Gravel-packing carrier fluid with internal breaker

Abstract

A method of gravel packing a hole in a subterranean formation having a filter cake coated on the surface thereof that includes injecting into the hole a gravel pack composition comprising gravel and a carrier fluid comprising a base fluid and at least one iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof is disclosed.

1 .- 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A solution, comprising:
 an aqueous fluid;   at least one iminodiacetic acid or a salt thereof represented by the formula   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein Y represents a divalent alkyl group having from 2 to 7 carbon atoms and the divalent alkyl group may be substituted by a COOM group; and W represents a hydroxyl group or a COOM group, wherein the M groups each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom, an ammonium group, or a substituted ammonium group. 
         an acidic buffering agent; and 
         gravel. 
       
     
     
         17 . The solution of  claim 16 , wherein the acid buffing agent is a mixture of mineral acid and organic acids. 
     
     
         18 . The solution of  claim 17 , wherein the acid buffing agent is a hydrolyzable ester of C1 to C6 carboxylic acid and a C2 to C30 alcohol. 
     
     
         19 . The solution of  claim 16 , further comprising a weighting agent. 
     
     
         20 . The solution of  claim 19 , wherein the weighting agent is a brine containing salts of alkali and alkaline earth metals. 
     
     
         21 . The solution of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 at least one selected from a wetting agent, a cleaning agent, a viscosifying agent, a fluid loss control agent, a dispersant, an interfacial tension reducer, a pH buffer, a thinner, defoamer, bactericide, and a surfactant.   
     
     
         22 . The solution of  claim 16 , wherein the aqueous fluid is selected from fresh water, sea water, a brine containing organic and/or inorganic dissolved salts, liquids containing water-miscible organic compounds and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         23 . The solution of  claim 16 , wherein the aqueous fluid forms the discontinuous phase of an invert emulsion fluid. 
     
     
         24 . The solution of  claim 23 , wherein the invert emulsion fluid has a continuous phase selected from oleaginous fluids in the group consisting of diesel oil, mineral oil, synthetic oils, fatty acid ester based synthetic oils, polyolefin based synthetic oils, saturated and unsaturated polyalpha olefins, saturated and unsaturated long chain internal olefins, polydiorganosiloxanes, siloxanes or organo-siloxanes, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         25 . The solution of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one iminodiacetic acid or salt thereof is one or more selected from a group consisting of α-alanine-N,N-diacetic acid, β-alanine-N,N-diacetic acid, aspartic acid-N,N-diacetic acid, glutamic acid-N,N-diacetic acid, serine-N,N-diacetic acid, and salts thereof.