Method for inhibiting scale formation in oil wells

摘要

An amount of treatment water injected into a subterranean well may be reduced by providing an environmentally friendly polymer, such as a biodegradable polymer (e.g., an aspartic acid based polymer), to the subterranean well. In some cases, the aspartic acid based polymer may include one or more of a copolymer of the aspartic acid based polymer, a terpolymer of the aspartic acid based polymer, an aspartic acid based polymer derivative, an aspartic acid based polymer having an end cap, and a soluble salt of the aspartic acid based polymer. In some cases, the treatment water use may be reduced within the range of about five percent to about ninety five percent.

主权项

1. A method for reducing a volume of water injected into an existing subterranean well during hydrocarbon production for sodium chloride inhibition, the method comprising:
pumping a formation fluid including a hydrocarbon and a produced water from the subterranean well wherein the subterranean well includes a brine including sodium chloride; adding a flow of treatment water to the subterranean well at a first ratio of treatment water to produced water; adding an aspartic acid based polymer from a storage tank to a mixing location to be mixed with the treatment water; pumping the aspartic acid based polymer and the treatment water mixture from the mixing location to the subterranean well at a second ratio of treatment water to produced water, wherein the second ratio is less than the first ratio in order to reduce a total volume pumped into subterranean well; and monitoring an ion concentration of the produced water; wherein the produced water is a combination of a brine including sodium chloride and the aspartic acid based polymer and treatment water mixture, wherein the aspartic acid based polymer inhibits crystallization of sodium chloride from the brine.