A new polymer treatment process has been developed for selectively reducing water permeability in gas wells. Three field treatments are discussed. The most notable treatment was performed on an offshore gas well that previously was loaded up with water. The treatment returned gas production to the well, averaging 1.9 MMcf/D gas for almost 3 years. The water production was reduced from a high of almost 600 to < 50 B/D. The treatment was performed in 1 day using common oil- and gas-field acidizing equipment. The treatment design was based on information from earlier field treatments, laboratory corefloods, and gel screening data.

Keywords:
polymer, polyacrylamide, nitrogen, water control, gas permeability, flow in porous media, gas channel, water production, fluid dynamics, produced water management and control
Subjects:
Acidizing, Artificial Lift Systems, Chemical flooding methods, Completion Installation and Operations, Conformance improvement, Drilling Fluids and Materials, Drilling Operations, Flow in porous media, Formation Evaluation & Management, Hydraulic Fracturing
Copyright 1994, Society of Petroleum Engineers
You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.