas cap overlying a liquid hydrocarbon producing zone in fluid communication with the gas cap across vertical flowpaths of gas-permeable matrix. A foamed gel containing a crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, an aqueous solvent, a surfactant, and a gas is injected through the production wellbore into gas-permeable matrix between the gas cap and wellbore, thereby effectively blocking or reducing the downward flow of gas from the gas cap to the production wellbore and enabling the more desirable liquid hydrocarbons to enter the wellbore for production to the surface.
Abstract:
A process is provided for reducing the inhibiting effect of gas coning on liquid hydrocarbon production into a production wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation having a gas cap overlying a liquid hydrocarbon producing zone in fluid communication with the gas cap. A polymer enhanced foam containing a polymer, an aqueous solvent, a surfactant, and a gas is placed in gas-permeable anomalies or matrix between the production wellbore and gas cap, thereby effectively blocking the downward flow of gas from the gas cap to the production wellbore and enabling desirable liquid hydrocarbons to more readily enter the wellbore for production to the surface.
Abstract:
A process for converting hydrogen sulfide which is contained in a gaseous feed stream to elemental sulfur and hydrogen. The process comprises contacting said gaseous feed stream with a polar organic solvent having an anthraquinone, and optionally a complexing agent, dissolved therein, reacting the hydrogen sulfide gas and anthraquinone to produce sulfur and an anthrahydroquinone in the solvent, and catalytically dehydrogenating the anthrahydroquinone to anthraquinone and hydrogen. In accordance with the present invention, a relatively small quantity of water is added to a polar organic solvent thereby increasing the elemental sulfur which is precipitated and thus recovered. The addition of water prior to or during sulfur production also increases hydrogen product selectivity in the subsequent dehydrogenation of anthrahydroquinone.
Abstract:
A polymer enhanced foam comprising a polymer selected from a synthetic polymer or a biopolymer, a surfactant, an aqueous solvent and a gas is injected into a fractured subterranean formation via a first well in fluid communication with the formation and preferentially enters fractures present in the formation. The injected polymer enhanced foam promotes the recovery of liquid hydrocarbons from said formation via the first well or a second well in fluid communication with the formation.
Abstract:
Undesirable fluid flow is inhibited between a near well bore interval and an underlying aquifer in fluid communication therewith. A permeability-reducing material is injected into the near well bore interval and a portion of the material is selectively overdisplaced out into the formation by means of a low density gas subsequently injected into the interval. The gas desirably restores hydrocarbon productivity or fluid injectivity to the interval while the permeability-reducing material remaining in the interval inhibits fluid communication between the interval and the aquifer.
Abstract:
A relatively high molecular weight polyvinyl sulfonate and a process for inhibiting scale deposition, particularly inorganic sulfate such as barium sulfate, wherein an aqueous fluid present in or produced from a subterranean formation is contacted with an aqueous solution having a relatively high molecular weight polyvinyl sulfonate dissolved therein. The aqueous fluid has a pH equal to or less than 6.0 and the polyvinyl sulfonate has a molecular weight of from about 9,000 to about 30,000.
Abstract:
Plugging in fluid passageways of a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation or associated production wells caused by the accumulation of insoluble salt precipitates therein which results from an in situ interaction between precipitate precursor ions in an injection water and resident ions already occurring in the formation is prevented by removing the precursor ions from the injection water by a reverse osmosis membrane before injecting the water into the formation.