Using Screen Models to Evaluate the Injection Characteristics of Particle Gels for Water Control
Abstract
A trend in oilfield water management is to use preformed particle gel (PPG), a kind of superabsorbent polymer, to control water production and enhance oil recovery for mature oilfields. Therefore, it is of major importance to examine PPG injection characteristics and thus provide a practical guide to screen and determine the best PPG for a specific reservoir. In this study, a series of experiments were performed using screen models to study the effect of the particle gel swelling ratio (depending on brine concentration), injection rate, and the open hole size of the screen on the gel injection pressure and injectivity. Experimental results illustrate that the PPGs prepared in high concentration brine present higher gel strength than those prepared in low concentration brine. The gel strength is a more controlling factor than the particle size of the swollen PPG for the particle injectivity. At higher injection rates, the injection pressure does not increase significantly with injection rates, which is very consistent with the real-time injection pressure and injection rate change observed during practical gel treatments in oilfields. These gel particle injection behaviors are completely different from the behavior of conventional hard particles in that they are elastic and deformable during extrusion.
Recommended Citation
Z. Song et al., "Using Screen Models to Evaluate the Injection Characteristics of Particle Gels for Water Control," Energy and Fuels, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 352 - 359, American Chemical Society (ACS), Jan 2018.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.7b03338
Department(s)
Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering
Keywords and Phrases
Hole concentration; Oil fields; Oil well flooding; Particle size; Polypropylene oxides; Water management, Brine concentration; Controlling factors; Enhance oil recoveries; Gel swelling ratio; Injection pressures; Low concentrations; Superabsorbent polymer; Water production, Water injection
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0887-0624; 1520-5029
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2018 American Chemical Society (ACS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2018
Comments
The authors are highly appreciative of the financial support for our work from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), the US Department of Energy (07123-02), and the China Scholarship Council. The support from PetroChina Innovation Foundation (2015D-5006-0209) and Science Foundation of China University of Petroleum, Beijing (2462014YJRC053, 2462015YQ1105) is also much appreciated.