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Preface THE VARIOUS FIELDS OF CHEMISTRY
play an important role in the discovery and exploitation of oil and gas reserves. Improved drilling and well completion fluids, cement slurries, hydraulic fracturing and acidizing fluids to improve well productivity, various chemical additives to be used in these fluids, and chemicals for enhanced oil recovery are essential to the improvement of production economics and to an increase in recoverable hydrocarbon reserves. Chemistry will become increasingly important in future hydrocarbon production with the decreased likelihood of major onshore discoveries, increased discovery and production costs associated with deep offshore wells and Arctic frontier provinces, and the decline in drilling since early 1982. The multidisciplinary nature of oil-field chemistry includes the development of surfactants and polymers for enhanced oil recovery, drilling and completion fluids, and stimulation fluids. Study of relevant inorganic and organometallic chemistry has resulted in the development of improved polysaccharide cross-linking agents, corrosion inhibitors, improved cement slurry additives, and completion fluids. Polymer chemistry has resulted in improved cement slurry additives to control cement set time, fluid loss, compressive strength, and formation damage characteristics. Contributions of organic chemistry include development of improved antioxidants and more cost-effective monomer syntheses for the production of oil-field polymers. The study of foam behavior in porous media; interfacial phenomena, especially the aggregation and arrangement of surfactants in oil-aqueous systems; aqueous fluid-rock mineral interactions, particularly that of strong acids with silicaceous minerals; the interaction of polymers and organic chemicals with rock; and the Theological behavior of polymer solutions and gels are all important physical chemistry and engineering research areas. Biology also plays an important role. Bacterial growth in wellbores and within formations has long been recognized as a serious problem. It causes hydrogen sulfide formation and corrosion problems that require careful operating practices and the use of bactericides. One of the most exciting recent research areas has involved the promotion and utilization of the growth of bacteria within formations to improve oil recovery. xiii Borchardt and Yen; Oil-Field Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1989.
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Oil-field chemistry has undergone major changes since the publication of earlier books on this subject. Enhanced oil recovery research has shifted from processes in which surfactants and polymers are the primary promoters of increased oil production to processes in which surfactants are additives to improve the incremental oil recovery provided by steam and miscible gas injection fluids. Improved and more cost-effective cross-linked polymer systems have resulted from a better understanding of chemical cross-links in polysaccharides and of the Theological behavior of cross-linked fluids. The thrust of completion and hydraulic fracturing chemical research has shifted somewhat from systems designed for ever deeper, hotter formations to chemicals, particularly polymers, that exhibit improved cost effectiveness at more moderate reservoir conditions. Although opinions on the timing of the next oil shortage differ, oil is a finite resource and the current oil-production surplus is definitely a temporary phenomenon. Despite some cutbacks, major oil companies, some chemical companies, and various academic groups and research institutes are all maintaining oil-field chemistry research and development programs. The long lead time required for much oil-field chemistry research, particularly enhanced oil recovery, requires that basic research, laboratory product development, and field testing all be maintained. This will enable the industry to respond when the current oil surplus vanishes and to develop chemicals and processes that will be economical, even at current oil prices. The symposium on which this book is largely based was held with the temporary nature of the current oil-production surplus in mind. The Division of Geochemistry, Inc., provided part of the cost of printing color photographs within the text. The views and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors. The editors thank the authors for their contributions and the referees, the unsung heroes of science, for their diligent and timely manuscript reviews. Last, but certainly not least, we thank Cheryl Shanks of the ACS Books Department, without whose patience, help, and encouragement this volume would not be possible. J O H N K. B O R C H A R D T
TEH FU YEN
Shell Development Company P.O. Box 1380
School of Engineering University of Southern California
Houston, T X 7 7 2 5 1 - 1 3 8 0
Los Angeles, C A 90089-0231
March 23, 1989
xiv Borchardt and Yen; Oil-Field Chemistry ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1989.
