Patent ID: 7178594

Claim:
A method of gravel packing a downhole area of a subterranean well, said method comprising: a) forming a mixture of a gravel packing material and an invert emulsion drilling fluid, wherein said fluid includes: an oleaginous fluid; a non-oleaginous fluid; an amine surfactant having the structure wherein R is a C 12 –C 22 aliphatic hydrocarbon; R′ is an independently selectable from hydrogen or C 1 to C 3 alkyl; A is NH or O, and 1≦x+y≦3; b) injecting said mixture of gravel packing material and invert emulsion into a subterranean well so as to gravel pack the downhole area; and c) adding acid to said invert emulsion drilling fluid so as to change the oil-wet gravel packing materials into water-wet gravel packing materials and; d) washing said well with an aqueous based wash solution.