Numerical simulation of the blocking process of gelled particles in porous media with remaining polymers

Gelled particles can be transferred deeply inside oil reservoirs to block water channels due to their physicochemical characteristics, including swelling, deformation, and synergetic effect （reacting with polymers）, and then the injection profiles are significantly modified. At present, research on gelled particles is mainly focused on laboratory studies of drive mechanisms, and rarely on mathematical models describing the blocking process of gelled particles. In this paper, the blocking process of gelled particles is divided into two sub-processes： deposition and desorption due to particle deformation. A mathematical model based on filtration theory is proposed considering the effect of characteristics of gelled particles on the blocking process. Blocking laws were simulated and researched using the mathematical model. Results of the simulation of the blocking of gelled particles are quite consistent with the experimental results, which confirms the reliability of the mathematical model developed.