US4230183A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Method for treating subterranean, clay-containing earth formations
Assignee: Texaco Inc
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Filing: 1978-12-11
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Granted: 1980-10-28
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Expires: 1998-12-11
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a method for treating subterranean earth formations containing appreciable amounts of water-sensitive clays, including petroleum-containing formations, in order to render the clay content of the formation less sensitive to swelling and other phenomena which cause reductions in permeability of the earth formation when the clay content is contacted with relatively fresh water. The method involves contacting the clay with an aqueous solution of a chelated polyvalent metal ion, specifically chelated transition metal ions, including magnesium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, ruthenium, rhodium, silver, cadmium, iridium, platinum, gold, mercury and lead. The chelating organic ligands are ethylene diamine, diaminopropane, diaminobutane, diethylenetriamine, triethylenetetraamine, tetraethylenepentamine, pentaethylenehexamine, tris(aminoethyl)amine, triaminopropane, diaminoaminoethylpropane, diaminomethylpropane, diaminodimethylbutane, bipyridine, dipyridylamine, phenanthroline, aminoethylpyridine, terpyridine, biguanide and pyridinealdazine.
Inventors
- 👤 George Kalfoglou
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 18:45
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K8/00; C09K8/60; C09K8/607; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S507/00; Y10S507/935; Y10S507/936
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for treating a subterranean earth formation containing water-sensitive clays, to render the formation less sensitive to loss of permeability due to contact with fresh water, comprising: contacting said earth formation with an effective amount of an aqueous fluid containing a chelated polyvalent transition metal ion, said metal being selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron, chromium and copper, and comprising an organic chelating ligand selected from the group consisting of ethylenediamine, propylenediamine, α,α'-dipyridyl, and o-phenanthroline.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
79 words
A method for treating a subterranean earth formation containing water-sensitive clays, to render the formation less sensitive to loss of permeability due to contact with fresh water, comprising: contacting said earth formation with an effective amount of an aqueous fluid containing a chelated polyvalent transition metal ion, said metal being selected from the group consisting of cobalt, nickel, iron, chromium and copper, and comprising an organic chelating ligand selected from the group consisting of ethylenediamine, propylenediamine, α,α'-dipyridyl, and o-phenanthroline.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the concentration of the chelated polyvalent metal ion in the fluid is from 0.01 to 10 percent by weight.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the concentration of the chelated polyvalent metal ion in the fluid is from 0.1 to 5 percent by weight.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the treatment is applied only to the portion of the formation immediately adjacent to the wellbore, and the volume of fluid is from 50 to 1000 gallons per foot of formation thickness.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the treatment is applied only to the portion of the formation immediately adjacent to the wellbore, and the volume of fluid is from 100 to 700 gallons per foot of formation thickness.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the treatment is applied to at least a portion of the formation between an injection well and a production well penetrating said formation, and volume of treating fluid is from 0.01 to 1.0 pore volumes based on the pore volume of the recovery zone between the injection well and production
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the treatment is applied to at least a portion of the formation between an injection well and a production well penetrating said formation, and the volume of treating fluid is from 0.05 to 0.50 pore volumes based on the pore volume of the recovery zone between the injection well and production well.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said earth formation has experienced moderate loss of permeability by contact with fresh water, wherein the concentration of the chelated polyvalent metal ion is from 0.1 to 1 percent by weight.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the sensitive clay fraction of the earth formation has been previously sensitized by contact with a sodium chloride brine, comprising maintaining the permeability of the formation during the course of injecting fresh water into the formation by incorporating at least 0.1 percent by weight of the chelated polyvalent metal ion in the flood water.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the chelated polyvalent transition metal ion is tris(ethylenediamine) cobalt chloride.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
17 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the chelated transition metal ion is tris (ethylenediamine) nickel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the chelated transition metal ion is tris(propylenediamine) cobalt.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the chelated transition metal ion is tris(α,α'-dipyridyl) nickel.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the chelated transition metal ion is tris(o-phenanthroline) cobalt.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-10-28 | 1984-04-28 | 1984-10-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-10-28 | 1988-04-28 | 1988-10-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-10-28 | 1992-04-28 | 1992-10-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |