Permeability Reduction by a Xanthan/Chromium (III) System in Porous Media

Hejri, Shahab; Jousset, F.; Green, D. W.; McCool, Chris; Willhite, G.P.

doi:10.2118/19634-pa

Cited by 20 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…12,14,[120][121][122][123] However, after gel aggregates form and grow to the size of pore throats, gel filtration can radically increase the resistance to flow. [120][121][122] The literature indicates that gelants can penetrate a significant distance into porous rock before gelation, but after gelation, gel propagation is extremely slow or negligible. 12,14,[120][121][122][123] Alternatively, if gelation is stopped sufficiently early or if gels are sufficiently sheared so that gel particles remain significantly smaller than pore throats, the gel suspensions can propagate through porous rock; however, the level of mobility reduction is generally small (less than 2).…”

Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[120][121][122] The literature indicates that gelants can penetrate a significant distance into porous rock before gelation, but after gelation, gel propagation is extremely slow or negligible. 12,14,[120][121][122][123] Alternatively, if gelation is stopped sufficiently early or if gels are sufficiently sheared so that gel particles remain significantly smaller than pore throats, the gel suspensions can propagate through porous rock; however, the level of mobility reduction is generally small (less than 2). 16 Also, suspensions of gel particles and adsorbed polymers provide resistance factors and residual resistance factors that increase with decreasing permeability.…”

Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12,14,[120][121][122][123] Early in the gelation process, it propagates through sandstone like a polymer solution without crosslinker. After some point (presumably when gel aggregates grow to the size of pore throats), gel propagation is extremely slow or negligible.…”

Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consider how crosslinked polymer gels perform in porous media during conformance-improvement treatments. 12,14,[120][121][122][123] Early in the gelation process, most gelants behave like clean fluids that do not contain suspended particulate matter. 12,14,[120][121][122][123] However, after the first gel aggregates form and grow to the size of pore throats, filtration of the gel aggregates (within the porous rock) can radically increase the resistance to flow.…”

Section: Are Colloidal Dispersion Gels Reallymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…12,14,[120][121][122][123] Early in the gelation process, most gelants behave like clean fluids that do not contain suspended particulate matter. 12,14,[120][121][122][123] However, after the first gel aggregates form and grow to the size of pore throats, filtration of the gel aggregates (within the porous rock) can radically increase the resistance to flow. [120][121][122] Gelants (e.g., polymer-crosslinker solutions prior to significant polymer crosslinking) can penetrate a significant distance into porous rock before gelation, but after gelation, gel propagation is extremely slow or non existent.…”

Section: Are Colloidal Dispersion Gels Reallymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aperture-Tolerant, Chemical-Based Methods to Reduce Channeling

Seright¹

2007

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DEDICATIONThis report is dedicated to Dr. Jerry Casteel, who recently retired after many years of government service. During his time with the DOE's National Petroleum Technology Office, Jerry consistently played an extremely constructive part in overseeing our research. While our government is often criticized for wasteful spending and flighty funding of ill-considered projects, Jerry was a great role model, illustrating the very best of our public servants. Being highly competent (both technically and managerially), he provided a voice of moderation and charted a steady long-term course for solving some of the nation's most difficult energy problems. We will miss his insights, his vision, his dedication to advancing petroleum engineering, and his friendship.iii ABSTRACT This final technical progress report describes work performed from October 1, 2004, through May 16, 2007, for the project, "Aperture-Tolerant, Chemical-Based Methods to Reduce Channeling."We explored the potential of pore-filling gels for reducing excess water production from both fractured and unfractured production wells. Several gel formulations were identified that met the requirements-i.e., providing water residual resistance factors greater than 2,000 and ultimate oil residual resistance factors (F rro ) of 2 or less. Significant oil throughput was required to achieve low F rro values, suggesting that gelant penetration into porous rock must be small (a few feet or less) for existing pore-filling gels to provide effective disproportionate permeability reduction. Compared with adsorbed polymers and weak gels, strong pore-filling gels can provide greater reliability and behavior that is insensitive to the initial rock permeability.Guidance is provided on where relative-permeabiliy-modification/disproportionate-permeabilityreduction treatments can be successfully applied for use in either oil or gas production wells. When properly designed and executed, these treatments can be successfully applied to a limited range of oilfield excessive-water-production problems.We examined whether gel rheology can explain behavior during extrusion through fractures. The rheology behavior of the gels tested showed a strong parallel to the results obtained from previous gel extrusion experiments. However, for a given aperture (fracture width or plate-plate separation), the pressure gradients measured during the gel extrusion experiments were much higher than anticipated from rheology measurements. Extensive experiments established that wall slip and first normal stress difference were not responsible for the pressure gradient discrepancy. To explain the discrepancy, we noted that the aperture for gel flow (for mobile gel wormholing through concentrated immobile gel within the fracture) was much narrower than the width of the fracture.The potential of various approaches were investigated for improving sweep in parts of the Daqing Oil Field that have been EOR targets. Possibilities included (1) gel treatments that are directed at channeling through fractures,...

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Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Gel Treatments Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Colloidal Dispersion Gels Reallymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Are Colloidal Dispersion Gels Reallymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aperture-Tolerant, Chemical-Based Methods to Reduce Channeling

Seright¹

2007

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Viscoelastic behavior of hydrogel‐based xanthan gum/aluminum lactate with potential applicability for conformance control

Amaral

Oliveira

Pedroni

et al. 2021

J of Applied Polymer Sci

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Gel systems composed of biopolymers can be used, which block the regions of high water permeability during a previously established period, through the in situ formation of a gel inside the rock pores. Among the biopolymers studied, xanthan gum has attracted the greatest attention due to its viscosifying power and good stability in reservoirs subject to severe salinity and temperature from 27 to 90°C. Xanthan chains have the ability to build up physical networks with metals such as aluminum lactate to form hydrogels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to prepare and evaluate, hydrogels made from xanthan gum (XG) cross‐linked with aluminum lactate. Initially, the influence of the gel formulation (biopolymer concentration and cross‐linker) and the reservoir conditions (pH, temperature, salinity) of the gel strength of the system and the injectivity of the gel systems was investigated through rheological tests. Subsequently, was analyzed the morphology of the systems for 30 days by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the systems based on xanthan gum cross‐linked, were able to form strong gels at pH 8, temperature of 70°C and salinity of 29,940 mgL−1 TDS. In general, the evaluated parameters (pH, temperature, salinity, polymer concentration, and cross‐linker) had a direct effect on the initial strength of the gel. However, after aging for 30 days, a drop in gel resistance was observed, since all systems have similar tan (δ) values and these parameters no longer show significant influence The aging analysis of hydrogel systems by SEM showed a difference in the surface microstructure of the dry hydrogel over the 30 days.

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