Patent ID: 8235120

Claim:
A method of treating non-polar material in a wellbore containing non-polar material, the method comprising: introducing a mesophase fluid into the wellbore to contact the non-polar material with the mesophase fluid, where the mesophase fluid comprises: in situ mesophase fluid-forming components comprising: at least one extended chain surfactant selected from the group consisting of extended surfactants with a propoxylated spacer arm having from 2 to 20 propoxy moieties and an ethoxylated spacer arm having from 0 to 20 ethoxy moieties; and at least one polar fluid, forming the mesophase fluid in situ in the wellbore; and a procedure selected from the group consisting of: removing at least a portion of non-polar material from a wellbore containing the non-polar material by incorporating at least part of the non-polar material into a mesophase fluid formed in situ in the wellbore, and removing the mesophase fluid incorporating the non-polar material from the wellbore; introducing the mesophase fluid into the wellbore as a fluid pill, where the fluid pill is selected from the group consisting of a water-wetting pill, a drive-weighted spacer, and combinations thereof; releasing a stuck drill string; and combinations thereof; where the non-polar material is selected from the group consisting of oil-based mud, synthetic-based mud, paraffins, asphaltenes, slugs, and combinations thereof.