Development of degradable pre-formed particle gel (DPPG) as temporary plugging agent for petroleum drilling and production

Abstract

Temporary plugging agent (TPA) is widely used in many fields of petroleum reservoir drilling and production, such as temporary plugging while drilling and petroleum well stimulation by diverting in acidizing or fracturing operations. The commonly used TPA mainly includes hard particles, fibers, gels, and composite systems. However, current particles have many limitations in applications, such as insufficient plugging strength and slow degradation rate. In this paper, a degradable pre-formed particle gel (DPPG) was developed. Experimental results show that the DPPG has an excellent static swelling effect and self-degradation performance. With a decrease in the concentration of total monomers or cross-linker, the swelling volume of the synthesized DPPG gradually increases. However, the entire self-degradation time gradually decreases. The increase in 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) in the DPPG composition can significantly increase its swelling ratio and shorten the self-degradation time. Moreover, DPPG has excellent high-temperature resistance (150 °C) and high-salinity resistance (200,000 mg/L NaCl). Core displacement results show that the DPPG has a perfect plugging effect in the porous media (the plugging pressure gradient was as high as 21.12 MPa), and the damage to the formation after degradation is incredibly minor. Therefore, the DPPG can be used as an up-and-coming TPA in oil fields.

Comprehensive Review of Sealant Materials for Leakage Remediation Technology in Geological CO2 Capture and Storage Process

“…Preformed particle gels (PPGs) are designed to be used in reservoirs with fractures or superhigh permeability flow channels . They are synthesized at surface facilities by mixing acrylamide, cross-linker, initiator, and other additives and then cut into slices, dried, and mechanically ground before usage . PPGs can superiorly advance into fracture-like channels or fractures to decrease their permeability; this allows the subsequent displacement fluid to enter the unswept low permeability layer …”

“…A preformed particle gel (PPG) is designed to be used in reservoirs with fractures or high-permeability channels, , and it has been recommended by many researchers. − They are synthesized at surface facilities by mixing acrylamide (AM), cross-linker, initiator, and other additives and then cut into slices, dried, and mechanically ground before usage . In China, PPG has been used thousands of times in oil field profile control and water shutoff applications. , A typical application example of PPG is in the Zhongyuan Oil Field.…”

“…310−313 They are synthesized at surface facilities by mixing acrylamide (AM), cross-linker, initiator, and other additives and then cut into slices, dried, and mechanically ground before usage. 269 In China, PPG has been used thousands of times in oil field profile control and water shutoff applications. 270,314 A typical application example of PPG is in the Zhongyuan Oil Field.…”

Experimental Study on Phenol-Formaldehyde Resin Aggregates as In-Depth Conformance Control Agents Stabilized by Polymer

“…All of these factors result in limited enhanced oil-recovery capabilities of the polymer flooding. As a result, polymer flooding can only improve recovery by about 10% over water flooding [ 13 ].…”

Propagation of Swellable Microgels through Superpermeable Channels: Impact of Particle–Pore Matching Size Relationship

“…Micrometer-sized hydrogel particles were tested to solve the excessive water production problem. ,− The propagation behavior is important to determine the effectiveness of the gel treatment. ,− Meanwhile, however, the propagation is a complicated process due to the complex flow pathways in porous channels and the deformable nature of the particles. In field applications of gel treatments, the injection pressure is limited as the bottom hole pressure is usually constrained below the fracturing or parting pressure of the formation. ,− On the other hand, the gel materials should transport a certain distance away from the wellbore to achieve a satisfactory conformance control performance.…”