Spotting fluid and method of treating a stuck pipe

Abstract

The method for releasing the stuck pipe of the present invention uses a combination of components which oxidize the mud cake and generated gas bubbles to create an upward buoyancy for the oxidized mud cake. The spotting method of the present invention comprises adding to the borehole in the region of the stuck pipe: 1) an oxidizer which oxidizes the mud cake; and 2) at least one component which reacts in the borehole to generate a gas. Optionally, but preferably, the spotting method further uses a lubricant which is added to the borehole in the region of the stuck pipe. The lubricant acts to lubricate the oxidized parts of the mud cake. Also disclosed is a spotting fluid system comprising 1) an oxidizer which oxidizes the mud cake, 2) at least one component which reacts in the borehole to generate a gas, and, optionally a lubricant which acts to lubricate the oxidized parts of the mud cake.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for dislodging a stuck pipe in a well bore of a downhole well drilling operation comprising adding to the borehole in the region of the stuck pipe: 
 1) an oxidizer;    2) at least one component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas; and    3) optionally, a reducer.    
     
     
         2 . The method of    claim 1   , wherein the component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas reacts with the oxidizer or reducer to generate said gas.  
     
     
         3 . The method of    claim 1   , wherein the generated gas is carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, or a combination thereof.  
     
     
         4 . The method of    claim 2   , wherein the gas generating component is selected from the group consisting of hydrazine, sodium bicarbonate, manganese oxide and hydrogen peroxide.  
     
     
         5 . The method of    claim 1   , further comprising adding (4) a lubricant or a penetration rate enhancer to the well bore.  
     
     
         6 . The method of    claim 5   , wherein the lubricant is added to the well bore between the oxidizer and the component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas.  
     
     
         7 . The method of    claim 5   , wherein the lubricants or penetration rate enhancer is selected from the group consisting of synthetic esters or synthetic esters in combination with vegetable oil, surfactants, mineral oil, glycol, glycerol, alcohols, low toxicity hydrocarbon or mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The method of    claim 5   , wherein the lubricant is a drilling fluid comprising at least one of the following drilling fluid modules (A)-(E): 
 (A) an alkaline first module that contains (a) a source of caustic, (b) a natural wax, (c) a natural thinner, (d) glycerol, and (e) phosphoric acid and/or boric acid;    (B) a second module prepared by reacting (f) aluminum metal with the components of said alkaline first module thereby forming a soluble alkali metal aluminate;    (C) a third module comprising said components of said first module in combination (g) with at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate;    (D) a fourth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and optionally a synthetic oil and a surfactant, and/or    (E) a fifth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and (g) at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate.    
     
     
         9 . The method of    claim 8   , wherein the lubricant or penetration rate enhancer comprises the fifth module of the modular drilling fluid.  
     
     
         10 . The method of    claim 1   , further comprising the step of applying mechanical force to the drill string after the addition of the components to the well bore.  
     
     
         11 . The method of    claim 1   , wherein the oxidizer is hydrogen peroxide.  
     
     
         12 . The method of    claim 2   , wherein the component which reacts with the oxidizer is a hypochlorite or a peroxide.  
     
     
         13 . The method of    claim 12   , wherein the hypochlorites are selected from the group consisting of sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, lithium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite and magnesium hypochlorite; and the peroxide is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide alkali metal peroxides, alkaline earth metal peroxides and manganese group peroxides.  
     
     
         14 . The method of    claim 12   , wherein the component which reacts with the oxidizer is sodium hypochlorite.  
     
     
         15 . The method of    claim 11   , wherein the hydrogen peroxide is added to the well in a solution with fresh water or brine, the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide is between about 1.5% to about 5.0% by weight or volume.  
     
     
         16 . The method of    claim 14   , wherein the sodium hypochlorite is added to the well in a solution with fresh water or brine, the concentration of the sodium hypochlorite is between about 1.0 and 10.0% by weight or volume.  
     
     
         17 . The method of    claim 5   , wherein the component which reacts in the well bore reacts with a component in the lubricant or penetration rate enhancer.  
     
     
         18 . The method of    claim 17   , wherein the component which reacts in the well bore is sodium bicarbonate.  
     
     
         19 . The method of    claim 18   , wherein the lubricant or penetration rate enhancer contains an acid which will react with the sodium bicarbonate.  
     
     
         20 . A spotting fluid system for dislodging a stuck pipe in a well bore of a downhole well drilling operation comprising: 
 1) an oxidizer;    2) at least one component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas; and    3) optionally a reducer.    
     
     
         21 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 20   , further comprising a lubricant or a penetration rate enhancer.  
     
     
         22 . The method of    claim 21   , wherein the lubricant is at least one of the following drilling fluid modules (A)-(E): 
 (A) an alkaline first module that contains (a) a source of caustic, (b) a natural wax, (c) a natural thinner, (d) glycerol, and (e) phosphoric acid and/or boric acid;    (B) a second module prepared by reacting (f) aluminum metal with the components of said alkaline first module thereby forming a soluble alkali metal aluminate;    (C) a third module comprising said components of said first module in combination (g) with at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate;    (D) a fourth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source or synthetic ester, and/or    (E) a fifth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and (g) at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate.    
     
     
         23 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 20   , wherein the oxidizer is hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite.  
     
     
         24 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 20   , wherein the component which reacts in the borehole to generate gas is a hypochlorite or a peroxide.  
     
     
         25 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 24   , wherein the hypochlorites are selected from the group consisting of sodium hypochlorite, potassium hypochlorite, lithium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite and magnesium hypochlorite; and the peroxide is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide, alkali metal peroxides, alkaline earth metal peroxides and manganese group peroxides.  
     
     
         26 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 25   , wherein the hypochlorite is sodium hypochlorite.  
     
     
         27 . The spotting fluid system of    claim 21   , wherein the oxidizer is hydrogen peroxide, the drilling fluid is the fifth module, and the component which reacts in the borehole to generate gas is sodium hypochlorite.  
     
     
         28 . An article of manufacture comprising the spotting fluid system of    claim 20   , wherein a first container comprises the oxidizer, a second container comprises at least one component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas.  
     
     
         29 . An article of manufacture comprising the spotting fluid system of    claim 22   , wherein a first container comprises the oxidizer, a second container comprises at least one component which reacts in the well bore to generate a gas and the third container comprises one of the modules of the modular drilling fluid.  
     
     
         30 . The article of manufacture of    claim 29   , wherein the first container comprises hydrogen peroxide, the second container comprises sodium hypochlorite, and the third container comprises the fifth module of the drilling fluid.  
     
     
         31 . A method of dislodging a stuck pipe in a borehole of a down hole well drilling operation using a drilling mud comprising, as a drilling fluid, at least one of the following modules (A)-(E) 
 (A) an alkaline first module that contains (a) a source of caustic, (b) a natural wax, (c) a natural thinner, (d) glycerol, and (e) phosphoric acid and/or boric acid,    (B) a second module prepared by reacting (f) aluminum metal with the components of said alkaline first module thereby forming a soluble alkali metal aluminate,    (C) a third module comprising said components of said first module in combination (g) with at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate,    (D) a fourth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, or    (E) a fifth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and (g)    at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate; said method comprising adding to the borehole a solution comprising (I) hydrogen peroxide and (ii) water or brine.    
     
     
         32 . The method of    claim 31   , wherein the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide in the solution is about 1.5% to about 5.0% by weight or volume.  
     
     
         33 . A completion fluid comprising water or brine, a gel and at least one of the following at least one of the following modules (A)-(E) of a modular drilling fluid: 
 (A) an alkaline first module that contains (a) a source of caustic, (b) a natural wax, (c) a natural thinner, (d) glycerol, and (e) phosphoric acid and/or boric acid,    (B) a second module prepared by reacting (f) aluminum metal with the components of said alkaline first module thereby forming a soluble alkali metal aluminate,    (C) a third module comprising said components of said first module in combination (g) with at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate,    (D) a fourth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, or    (E) a fifth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and (g) at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate.    
     
     
         34 . A method of dislodging a stuck pipe in a borehole of a downhole well drilling operation comprising adding to the well at least one of the following modules (A)-(E) of a modular drilling fluid: 
 (A) an alkaline first module that contains (a) a source of caustic, (b) a natural wax, (c) a natural thinner, (d) glycerol, and (e) phosphoric acid and/or boric acid,    (B) a second module prepared by reacting (f) aluminum metal with the components of said alkaline first module thereby forming a soluble alkali metal aluminate,    (C) a third module comprising said components of said first module in combination (g) with at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate,    (D) a fourth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, or    (E) a fifth module comprising said components of said first module in combination with (h) a saturated or unsaturated carboxylic acid source, and (g) at least one of an alkali metal phosphate, borate and sodium silicate.