The use of aminopolycarboxylic acids (APCAs) is increasing rapidly in several industries because of their unique properties of chelation and their effectiveness in high-temperature conditions. One of the major design considerations before their application is their thermal stability and their corrosivity to tubulars, especially the ones used in the oil and gas industry. Their disposal is also an active topic of discussion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHydraulic fracturing using water-soluble polymers has been extensively used to enhance the productivity of oil and gas wells. However, the production enhancement can be significantly impaired due to polymer residue generated within the proppant pack in the created fractures. This work describes an approach to establish a suitable fracturing fluid cleanup process by characterizing broken polymer residues generated from the use of different gel breaker types.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicellization (formation of wormlike structures) of 3-(N-erucamidopropyl-N,N-dimethyl ammonium)propane sulfonate (EDAS) in the presence of an inorganic salt, iron chloride (FeCl3), in acidic conditions is studied using static and dynamic rheological measurements and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Infrared spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray, and UV-visible spectroscopy are used to further investigate the mechanisms of viscosity and elasticity and the enhancement and formation of an elastic gel-like solution induced by Fe3+ in HCl. The nature of the interaction is characterized to be hydrogen bonding between the amide groups of EDAS and coordinated water in trans-[FeCl2(H2O)4]Cl structure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF