Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussions may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines.

Abstract

Many successful field treatments to change injection profiles in waterflood injection wells have been performed. A new treating technique, which in most cases does not require zone isolation, has been developed and utilized in a large number of the treatments presented in this paper. Results of presented in this paper. Results of treatments performed indicate that inexpensive, inorganic gel forming materials can produce satisfactory results if they are injected so that deep formation penetration is achieved.

Field results have also shown that the same inorganic gel forming materials can be applied, with slight modification of the new treating technique, to help eliminate or substantially reduce water production in primary depletion wells for a considerable primary depletion wells for a considerable length of time. Such results indicate that the materials and techniques may be applied to control water breakthrough problems in waterflood producing wells.

Gel times of the materials are flexible, providing placement times from a few minutes to providing placement times from a few minutes to several hours. Slurries of the materials can be made for use as a tail-in material where fractures and vugs exist.

Use of the materials and techniques developed in these treatments provides a low cost method for altering injectivity profiles in waterflood injection wells as well as an economical method for controlling water production in primary depletion wells. production in primary depletion wells

Introduction

Directing the injected water in waterflood injection wells so that the floodwater is distributed in the zones containing most of the remaining oil in place has long been a challenging problem in waterflood operations.

At various intervals in the life of a flood program, it may be most economical and desirable to redistribute the floodwater to enter other zones. Controlling the fluid allotment into each formation strata may pose a costly operation if a rig or expensive downhole equipment is used. Furthermore desired results may never be seen in the producing wells. Usually, the zones of highest producing wells. Usually, the zones of highest permeability accept the floodwater first. permeability accept the floodwater first. When breakthrough occurs in such cases, much oil in place is bypassed in zones of lesser permeability. permeability.

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