Abstract
A novel oil-soluble/water-dispersible combination cleaner and corrosion inhibitor was developed. It is designed to be applied in water injection lines to clean deposits, inhibit the formation of future deposits and provide protection from corrosion. This chemistry is especially effective against paraffinic/hydrocarbon deposits, which can help hold together scale such as iron sulfides and help them adhere to the pipe walls, filters, and increase downhole plugging. Evaluation of deposits from various field locations in North America was performed via bottle shaking dispersion studies. The amount of hydrocarbon uptake into the water phase was measured through the use of fluorimetry. Our testing clearly reveals the ability of the product to break down these deposits over time and prevent re-adhesion onto pipe walls. To study the effect of this material on the near wellbore area in the injection wells, core flood studies were performed that indicated no formation damage occurs, and that the material can readily clean the near wellbore. Corrosion testing was performed using kettle test protocols in synthetic brine and also with oxygen sparging. In all cases, the product was able to provide excellent cleaning capabilities and corrosion inhibition, even in the presence of oxygen.
