Please enable JavaScript for this site to function properly.
OnePetro
  • Help
  • About us
  • Contact us
Menu
  • Home
  • Journals
  • Conferences
  • Log in / Register

Log in to your subscription

and
Advanced search Show search help
  • Full text
  • Author
  • Company/Institution
  • Publisher
  • Journal
  • Conference
Boolean operators
This OR that
This AND that
This NOT that
Must include "This" and "That"
This That
Must not include "That"
This -That
"This" is optional
This +That
Exact phrase "This That"
"This That"
Grouping
(this AND that) OR (that AND other)
Specifying fields
publisher:"Publisher Name"
author:(Smith OR Jones)

Effects of Gelant Composition and Pressure Gradients of Water and Oil on Disproportionate Permeability Reduction of Sandpacks Treated with Polyacrylamide-Chromium Acetate Gels

Authors
Tuan Q. Nguyen (Intel Corp.) | Don W. Green (U. of Kansas) | G. Paul Willhite (U. of Kansas) | C. Stanley McCool (U. of Kansas)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2118/89404-PA
Document ID
SPE-89404-PA
Publisher
Society of Petroleum Engineers
Source
SPE Journal
Volume
11
Issue
02
Publication Date
June 2006
Document Type
Journal Paper
Pages
145 - 157
Language
English
ISSN
1086-055X
Copyright
2006. Society of Petroleum Engineers
Disciplines
5.3.4 Reduction of Residual Oil Saturation, 1.2.3 Rock properties, 4.1.3 Dehydration, 4.3.4 Scale, 5.6.5 Tracers, 4.1.2 Separation and Treating, 1.8 Formation Damage, 5.2.1 Phase Behavior and PVT Measurements, 2.4.3 Sand/Solids Control
Downloads
1 in the last 30 days
423 since 2007
Show more detail
View rights & permissions
SPE Member Price: USD 12.00
SPE Non-Member Price: USD 35.00

Summary

For some polymer gels applied in reservoirs to control water flow, a favorable disproportionate permeability reduction (DPR) occurs in which permeability to water is reduced to a much greater extent than it is to oil. Permeability reduction in sandpacks by partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide-chromium acetate gels was studied as functions of gel composition and the pressure gradients imposed on the gels. For the range of parameters studied, increased gel composition increased the factors by which the permeabilities to water and oil were reduced. Increased gel composition also increased selectivity, a measure of the water-permeability reduction with respect to oil-permeability reduction. Applied pressure gradients during steady-state flows had little effect on oil permeability and a moderate effect on water permeability. Material balances on phases and components in the sandpacks provided insights into mechanisms responsible for the development of flow channels through gelled sandpacks and mechanisms contributing to favorable DPR. Increased pressure gradient during channel development decreased the selectivity of the treatment.

Introduction

High water production is a major concern in mature hydrocarbon reservoirs. Costs of handling and disposing of water produced from oil reservoirs often shorten the life of a production well. Disposal of the water is also an environmental concern. In order to reduce water production, polymer gels have been used to modify the mobility of water and oil in petroleum reservoirs.

When some gels are placed in a petroleum reservoir, permeability reduction occurs to a much greater extent for water than for oil. This phenomenon is known as favorable DPR. Reduced permeability to water can lead to decreased production of water, and sometimes increased oil production, thereby prolonging the useful life of the reservoir. Results reported in the literature have shown that the application of several polymer gel systems can result in DPR. Mechanisms for DPR have been debated, and the magnitude of the effect has been unpredictable from one application to another. Mechanisms for DPR that have been proposed and studied by several researchers are shown in Table 1. The usual method to study DPR is to saturate a porous medium with gelant, allow time for gelation to occur, and then inject oil and water to steady-state conditions and determine permeabilities at 100% fractional flow of each fluid. One aspect of this procedure that most of these experimental works do not describe or examine is the process that occurs when oil or water is first injected into the gel-treated porous media. It is our experience that the medium has very little permeability at the start of injection and that considerable time is required for the injected fluid to develop channels or flow paths through the system before a steady state is approached.

File Size  757 KBNumber of Pages   13

References

Al-Sharji, H.H., Grattoni, C.A., Dawe, R.A., and Zimmerman, R.W. 1999. Pore-Scale Study of the Flow of Oiland Water Through Polymer Gels. Paper SPE 56738 presented at the SPE AnnualTechnical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 3-6 October.

Dawe, R.A. and Zhang, Y. 1994. Mechanistic Study of theSelective Action of Oil and Water Penetrating Into a Gel Emplaced in a PorousMedium. Journal of Petroleum Science & Engineering 12:113-125.

Gales, J.R., Young, T.S., Willhite, G.P., and Green, D.W. 1994. Equilibrium Swelling and SyneresisProperties of Xanthan Gum-Cr(III) Gels. SPE Technology Series 2(2):190-212.

Ganguly, S., Willhite, G.P., Green, D.W., and McCool, C.S. 2003. Effect of Flow Rate onDisproportionate Permeability Reduction. Paper SPE 80205 presented at theSPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, Houston, 5-7 February.

Green, D.W., Willhite, G.P., McCool, C.S., Heppert, J.A., Vossoughi, andMichnick, M.J. 1998. In-Situ Permeability Modification Using Gelled PolymerSystems. Final Report for the period June 10, 1996 to July 31, 1998, U.S. DOEContract No. DE-AC22-94PC91008, Subcontract No. G4S60031, Ch. 5, U. ofKansas.

Krishnan, P., Asghari, K., Willhite, G.P., McCool, C.S., Green, D.W., andVossoughi, S. 2000. Dehydrationand Permeability of Gels Used in In-Situ Permeability ModificationTreatments. Paper SPE/DOE 59347 presented at the SPE/DOE Improved OilRecovery Symposium, Tulsa, 3-5 April.

Liang, J. and Seright, R.S. 1997. Further Investigations of Why GelsReduce Water Permeability More Than Oil Permeability. SPEPF 12(4):225¬-230.SPE-37249-PA.

Liang, J. and Seright, R.S. 2001. Wall-Effect/Gel-Droplet Model ofDisproportionate Permeability Reduction. SPEJ 6(3):268-272.SPE-74137-PA.

Liang, L., Sun, H., and Seright, R.S. 1995. Why Do Gels Reduce Water PermeabilityMore Than Oil Permeability? SPERE 10(4):282-286; Trans., AIME, 299.SPE-27829-PA.

Nguyen, T.Q. 2003. Effect of Compostion of aPolyacrylamide-Chromium(III)-Acetate Gel on the Magnitude of Gel Dehydrationand Disproportionate Permeability Reduction. MS thesis, U. of Kansas.

Nilson, S., Stavland, A., and Jonsbraten, H.C. 1998. Mechanistic Study of DisproportionatePermeability Reduction. Paper SPE 39635 presented at the SPE/DOE ImprovedOil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, 19-22 April.

Sparlin, D.D. and Hagen, R.W. 1984. Controlling Water in ProducingOperations—Part 5 World Oil 7:137-142.

White, J.L., Goddard, J.E., and Phillips, H.M. 1973. Use of Polymers to Control WaterProduction in Oil Wells. JPT 25(2):143-150. SPE-3672-PA.

Willhite, G.P., Zhu, H., Natarajan, D., McCool, C.S., and Green, D.W. 2002.Mechanisms CausingDisproportionate Permeability Reduction in Porous Media Treated With ChromiumAcetate/HPAM Gels. SPEJ 7(1):100-108. SPE-59345-PA.

Zaitoun, A., and Kohler, N. 1988. Two-Phase Flow Through Porous Media:Effect of an Adsorbed Polymer Layer. Paper SPE 18085 presented at the SPEAnnual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 2-5 October.

Zaitoun, A., Bertin, H., and Lasseux, D. 1998. Two-Phase Flow Property Modificationsby Polymer Adsorption. Paper SPE 39631 presented at the SPE/DOE ImprovedOil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, 19-22 April.

    • Issue Preprint
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 06
    • Issue 05
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
    • Issue 04
    • Issue 03
    • Issue 02
    • Issue 01
Show more

Other Resources

Looking for more? 

Some of the OnePetro partner societies have developed subject- specific wikis that may help.


 


PetroWiki was initially created from the seven volume  Petroleum Engineering Handbook (PEH) published by the  Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).








The SEG Wiki is a useful collection of information for working geophysicists, educators, and students in the field of geophysics. The initial content has been derived from : Robert E. Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Geophysics, fourth edition.

  • Home
  • Journals
  • Conferences
  • Copyright © SPE All rights reserved
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Help
  • Terms of use
  • Publishers
  • Content Coverage
  • Privacy
  Administration log in