METHODS OF DEGRADING POLYMER COMPOSITES IN AQUEOUS FLUIDS USING CATALYSTS

• Main Authors: QU, Meng, ZHU, Shitong S, AMARANTE, Miranda
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 06.09.2018
• Subjects: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; EARTH DRILLING; EARTH DRILLING, e.g. DEEP DRILLING; FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS; MINING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR ASLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

Methods may include contacting a degradable polymer in a wellbore traversing a subterranean formation with a treatment fluid, wherein the treatment fluid is formulated with one or more polymer degrading catalysts; and allowing the degradable polymer composite to at least partially degrade. In another aspect, methods may be directed to designing a wellbore treatment that includes determining at least one degradation characteristic for one or more degradable polymers; formulating an aqueous treatment fluid based on the determined values, wherein the aqueous treatment fluid comprises one or more polymer degrading catalysts; contacting the degradable polymer with an aqueous fluid; and allowing the degradable polymer to at least partially degrade the degradable polymer.