U.S. patent application number 16/759717 was filed with the patent office on 2021-12-30 for microencapsulated acid with perforation strategies to improve the delivery and treatment of formations in hydraulic fracturing applications.
The applicant listed for this patent is Halliburton Energy Services, Inc.. Invention is credited to Denise Nicole BENOIT, Brenden Michael GROVE, Peter DW INGLIS, Jianxin LU, Joachim Alexander PIHL, Shiwei QIN.
Application Number | 20210404299 16/759717 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005882914 |
Filed Date | 2021-12-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210404299 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BENOIT; Denise Nicole ; et
al. |
December 30, 2021 |
Microencapsulated Acid with Perforation Strategies to Improve the
Delivery and Treatment of Formations in Hydraulic Fracturing
Applications
Abstract
Acid plays an important role in the hydraulic fracturing
process, such as removing damage from the cement and formation
which can result from perforating operations, thus providing a
better path for the fracturing operations that follow. The
disclosure relates generally to microencapsulated acid or acid
precursor for targeted delivery and dosing of acid at the site of
perforation in hydraulic fracturing applications, device and method
of use the same. The targeted delivery and dosing of acid at the
site of perforation provides the benefit of, including but not
limited to, eliminating over acidizing (limiting near wellbore
formation damage) and optimizing the removal of perforation residue
and formation materials for lowering break-down pressure.
Inventors: |
BENOIT; Denise Nicole;
(Houston, TX) ; INGLIS; Peter DW; (Dundee, GB)
; QIN; Shiwei; (Conroe, TX) ; GROVE; Brenden
Michael; (Mansfield, TX) ; PIHL; Joachim
Alexander; (Sandefjord, NO) ; LU; Jianxin;
(Bellaire, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. |
Houston |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005882914 |
Appl. No.: |
16/759717 |
Filed: |
June 20, 2019 |
PCT Filed: |
June 20, 2019 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2019/038237 |
371 Date: |
April 27, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E21B 43/116 20130101;
E21B 43/27 20200501 |
International
Class: |
E21B 43/116 20060101
E21B043/116; E21B 43/27 20060101 E21B043/27 |
Claims
1. A perforation gun assembly, comprising: an acid payload chamber
and a perforating gun payload chamber, or a chamber containing both
an acid payload and a perforating gun payload.
2. The perforation gun assembly of claim 1, wherein the acid
payload chamber or the chamber containing both an acid payload and
a perforating gun payload contains a microencapsulated acid.
3. The perforation gun assembly of claim 1, further comprising an
overbalance payload chamber, wherein the overbalance payload
chamber contains propellant or similar material, and can be
activated to create a transient overbalance condition.
4. The perforation gun assembly of claim 1, wherein the acid
payload comprises microencapsulated acid particulates with a
polymeric shell and an acid or acid precursor core.
5. The perforation gun assembly of claim 1, further comprising an
acid payload chamber and a perforating gun payload chamber, wherein
the acid payload comprises microencapsulated acid particulates with
a polymeric shell and an acid or acid precursor core.
6. The perforation gun assembly of claim 5, further comprising an
overbalance payload chamber, wherein the overbalance payload
chamber contains propellant and can be activated to create a
transient overbalance condition.
7. A method for performing a perforating operation in a
subterranean formation, comprising: using a perforation gun
assembly having an acid payload chamber and a perforating gun
payload chamber, or a chamber containing both an acid payload and a
perforating gun payload; and releasing acid from the acid payload
chamber while simultaneously creating a perforation in the
subterranean formation.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising releasing an acid
precursor by perforating microencapsulated acid particulates and
simultaneously creating a perforation in the subterranean
formation.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the acid payload comprises
microencapsulated acid particulates with a polymeric shell and an
acid or acid precursor core.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: releasing the
microencapsulated acid payload from the acid payload chamber, and
activating the perforating gun payload chamber while simultaneously
releasing acid or acid precursor by perforating microencapsulated
acid particulates and creating a perforation in the subterranean
formation.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the acid payload chamber and
the perforation gun chamber can be released/activated sequentially
and substantially in the same location, and the acid and/or acids
precursor can be target-released into the perforation.
12. A method for performing a perforating operation in a
subterranean formation, comprising: using a perforation gun
assembly having an acid payload chamber and a perforating gun
payload chamber, or a chamber containing both an acid payload and a
perforating gun payload, and an overbalance payload chamber,
wherein the overbalance payload chamber contains propellant and can
be activated to create a transient overbalance condition; and
releasing an acid payload from the acid payload chamber while
simultaneously creating a perforation in the subterranean
formation.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: activating the
perforating gun payload chamber, and simultaneously, releasing acid
or acid precursor by creating a perforation; and activating the
overbalance payload chamber and pushing the released acid or acid
precursor into the perforation.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising releasing a
microencapsulated acid payload from the acid payload chamber;
activating the perforating gun payload chamber, and simultaneously,
releasing acid or acid precursor by perforating microencapsulated
acid particulates and creating a perforation; and activating the
overbalance payload chamber, pushing the released acid or acid
precursor into the perforation.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the acid payload chamber, the
perforation gun chamber, and the overbalance chamber can be
released/activated sequentially and substantially in the same
location, and the acid and/or acid precursor can be target-released
into the perforation.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the microencapsulated acid
particles range from 0.001 micrometers to 5000 micrometers.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the microencapsulated acid
particles comprise one of HCl, H.sub.2S0.sub.4, HF,
H.sub.3P0.sub.4, or HNO.sub.3.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the microencapsulated acid
particles comprise an organic acid.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the organic acid comprises one
of acetic acid, tartaric acid, formic acid or lactic acid.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the microencapsulated acid
particles are encapsulated in an inert polymer material.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate generally
to microencapsulated acid or acid generators for targeted delivery
and dosing of acid at the site of perforation in hydraulic
fracturing applications, device and method of using the same. The
targeted delivery and dosing of acid at the site of perforation
provides the benefit of, including but not limited to, eliminating
over acidizing (limiting near wellbore formation damage) and
optimizing the removal of perforation residue and formation
materials for lowering break-down pressure.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Fracturing operations start with a well that has been
drilled to a desired vertical and horizontal depth. Casing is
cemented in place to isolate the well from the surrounding geology
and groundwater zones. A perforating gun is lowered into the well
to a designated location, and one or more charges are fired to
perforate the casing, cement and formation. These perforations form
the flowpath through which a subsequent stimulation treatment is
applied.
[0003] Stimulation treatments involve creating or inducing
fractures or enhancing natural fractures in the formation, and may
be performed in multiple stages to achieve a desired network of
fractures. A mixture of water, sand and chemicals is injected into
the wellbore under high pressure to create and propagate the
fissures or fractures in the formation. Other types of treatment
fluids may also be used depending on the downhole operation, such
as drilling operations, perforation operations, sand control
treatments, water control treatments, wellbore clean-out
treatments, organic scale deposits and inorganic scale treatments,
and the like.
[0004] Acid may be used in a hydraulic fracturing process for many
reasons including, for example, near wellbore clean out, remove
perforation residue, to lower the formation breakdown pressure,
and/or to "etch" channels in the rock that comprise the walls of
the fracture. Without targeted delivery or dosing, the amount of
acid normally required is in very large quantities, which requires
shipment and storage of hazardous materials. Additional damage from
excess acid can lead to corrosion, scale, and precipitate
formation.
[0005] Therefore, there is a need for targeted delivering and
dosing of acid at the site of perforation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] For a more complete understanding of the exemplary disclosed
embodiments, and for further advantages thereof, reference is now
made to the following description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary microencapsulated particulates
in which hydrochloride acid is encapsulated;
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary release mechanism of acid or
acid precursors from microencapsulated particulates;
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary perforation operation;
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates a perforation gun assembly useful in an
embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary perforation gun assembly
containing microencapsulated acid chambers according to an
embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIGS. 6A-6B illustrate an exemplary perforation gun assembly
useful in a process of releasing the acid during perforation;
[0013] FIGS. 7A-7B illustrate an exemplary perforation gun assembly
containing microencapsulated acid chamber and a process of
releasing the acid during perforation;
[0014] FIGS. 8A-8D illustrate an exemplary perforation gun assembly
containing an overbalance chamber and a process of releasing the
acid according to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0015] FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the steps for acid treating a
wellbore according to an embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0016] The following discussion is presented to enable a person
ordinarily skilled in the art to synthesize and use the exemplary
disclosed embodiments. Various modifications will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles
described herein may be applied to embodiments and applications
other than those detailed below without departing from the spirit
and scope of the disclosed embodiments as defined herein.
Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments are not intended to be
limited to the particular embodiments shown, but are to be accorded
the widest scope consistent with the principles and features
disclosed herein.
[0017] As mentioned above, the embodiments disclosed herein relate
to microencapsulated acid or acid generators for targeted delivery
and dosing of acid at the site of perforation in hydraulic
fracturing applications, method and device of use the same.
Although the term "microencapsulated" is used herein, it should be
understood the disclosed microencapsulated particulates may range
from 0.001 micrometer (.mu.m) to about 5000 .mu.m size
particulates.
[0018] As used herein, the term "microencapsulated acid," and
grammatical variants thereof, refers to any substance that is able
encapsulate or contain of all or a portion of one or more acids, or
precursors thereof, to allow targeted placement and reaction of the
acid at a perforation site.
[0019] As used herein, the term "acids," or "acid precursors," and
grammatical variants thereof, refers to any acids (such as strong
mineral acids like HCl, H.sub.2S0.sub.4, HF, H.sub.3P0.sub.4, and
HNO.sub.3, or organic acids like acetic acid, tartaric acid, formic
acid, or lactic acid) or precursors that has the capability of
generating acid in-situ, such as TiCl.sub.3 (solid) or TiCl.sub.4
(liquid).
[0020] Polymer Microencapsulation
[0021] Materials: Polymer microencapsulation is used to create
isolated solid, liquid, gas, or blends into individual particles.
The polymer particles can be made from different blends of monomers
in order to control the reactivity with the internal contents or
external environment. Additionally, the polymer microparticles will
have a range in internal and external dimensions which controls the
weight percent of encapsulated materials, robustness of the
barrier, and overall particle dimension and treating mass.
Embodiments herein contemplate using encapsulated acids and acid
precursors. Some examples of polymer materials that are inert
enough to handle the reactive acids include 1-vinylimidazole with
N,N-methylenebis(acrylamide), ACN/VDC (Poly(vinylidene
chloride-co-acrylonitrile), polystyrene, n-butyl acrylate, acrylic
acid and many others.
[0022] One or more embodiments contemplate an acid, such as HCl,
HF, acetic acid, tartaric acid, formic acid, or lactic acid or acid
precursor, e.g., TiCl.sub.4, to be loaded into the polymer
microparticles. Loading the microparticles may be achieved using
the following strategies in one or more embodiments.
[0023] Water in oil in water (W-O-W) double emulsion: Surfactant,
acid/acid solution, monomer/polymer organic solutions are
emulsified into an aqueous surfactant solution creating
microcapsules or micro-sponges based on the polymerization process
and solvent evaporation step. For example, in the first step of the
encapsulation, aqueous acid (e.g., HCl) droplets is dispersed into
a hydrophobic monomer phase to form a single emulsion. This is
followed by dispersing the single emulsion phase into a second
continues aqueous phase to generate a double emulsion. The
resulting mixture is then subjected to polymerization of the
monomers to form core-shell particles encapsulated with acids.
[0024] Expandable preformed hollow particles: Polymer
microparticles will swell and become permeable with elevated
temperatures or pressure. This allows acids to be added to the
polymer microparticles after synthesis. For example, US
2018/0282609 discloses that fabricated polymeric nano- or
microcapsules (e.g., from polystyrene) may be added to a volume of
pure titanium chloride, or a corresponding solution of TiClx, and
the resulting mixture may be subjected to one or more successive
vacuum/fill cycles with an inert gas to diffuse the pure titanium
chloride, or corresponding solution, through the shell to fill the
cavities of the capsules in order to encapsulate the TiClx in the
polymeric shell, which may subsequently produce about 53 wt. % of
pure HCl.
[0025] Gas in oil in water (G/O/W) emulsion: surfactant, acid and
organic based polymer solution are emulsified with an aqueous
surfactant solution creating large swollen micro-sponges when the
solvent is evaporated.
[0026] Cleaning excess acid/acid generators can be achieved through
additional washes or with centrifugation and drying steps.
[0027] Post encapsulation modification of the polymer shell can
also be performed through annealing (heat treatment) or coating
will further isolate the acid and render the materials more inert.
If the polymer barrier is more robust, then more drastic triggers
would be used to release the acid payload.
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates exemplary microencapsulates in which 12 M
hydrochloride acid is encapsulated in a Poly(vinylidene
chloride-co-acrylonitrile polymer shell.
[0029] In one aspect, acid may be target-delivered at the
perforation site, and used in a hydraulic fracturing process to
remove perforation residue. Preliminary calculations indicate that
at most .about.1 L of pure HCl is required, per perforation, to
effectively clean the cement and perforation residue. This can be
generated from approximately 250 g of TiCl.sub.4 (a concentrated
acid precursor), assuming enough water will ultimately be available
for the reaction:
TiCl.sub.4+2H.sub.2O.fwdarw.4HCl+TiO.sub.2
[0030] This equates to 1.5 kg of TiCl4 to treat a 6-perforation
cluster. If the TiCl4 is encapsulated as described above, this
quantity could be contained in a cylindrical chamber approx. 5-ft.
long (assuming 21/2 in ID).
[0031] Release Mechanism
[0032] One of the applications of acids in hydraulic fracturing is
to clean up the cement and perforation residue and lower the
formation breakdown pressure, meaning that the acid is only needed
within the perforation process. Additional damage from excess acid
will lead to corrosion, scale, and precipitate formation.
Therefore, there is a need for targeted delivering and dosing of
acid at the site of perforation.
[0033] In one aspect of the present disclosure, release of acid can
be triggered with time, temperature, pressure, or explosion
(extreme heat/pressure). Controlled release of the acid can be
achieved with tuning of the polymer compositions, thickness and
acid loading amounts.
[0034] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, encapsulated
acid is released by perforation guns. FIG. 2 illustrates an
exemplary release of acid from microencapsulates 202 via a
perforation gun 200. Extreme heat and/or pressure from the
explosion created by the perforation gun 200 rupture the polymeric
encapsulated shell 202 and releases the acid in the core.
[0035] In another aspect of the present disclosure, the acid is
target-delivered into the perforation volume and damage zone, as
illustrated in FIG. 3, to clean up the cement and perforation
residue and lower the formation breakdown pressure. The
microencapsulated acid is introduced from the wellbore 300, or from
a perforating gun assembly (not expressly shown) in the wellbore
300, through the casing 301 and cement lining 302 into the
perforation volume 303 and perforation damage zone 304. This
perforation promotes oil flow from the reservoir 305. The
perforation tunnel length 306 and perforation diameter 307 may be
selected as a matter of design preference.
[0036] Targeted Delivery of Acid to the Perforation Site
[0037] Delivering the microencapsulated acid to the path of the
perforation gun can be achieved through various embodiments of the
invention. In one embodiment, the microencapsulated acid is loaded
in pumping fluid that is used to drive the perforation gun into
place. This embodiment is suitable for a conventional perforating
gun such as shown with respect to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows a
perforating gun system 400 adjacent plug 401. The perforating gun
system 400 includes a setting tool 402 and any desired number of
perforating guns 403a, 403b, 403c through 403n. Perforating guns
402a-403n may be conventional shaped charged perforating assemblies
that are well known in the art. When perforating guns 403a-403n are
fired, creating perforations in the casing and cement, the pressure
of the pumping fluid in the wellbore forces the microencapsulated
acid through the perforations and into the perforation volumes and
perforation damage zone in the formation.
[0038] In another embodiment, microencapsulated acid can be loaded
into a perforation gun assembly, as shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows a
perforating gun assembly 500 according to an embodiment of the
invention having a plug 501, a setting tool 502, and a perforating
gun 503 with an adjacent acid payload chamber 504. The perforating
gun 503 and the acid payload chamber 504 form a perforating gun
sub-assembly, additional examples of which are indicated at SOS. If
desired, any number of similar perforating gun sub-assemblies SOS
could also be provided on the perforating gun assembly 500 as a
matter of design choice. In this exemplary embodiment, the
microencapsulated acid or acid precursor is placed within a
dedicated chamber 504 ("acid payload chamber") of the perforation
gun assembly 500 adjacent to a perforating gun payload chamber 503,
as illustrated in FIG. 5. Once the perforation gun assembly arrives
at the targeted perforation site, the acid payload chamber 504 is
activated to release the acid/precursor payload into the wellbore
just prior in time to activating the perforating gun 503. The acid
payload chamber release mechanism may be any suitable release
mechanism, including an opening valve, sliding sleeve, or
explosively-opened port(s), or similar mechanisms.
[0039] The release of the acid from microencapsulates may be
accomplished in still further embodiments. For example, with
reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, a perforating gun assembly 600
according to an embodiment of the invention could be lowered into
the wellbore 601 to create perforations 602. The perforating gun
assembly 600 could then be removed and an acid pad loaded with
microencapsulated acid could be lowered into the wellbore 601 and
introduced into the perforations 602.
[0040] FIGS. 7A and 7B show yet a further embodiment in which the
microencapsulated acid can be released in a more precise manner
using a perforation gun assembly 700, which may be similar to the
perforation gun assembly discussed with regard to FIG. 5. Referring
to FIG. 7A, perforating gun assembly 700 includes an acid payload
chamber 701 adjacent to perforating gun chamber 702. In operation,
the acid payload is first released from the acid payload chamber
701 into the wellbore prior to activation of the perforation gun.
As shown in FIG. 7B, the position of the perforation gun assembly
700 is precisely adjusted in the wellbore 703 so that the
perforation gun chamber 702 is aligned with the position of the
acid payload in the wellbore 703. The perforation gun chamber 702
is then activated via a perforating gun firing command from the
surface and/or with a pre-programmed time delay between the acid
payload chamber 701 and the gun chamber 702. The encapsulated acid
is released during the perforation and is target-delivered into the
perforation volume or damage zones.
[0041] Another embodiment of the invention is with regard to FIGS.
8A-8D. In this embodiment, a perforation gun assembly 800 includes
an acid payload chamber 801, a perforation gun chamber 802, and
optionally an overbalance chamber 803 containing propellant or
similar material. The perforation gun assembly 800 may also include
setting tool 804, which is positioned adjacent to plug 805, and any
desired number of additional perforating assemblies 806, arranged
similarly to the assembly comprising acid chamber 801, perforation
gun 802 and propellant chamber 803.
[0042] If sufficient overbalance does not exist to push the acid
into the perforation volume or damage zone, the overbalance
chambers 803, which contain propellant or similar material, can be
activated to create a transient overbalance condition, thus pushing
the recently-released acid or acid precursor into the perforation
volume or damage zone. In one embodiment, the release of the
overbalance chamber can be triggered by the same firing command
from the surface, with another time delay if desired. FIGS. 8B-8D
illustrate an exemplary timing sequence of the above 3-chamber
operation. As shown in FIG. 8B, the perforation gun assembly 800 is
first positioned in the wellbore 807 at a desired location. The
acid chamber 801 is then activated to release microencapsulated
acid contained inside the chamber into the wellbore 807. Next, as
depicted in FIG. 8C, the perforation gun assembly 800 is
repositioned in the wellbore 807 so that the perforation gun 802 is
located at approximately the same location in the wellbore 807
where the microencapsulated acid was released. The perforation gun
802 is then activated by a signal from the surface or, in other
embodiments, by a time delay following the release of the
microencapsulated acid. Finally, as shown in FIG. 8D, the
perforating gun assembly 800 is again repositioned in the wellbore
807 such that the overbalance chamber 803 is located at approximate
adjacent to the perforations created in by the activation of the
perforating gun 802. Activation of the overbalance chamber 803
creates a pressure overbalance in the wellbore 807 that pushes a
strong acid into the perforations in the wellbore and into the
perforation volume and perforation damage zone.
[0043] Various methods of delivering microencapsulated acid or
precursor to treat formations in hydraulic fracturing applications
are also provided according to embodiments of the invention. In one
embodiment, by slowly pulling the perforation gun assembly uphole,
the acid payload chamber, the perforation gun chamber, and the
overbalance chamber can be activated sequentially and at
substantially in the same location in the wellbore. This allows the
microencapsulated acid to be target-released into the
perforations.
[0044] Embodiments of the inventive method are described more fully
with regard to FIG. 9. A perforating gun assembly according to
embodiments of the invention is first lowered to a desired starting
location in the wellbore. The operator, at step 901, then sends a
firing command to the assembly from the surface. At approximately
the same time, the perforating gun assembly is slowly pulled
uphole. The firing command, at step 902, activates the acid
chamber, which releases a payload of microencapsulated acid into
the wellbore. A first time delay following the activation of the
acid chamber is provided to allow the perforating gun assembly,
which is continuously being pulled uphole, to position the
perforating gun to approximately the same location in the wellbore
at which the microencapsulated acid or precursor was released. At
step 903, the perforating gun is activated, thereby perforating the
casing and creating perforations into the formation. In still a
further embodiment, the method may include step 904 if there is
insufficient overbalance to ensure the acid is driven into the
perforations. In step 904, after a second time delay to allow
repositioning of the acid chamber to approximately the same
location in the wellbore as the perforations, an overbalance
chamber is activated to create an overbalance condition sufficient
to put the acid into the perforations.
[0045] In yet another embodiment, the microencapsulated
acid/precursor could be packaged within the perforating gun chamber
itself, rather than separate dedicated acid chambers. Further, the
acid payload chamber, and propellant/overbalance chamber (if
required), could be combined into a single physical chamber serving
both functions.
[0046] Thus, the targeted delivery and dosing of acid at the site
of perforation in hydraulic fracturing applications disclosed
herein provides a number of benefits over existing acid delivery
mechanism. These benefits include, for example, eliminating over
acidizing, limiting near wellbore formation damage, optimizing the
removal of perforation residue and formation materials for lowering
break-down pressure, and eliminating the need of transportation and
storage of corrosive acids, among others.
[0047] Accordingly, as set forth above, the embodiments disclosed
herein may be implemented in a number of ways. For example, in
general, in one aspect, the disclosed embodiments relate to a
perforation gun assembly, comprising a microencapsulated acid
payload chamber and a perforating gun payload chamber, or a chamber
containing both a microencapsulated acid payload and a perforating
gun payload, and optionally an overbalance payload chamber. In
another aspect, the disclosed embodiments relate to a method for
fracturing operation using the perforation gun assembly disclosed
in accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments.
[0048] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, the acid payload chamber or the chamber containing
both an acid payload and a perforating gun payload contains a
microencapsulated acid, an overbalance payload chamber contains
propellant or similar material and can be activated to create a
transient overbalance condition, and/or the acid payload comprises
microencapsulated acid particulates with a polymeric shell and an
acid or acid precursor core.
[0049] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, an acid payload chamber and a perforating gun payload
chamber are present, wherein the acid payload comprises
microencapsulated acid particulates with a polymeric shell and an
acid or acid precursor core, and an overbalance payload chamber is
present, wherein the overbalance payload chamber contains
propellant or similar material, and can be activated to create a
transient overbalance condition.
[0050] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, acid release occurs simultaneously with creating a
perforation, and/or an acid precursor is released by perforating
microencapsulated acid particulates and simultaneously creating a
perforation.
[0051] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, a perforation gun assembly is used, and the
perforating operation comprises releasing an acid payload from the
acid payload chamber, activating the perforating gun payload
chamber, and simultaneously, releasing acid or acid precursor by
creating a perforation.
[0052] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, performing a perforating operation comprises releasing
microencapsulated acid payload from the acid payload chamber, and
activating the perforating gun payload chamber, and simultaneously,
releasing acid or acid precursor by perforating microencapsulated
acid particulates and creating a perforation.
[0053] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, the acid payload chamber and the perforation gun
chamber can be released/activated sequentially and substantially in
the same location, and the acid and/or acids precursor can be
target-released into the perforation.
[0054] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, performing a perforating operation comprises using the
perforation gun assembly, releasing an acid payload from the acid
payload chamber, activating the perforating gun payload chamber,
and simultaneously, releasing acid or acid precursor by creating a
perforation, and activating the overbalance payload chamber,
pushing the released acid or acid precursor into the
perforation.
[0055] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, performing a perforating operation comprises releasing
a microencapsulated acid payload from the acid payload chamber,
activating the perforating gun payload chamber, and simultaneously,
releasing acid or acid precursor by perforating microencapsulated
acid particulates and creating a perforation, and activating the
overbalance payload chamber, pushing the released acid or acid
precursor into the perforation. The acid payload chamber, the
perforation gun chamber, and the overbalance chamber can be
released/activated sequentially and substantially in the same
location, and the acid and/or acid precursor can be target-released
into the perforation.
[0056] In accordance with any one or more of the foregoing
embodiments, the perforation gun assembly comprises an acid payload
chamber and a perforating gun payload chamber, wherein the acid
payload comprises microencapsulated acid particulates with a
polymeric shell and an acid or acid precursor core, the
microencapsulated acid particles range from 0.001 micrometers to
5000 micrometers, the microencapsulated acid particles comprise one
of HCl, H2S04, HF, H3P04, or HNO3, the microencapsulated acid
particles comprise an organic acid, the organic acid comprising one
of acetic acid, tartaric acid, formic acid or lactic acid, and/or
the microencapsulated acid particles are encapsulated in an inert
polymer material.
[0057] While the invention has been described with reference to one
or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will
recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing
from the spirit and scope of the description. Each of these
embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as
falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which
is set forth in the following claims.
* * * * *