Process for inhibiting scale formation in oil well brines

Abstract

Abstract A method for introducing an inhibitor, e.g. an inhibitor against scale formation, into oil well brines is disclosed. This method comprises introducing into the porous reservoir structure, i.e. oil-bearing formation adjacent to the bore of an oil well a relatively water or brine insoluble polyvalent metal salt of the inhibitor, e.g. polyacrylic acid and/or hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, the polyacrylic acid having a molecular weight range of about 17,000 to 50,000, and the hydrolyzed polyacrylamide having from about 10 to 50 percent unhydrolyzed amide groups and a molecular weight of about 1,000 to 8,000, in which the metal is selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals, Zn , Cu , Pb , Fe , Cr , and Al . The method comprises in situ formation of the relatively water or brine insoluble polyvalent metal salt of the inhibitor, e.g. polyacrylic acid and/or hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, in the reservoir structure by introducing into the porous structure a water-soluble salt of the inhibitor, e.g. the sodium salt of the polyacrylic acid and/or hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, and a watersoluble salt of the polyvalent metal in a strongly acidic, aqueous solution. In the in situ method the strong acid in solution initially inhibits reaction of the salts but is dissipated by the fluids in the oil-bearing formation and neutralized by the formation rock to allow reaction and formation of the desired water-insoluble metal salt of polyacrylic acid and/or hydrolyzed polyacrylamide in the formation.

Inventors

• 👤 Leon H Miles
• 👤 Graham E King

Bibliographic Details