Abstract
In the oil and gas industry, pyrite forms one of the most hardened scales in reservoirs, which hinders the flow of fluids. Consequently, this leads to blockage of the downhole tubular, formation damage, and complete shutdown of production and operational processes. Herein, a new green formulation based on borax (K2B4O7) is proposed for pyrite scale removal. The temperature effect, disk rotational speed, and borax concentration have been investigated using a rotating disk apparatus. Also, XPS and SEM–EDX analyses were conducted on the pyrite disk surface before and after the treatment with the green formulation. The new formulation showed the potential ability to dissolve pyrite without generating the toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The dissolution rate of the scale in the new formulation is increased by 16% compared to that in a previous green formulation composed of 20 wt %DTPA+9 wt % K2CO3. Molecular modeling technique using DFT was used to study the solvation energies of Fe2+ and Fe3+. The latter had a higher solvation energy than the former, which confirmed that upon using the borax-based formulation to oxidize Fe2+ to Fe3+. It will aid the dissolution of pyrite scales. The new formulation achieved a corrosion rate that is 25 times lower than that of 15 wt % HCl, which is commercially used in treating scales. Finally, the proposed new formulation does not require the use of corrosion inhibitors; hence, it is expected to result in a more economical scale treatment method.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.