Abstract
Preferential fluid flow remains a major challenge in subsurface energy production and gas storage operations, resulting in excessive water production in mature oil fields, reduced heat extraction in geothermal reservoirs, and low sweep and storage efficiency in CO2-EOR projects. Polymer gels are widely used to mitigate high-permeability channels; however, conventional systems exhibit limited plugging efficiency and short lifetimes in ultra-high-temperature reservoirs due to poor thermal stability. This study presents a novel ultra-high-temperature-resistant preformed particle gel (UHT-PPG) developed for conformance control in reservoirs with temperatures of 150–275 °C and severe super-K or channeling problems. The material was evaluated in terms of swelling behavior, re-crosslinking capability, long-term hydrothermal stability, and plugging performance under ultra-high temperature reservoir conditions. UHT-PPG exhibits no swelling at room temperature and delayed swelling up to 20 days at 150 °C. UHT-PPG can re-crosslink to form a strong gel at temperatures above 180 °C. Arrhenius analysis predicts long-term hydrothermal stability exceeding 650 days at 250 °C and more than 9,000 days at 225 °C. Core flooding tests confirmed effective plugging performance in super-K models. Overall, the developed UHT-PPG demonstrates strong potential for improving conformance in ultra-high-temperature reservoirs by combining reliable placement, exceptional thermal durability, and effective plugging of preferential flow paths.
Recommended Citation
Y. Liu et al., "Evaluation of a Novel Re-Crosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel for Conformance Control in Ultra-High Temperature Reservoirs," Proceedings SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, article no. SPE-231492-MS, Society of Petroleum Engineers, Jan 2026.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.2118/231492-MS
Department(s)
Chemistry
Second Department
Materials Science and Engineering
Third Department
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Fourth Department
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Publication Status
Available Access
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-196452313-2
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0271-7026
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2026 Society of Petroleum Engineers, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2026
Included in
Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons, Geology Commons, Materials Chemistry Commons, Materials Science and Engineering Commons, Petroleum Engineering Commons
