USE OF LONG CHAIN AMINES AND DIFUNCTIONAL COMPOUNDS AS TRACERS

摘要

Non-halogenated molecules including, but are not necessarily limited, to alkyl and aromatic amines having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms and salts of these amines, diols having the formula HO—(CH2)n—OH, diamines having the formula H2N—(CH2)n—NH2, dicarboxylic acids having the formula HO.CO—(CH2)n—CO.OH, diesters having the formula R′O.CO—(CH2)n—CO.OR″, where n is 4 to 18, and R′ and R″ are independently straight or branched alkyl or aromatic groups of 1-20 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof are used as tracers to measure oil and/or water fluid returns, e.g. from a hydraulic fracturing job. The non-halogenated molecules may be combined with substrates and introduced into a subterranean location, desorbed and recovered from the subterranean location with a fluid, reacted with a reagent to give a derivatized tracer. The presence of the derivatized tracer is then detected in the recovered fluid. Different non-halogenated tracers may be used for each hydraulic fracturing stage.

主权项

1. A method for determining the presence of a tracer from a subterranean location comprising:
introducing at least one non-halogenated tracer into a subterranean location, where the at least one non-halogenated tracer is selected from the group consisting of primary or secondary alkyl and aromatic amines with the formula H2N—R or R′—HN—R″ having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms and salts of these amines, alkyl or aromatic diols having the formula HO—(CH2)n—OH, diamines having the formula H2N—(CH2)n—NH2, dicarboxylic acids having the formula HO.CO—(CH2)n—CO.OH, diesters having the formula R′O.CO—(CH2)n—CO.OR″, where n is 4 to 18, and R′ and R″ are independently straight or branched alkyl or aromatic groups of 1-20 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof, where the non-halogenated tracer is absorbed into and/or adsorbed onto a plurality of substrates; recovering a fluid from the subterranean location where the fluid comprises the at least one non-halogenated tracer; and reacting the at least one non-halogenated tracer with a reagent to give at least one derivatized tracer.