Enzymatic Filter Cake Removal with Inhibitor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional filter cake breakers are inefficient at lower temperatures and can cause damage to formations and equipment, with enzymes leading to uneven removal and premature breakthrough due to rapid action.
Innovation Solution
A composition comprising an enzymatic breaker and an enzyme inhibitor, along with a carrier fluid, that degrades biopolymers in filter cakes at temperatures as low as 150°F, ensuring uniform removal by slowing down the hydrolysis process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional acidic filter cake breakers are used, then filter cake removal is achieved, but formation damage and equipment corrosion occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional acidic chemical breakers with an enzymatic breaker system. The enzyme (protease) biologically degrades the protein-based filter cake through controlled hydrolysis, substituting the mechanical/chemical acid attack with a biological process that is selective and non-corrosive to equipment and formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters by introducing temperature control and enzyme inhibition mechanisms. The enzymatic breaker is activated at specific temperatures (above 70°F) and its action is controlled through inhibition by certain formation chemicals, allowing selective degradation without the harmful effects of strong acids.
2Temperature
If enzymes are used as filter cake breakers, then efficient biopolymer degradation at low temperatures is achieved, but uneven removal and premature breakthrough occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance - the enzyme inhibitor - that mediates between the enzyme's rapid degradation capability and the need for controlled, uniform removal. The inhibitor temporarily suppresses enzyme activity, allowing controlled deployment of the enzymatic breaker throughout the borehole before full activation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by using the enzyme inhibitor to pre-delay enzyme activation. The inhibitor is introduced first to suppress enzyme activity during transport, then the inhibitor is depleted or deactivated, allowing the enzyme to activate uniformly throughout the formation. This preliminary suppression ensures even distribution before the degradation process begins.
3Productivity
If strong acids are used to remove filter cake, then rapid degradation is achieved, but equipment corrosion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the chemical corrosion mechanism of strong acids with a biological enzymatic mechanism. The protease enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of protein bonds in the filter cake, providing rapid degradation without the corrosive byproducts that damage equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a biodegradable enzyme preparation that completes its function and then degrades naturally. The enzymatic breaker is a temporary, self-limiting agent that performs its degradation function and then disappears, unlike persistent chemical acids that continue to cause corrosion.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition effectively removes filter cake at a wide range of temperatures with minimal damage, providing a uniform and controlled degradation of biopolymers, thus preventing premature breakthrough and equipment corrosion.
Implementation Method 1
an enzymatic breaker to hydrolyze the biopolymer
Implementation Method 2
Enzymes can hydrolyze the biopolymer that occur in filter cakes very efficiently at lower temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
A composition for servicing a borehole in a subterranean formation by removing a filter cake along a wall of the borehole includes a biopolymer, the composition including a carrier fluid effective to act as a transport medium; an enzymatic breaker having activity to degrade the biopolymer in the filter cake upon contact with the filter cake so as to break up the biopolymer for removal; and an enzyme inhibitor effective to slow down the activity of the enzymatic breaker; where the composition may exclude the biopolymer. A method of servicing a borehole includes contacting the filter cake with the composition; degrading the biopolymer with the enzymatic breaker to produce degraded biopolymer; slowing down the degrading activity of the breaker with the enzyme inhibitor sufficiently that the degrading comprises degrading biopolymer along a length of the wall of the borehole; and removing the filter cake from the wall of the borehole.