Movement of aqueous fluid (e.g., water) within a subterranean formation containing one or more clays (e.g., kaolinite, smectite, illite, chlorite, etc.) often results in reduced permeability (also referred to as “formation damage”) that is adverse to hydrocarbon material (e.g., oil, natural gas, etc.) extraction processes. Such movement can, for example, occur as a result of the introduction of one or more aqueous fluids (e.g., aqueous flooding fluids, other aqueous treatment fluids, etc.) during downhole operations (e.g., drilling operations, acidizing operations, completion operations, flooding operations, hydraulic fracturing operations, squeeze treatment operations, etc.). Particles of various clay minerals (e.g., kaolinite, illite, etc.) may detach from the subterranean formation during the movement of the aqueous fluid and may migrate to and become detained in pore throats of the subterranean formation to impede fluid flow therethrough. Such clay detachment and fluid flow impairment can be exacerbated by higher pH (e.g., lower salinity) aqueous fluids, making switches from lower (e.g., higher salinity) pH fluids to higher pH fluids problematic during downhole operations. Moreover, various other clay minerals (e.g., montmorillonite) may become swelled by the aqueous fluid and hinder fluid flow through adjacent pores. Frequently, movement of aqueous fluid within a subterranean formation containing clay minerals results in both clay-migration-based permeability losses and clay-swelling-based permeability losses.
Various conventional clay stabilizers have been used to mitigate subterranean formation permeability losses due to clay migration and/or clay swelling by controlling the charge and electrolytic properties of treatment fluids. Examples of such conventional clay stabilizers include potassium chloride (KCl), sodium chloride (NaCl), zirconium oxychloride (ZrOCl2), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium hydroxide (CaOH), hydroxylated aluminum (Al(OH)3), aluminum salts, zirconium salts, quaternary ammonium salts, and cationic organic polymers. Unfortunately, many such conventional clay stabilizers can be inadequate for prolonged clay stabilization (e.g., being readily removed by acids), can be too large for smaller pores (e.g., contributing to reduced permeability through such pores), can be difficult to handle and/or dispose of, can be environmentally toxic, and/or can be too expensive for practical usage on a commercial scale.
It would, therefore, be desirable to have new methods and treatment fluids for stabilizing clay contained within subterranean formations.