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US-12617999-B2 - Self-healing cement

US12617999B2US 12617999 B2US12617999 B2US 12617999B2US-12617999-B2

Abstract

A method of cementing a wellbore includes forming a cement slurry by combining a nanocellulose, an amine component, a cement component, and an aqueous carrier; injecting the cement slurry into the wellbore; and allowing the cement slurry to set, thereby cementing the wellbore.

Inventors

  • Angela Anh Doan
  • Radhika Suresh

Assignees

  • BAKER HUGHES OILFIELD OPERATIONS LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240827

Claims (11)

  1. 1 . A method of cementing a wellbore, the method comprising: forming a cement slurry by: combining a nanocellulose and an amine component comprising amine-functionalized inorganic nanoparticles to form a gel; and adding a cement component and an aqueous carrier to the gel; injecting the cement slurry into the wellbore; and setting the cement slurry, thereby cementing the wellbore.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the nanocellulose comprises a cellulose nanocrystal, a cellulose nanofiber, or a bacterial nanocellulose.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a content of the nanocellulose is about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent based on a weight of the cement component, and the nanocellulose comprise a crystallinity greater than or equal to 85%.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a content of the amine component in the cement slurry is about 0.05 to about 5 weight percent based on a weight of the cement component.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the cement slurry further comprises adding the cement component, the aqueous carrier, and an additive to the gel.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the additive comprises at least one of a dispersant, a setting accelerator, a setting retardant, a gelling agent, a fluid loss control agent, an extender, a defoamer, a weighting agent, a thixotropic agent, a bridging agent or lost circulation material, a silicate material, or a clay stabilizer.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the additive comprises a dispersant.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the dispersant comprises at least one of a naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde condensate, an acetone formaldehyde sulfite condensate, or a glucan delta lactone derivative.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein a content of the dispersant in the cement slurry is about 0.05 to about 5 weight percent based on a weight of the cement component.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the cement slurry comprises about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent of the cellulose nanocrystal, about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent of the amine component, about 0.01 to about 2 weight percent of a dispersant, and about 10 to about 120 weight percent of the aqueous carrier, each based on a weight of the cement component.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the cement slurry has a density of about 7 to about 22 pounds per gallon.

Description

BACKGROUND Plugging oil or gas wells with a cement plug is a common operation in the art. In general, one of the goals of plug cementing is to secure a stable and effective seal in a designated location of the wellbore. In other cases, a cement plug may be used to provide a base for initiating a derivation or kick-off when a directional change in drilling is desired. A cement operation can also be used for temporary or permanent well abandonment. Cement plugs are often constructed by pumping a cement slurry down a tubular such as a drill pipe, liner or casing. Once placed at the target location, the cement slurry sets and hardens by reaction with water, forming a cement plug. Set cement, however, is susceptible to degradation when exposed to carbon dioxide at elevated temperatures and pressures for an extended period of time. The degradation can lead to cracks or fractures which can compromise the integrity of the cement. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for self-healing cements. SUMMARY A method of cementing a wellbore includes forming a cement slurry by combining a nanocellulose, an amine component, a cement component, and an aqueous carrier; injecting the cement slurry into the wellbore; and allowing the cement slurry to set, thereby cementing the wellbore. A cement slurry includes, a cement component; about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent of a nanocellulose; about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent of an amine component; and about 10 to about 120 weight percent of an aqueous carrier, each based on a weight of the cement component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are pictures of cements derived from cement slurries without (FIG. 1A) or with (FIG. 1B) cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) after curing in water bath at 100° F. for 24 hours, and placed in CO2 chamber cells at 100° F. for 24 hours; and FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of cements derived from cement slurries without (FIG. 1A) or with (FIG. 1B) CNC after curing in water bath at 100° F. for 24 hours, and placed in CO2 chamber cells at 100° F. for 24 hours. DETAILED DESCRIPTION A cement slurry that can form a cement having self-healing properties is disclosed. The cement slurry comprises a nanocellulose, an amine component, a cement component, and an aqueous carrier. Once injected downhole, the cement slurry can set forming a cement. When there's a fracture on the cement, and CO2 gas is coming out of the wellbore, CO2 can react with the amine in the cement forming a gel, which seals the fracture on the cement. Nanocellulose is a term referring to nano-structured cellulose. Nanocellulose can include cellulose nanofibers, bacterial nanocelluloses, or cellulose nanocrystals. Cellulose nanofibers can include nanosized cellulose fibrils. Bacterial nanocellulose refers to nano-structured cellulose produced by bacteria. Cellulose nanocrystals are known and have been described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 11,466,187. Cellulose nanocrystals can be extracted as a colloidal suspension by acid hydrolysis of chemical wood pulps, and other cellulosic materials, such as bacteria, cellulose-containing sea animals, cotton, and the alike. Cellulose nanocrystals are constituted of cellulose, a linear polymer of beta (1 to 4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose nanocrystals can also have high crystallinity (e.g., at least 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, or even 90%) approaching the theoretical limit of the cellulose chains, where crystallinity refers to the crystalline fraction of the sample. The physical dimensions of cellulose nanocrystals can vary depending on the raw material used in the extraction. For example, the average maximum dimension of a cross-section of the cellulose nanocrystal cellulose nanocrystal (perpendicular to the length) can be about 2 nanometers (nm) to about 50 nm, about 4 nm to about 50 nm, about 4 nm to about 30 nm, about 1 nm to about 20 am, or about 1 to about 10 nm. The average length (maximum dimension) of the cellulose nanocrystal can be about 50 nm to about 2 micrometer (μm), about 75 nm to about 750 nm, about 100 nm to about 500 nm, about 75 nm to about 250 nm, about 50 nm to about 200 nm, or about 50 nm to about 100 nm. The cellulose nanocrystals can have a high aspect ratio (ratio of height versus length), for example, about 10 to about 100. The cellulose nanocrystals can exist as agglomerate prior to being dispersed in the cement slurry. Optionally, the surfaces of the cellulose nanocrystals can have a plurality of functional groups, including hydroxyl, carboxyl, amino, and/or sulfate half-ester groups. Cellulose nanocrystals can also be functionalized or crosslinked with other polymers or ionic materials, including alkaline-earth cations, or transition-d-block metal cations such as titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, or copper cations. A content of the nanocellulose in the cement slurry can be about 0.05 to about 10 weight percent, about 0.5 to about 5 weight