Well kill additive, well kill treatment fluid made therefrom, and method of killing a well

Abstract

For well kill treatment to prevent the intrusion of formation fluids into the wellbore while the well is open, a well kill additive including a dry mixture of water soluble crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, and a reinforcing material of fibers and/or comminuted plant materials. The method of forming a well kill fluid includes contacting the additive with water or an aqueous solution, with a method of conforming the formation further including the step of injecting the fluid into the wellbore.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A well kill additive comprising a dry mixture of a 
 water soluble crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, and a reinforcing material selected from among fibers and comminuted plant materials.    
     
     
         2 . The additive of    claim 1    wherein the polymer is an a carboxylate-containing polymer and the crosslinking agent is a chromic carboxylate complex.  
     
     
         3 . The additive of    claim 2    wherein the reinforcing material comprises hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers.  
     
     
         4 . The additive of    claim 3    wherein the hydrophobic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophobic fibers consisting essentially of nylon, rayon, and hydrocarbon fibers, and wherein the hydrophilic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophilic fibers consisting essentially of glass, cellulose, carbon, silicon, graphite, calcined petroleum coke, and cotton fibers.  
     
     
         5 . The additive of    claim 2    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted plant material.  
     
     
         6 . The additive of    claim 5    wherein the reinforcing material comprises at least one comminuted material selected from the group of comminuted plant materials consisting essentially of nut and seed shells or hulls of almond, brazil, cocoa bean, coconut, cotton, flax, grass, linseed, maize, millet, oat, peach, peanut, rice, rye, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and wheat; rice tips; rice straw; rice bran; crude pectate pulp; peat moss fibers; flax; cotton; cotton linters; wool; sugar cane; paper; bagasse; bamboo; corn stalks; sawdust; wood; bark; straw; cork; dehydrated vegetable matter; whole ground corn cobs; corn cob light density pith core; corn cob ground woody ring portion; corn cob chaff portion; cotton seed stems; flax stems; wheat stems; sunflower seed stems; soybean stems; maize stems; rye grass stems; millet stems; and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The additive of    claim 2    wherein the polymer is a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide.  
     
     
         8 . The additive of    claim 7    wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among comminuted materials derived from peanuts, wood, paper any portion of rice seed or plant, any portion of corn cobs, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         9 . The additive of    claim 8    wherein the additive further includes cellophane, and wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and peanut hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction, and wood fiber or almond hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction; and mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction and at least one of wood fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         10 . The additive of    claim 9    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted mixture of rice fraction, corn cob pith and chaff, cedar fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         11 . A method of forming a well kill fluid comprising: 
 (a) providing a well kill additive comprising a dry mixture of water soluble crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, and a reinforcing material selected from among fibers and comminuted plant materials; and    (b) contacting the well kill additive with water or an aqueous solution to form the well kill fluid.    
     
     
         12 . The method of    claim 11    wherein the polymer is a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, the crosslinking agent is a chromic carboxylate complex, wherein the additive further includes cellophane, and wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and peanut hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction, and wood fiber or almond hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction; and mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction and at least one of wood fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         13 . The additive of    claim 12    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted mixture of rice fraction, corn cob pith and chaff, cedar fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         14 . A method of killing a well to substantially reduce volumetric flow of a formation fluid across a wellbore face into a wellbore penetrating a formation having a formation matrix and containing said formation fluid below an earthen surface, comprising: 
 (a) providing a well kill additive comprising a dry mixture of water soluble crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, and a reinforcing material selected from among fibers and comminuted plant materials;    (b) contacting said additive with water to for a well kill fluid;    (c) placing said well kill fluid in said wellbore at said wellbore face, wherein said fluid which is placed at said wellbore face does not significantly penetrate the formation matrix;    (d) forming a nonflowing fluid from said well kill fluid in said wellbore at said wellbore face to substantially reduce said volumetric flow of said formation fluid across said wellbore face into said wellbore, thereby killing said well; and    (e) removing substantially all of said nonflowing fluid from said wellbore face to substantially restore the volumetric flow of said formation fluid into said wellbore.    
     
     
         15 . The method of    claim 14    wherein the polymer is an a carboxylate-containing polymer and the crosslinking agent is a chromic carboxylate complex.  
     
     
         16 . The method of    claim 15    wherein the reinforcing material comprises hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers.  
     
     
         17 . The method of    claim 16    wherein the hydrophobic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophobic fibers consisting essentially of nylon, rayon, and hydrocarbon fibers, and wherein the hydrophilic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophilic fibers consisting essentially of glass, cellulose, carbon, silicon, graphite, calcined petroleum coke, and cotton fibers.  
     
     
         18 . The method of    claim 15    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted plant material.  
     
     
         19 . The method of    claim 18    wherein the reinforcing material comprises at least one comminuted material selected from the group of comminuted plant materials consisting essentially of nut and seed shells or hulls of almond, brazil, cocoa bean, coconut, cotton, flax, grass, linseed, maize, millet, oat, peach, peanut, rice, rye, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and wheat; rice tips; rice straw; rice bran; crude pectate pulp; peat moss fibers; flax; cotton; cotton linters; wool; sugar cane; paper; bagasse; bamboo; corn stalks; sawdust; wood; bark; straw; cork; dehydrated vegetable matter; whole ground corn cobs; corn cob light density pith core; corn cob ground woody ring portion; corn cob chaff portion; cotton seed stems; flax stems; wheat stems; sunflower seed stems; soybean stems; maize stems; rye grass stems; millet stems; and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         20 . The method of    claim 15    wherein the polymer is a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide.  
     
     
         21 . The method of    claim 20    wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among comminuted materials derived from peanuts, wood, paper any portion of rice seed or plant, any portion of corn cobs, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         22 . The method of    claim 21    wherein the additive further includes cellophane, and wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and peanut hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction, and wood fiber or almond hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction; and mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction and at least one of wood fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         23 . The method of    claim 22    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted mixture of rice fraction, corn cob pith and chaff, cedar fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         24 . A method for reducing volumetric flow of a formation fluid across a wellbore face into a wellbore penetrating a formation having a formation matrix and containing said formation fluid below an earthen surface, comprising:: 
 (a) providing a well kill fluid comprising an aqueous solution of water soluble crosslinkable polymer, a crosslinking agent, and a reinforcing material selected from among fibers and comminuted plant materials;    (b) placing said well kill fluid in said wellbore at said wellbore face, wherein said fluid which is placed at said wellbore face does not significantly penetrate the formation matrix;    (c) forming a nonflowing fluid from said well kill fluid in said wellbore at said wellbore face to substantially reduce said volumetric flow of said formation fluid across said wellbore face into said wellbore, thereby killing said well; and    (d) removing substantially all of said nonflowing fluid from said wellbore face to substantially restore the volumetric flow of said formation fluid into said wellbore.    
     
     
         25 . The method of    claim 24    wherein the polymer is an a carboxylate-containing polymer and the crosslinking agent is a chromic carboxylate complex.  
     
     
         26 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the reinforcing material comprises hydrophilic and hydrophobic fibers.  
     
     
         27 . The method of    claim 26    wherein the hydrophobic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophobic fibers consisting essentially of nylon, rayon, and hydrocarbon fibers, and wherein the hydrophilic fibers comprise at least one selected from the group of hydrophilic fibers consisting essentially of glass, cellulose, carbon, silicon, graphite, calcined petroleum coke, and cotton fibers.  
     
     
         28 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted plant material.  
     
     
         29 . The method of    claim 28    wherein the reinforcing material comprises at least one comminuted material selected from the group of comminuted plant materials consisting essentially of nut and seed shells or hulls of almond, brazil, cocoa bean, coconut, cotton, flax, grass, linseed, maize, millet, oat, peach, peanut, rice, rye, soybean, sunflower, walnut, and wheat; rice tips; rice straw; rice bran; crude pectate pulp; peat moss fibers; flax; cotton; cotton linters; wool; sugar cane; paper; bagasse; bamboo; corn stalks; sawdust; wood; bark; straw; cork; dehydrated vegetable matter; whole ground corn cobs; corn cob light density pith core; corn cob ground woody ring portion; corn cob chaff portion; cotton seed stems; flax stems; wheat stems; sunflower seed stems; soybean stems; maize stems; rye grass stems; millet stems; and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         30 . The method of    claim 25    wherein the polymer is a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide.  
     
     
         31 . The method of    claim 30    wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among comminuted materials derived from peanuts, wood, paper any portion of rice seed or plant, any portion of corn cobs, and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         32 . The method of    claim 31    wherein the additive further includes cellophane, and wherein the reinforcing material is a comminuted material selected from among mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and peanut hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction, and wood fiber or almond hulls; mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction; and mixtures of comminuted rice fraction and corn cob fraction and at least one of wood fiber, nut shells, and paper.  
     
     
         33 . The method of    claim 32    wherein the reinforcing material comprises comminuted mixture of rice fraction, corn cob pith and chaff, cedar fiber, nut shells, and paper.