Optimization of the Plugging Agent Dosage for High Temperature Salt Profile Control in Heavy Oil Reservoirs

After steam discharge in heavy oil reservoirs,the distribution of temperature,pressure,and permeability in different wells becomes irregular.Flow channels can easily be produced,which affect the sweep efficiency of the oil displacement.Previous studies have shown that the salting-out plugging method can effectively block these channels in high-temperature reservoirs,improve the suction profile,and increase oil production.In the present study,the optimal dosage of the plugging agent is determined taking into account connection transmissibility and inter-well volumes.Together with the connectivity model,a water flooding simulation model is introduced.Moreover,a non-gradient stochastic disturbance algorithm is used to obtain the optimal plugging agent dosage,which provides the basis for the high-temperature salting-out plugging agent adjustment in the field.

Thermo-sensitive polymer nanospheres as a smart plugging agent for shale gas drilling operations

Emulsifier-free poly（methyl methacrylate-styrene） [P（MMA-St）] nanospheres with an average particle size of 100 nm were synthesized in an isopropyl alcoholwater medium by a solvothermal method. Then, through radical graft copolymerization of thermo-sensitive mono- mer N-isopropylacrylamide （NIPAm） and hydrophilic monomer acrylic acid （AA） onto the surface of P（MMA- St） nanospheres at 80 ℃, a series of thermo-sensitive polymer nanospheres, named SD-SEAL with different lower critical solution temperatures （LCST）, were prepared by adjusting the mole ratio of NIPAm to AA. The products were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, particle size distribution, and specific surface area analysis. The temperature-sensitive behavior was studied by light transmittance tests, while the sealing performance was investigated by pressure transmission tests with Lungmachi Formation shales. The experimental results showed that the synthesized nanoparticles are sensitive to temperature and had apparent LCST values which increased with an increase in hydrophilic monomer AA. When the temperature was higher than its LCST value, SD- SEAL played a dual role of physical plugging and chemical inhibition, slowed down pressure transmission, and reduced shale permeability remarkably. The plugged layer of shale was changed to being hydrophobic, which greatly improved the shale stability

Development of degradable pre-formed particle gel(DPPG)as temporary plugging agent for petroleum drilling and production

Temporary plugging agent(TPA)is widely used in many fields of petroleum reservoir drilling and production,such as temporary plugging while drilling and petroleum well stimulation by diverting in acidizing or fracturing operations.The commonly used TPA mainly includes hard particles,fibers,gels,and composite systems.However,current particles have many limitations in applications,such as insufficient plugging strength and slow degradation rate.In this paper,a degradable pre-formed particle gel(DPPG)was developed.Experimental results show that the DPPG has an excellent static swelling effect and self-degradation performance.With a decrease in the concentration of total monomers or cross-linker,the swelling volume of the synthesized DPPG gradually increases.However,the entire self-degradation time gradually decreases.The increase in 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid(AMPS)in the DPPG composition can significantly increase its swelling ratio and shorten the self-degradation time.Moreover,DPPG has excellent high-temperature resistance(150°C)and high-salinity resistance(200,000 mg/L NaCl).Core displacement results show that the DPPG has a perfect plugging effect in the porous media(the plugging pressure gradient was as high as 21.12 MPa),and the damage to the formation after degradation is incredibly minor.Therefore,the DPPG can be used as an up-and-coming TPA in oil fields.

Degradable preformed particle gel as temporary plugging agent for low-temperature unconventional petroleum reservoirs:Effect of molecular weight of the cross-linking agent

The development of unconventional petroleum resources has gradually become an important succession for increasing oil production.However,the related engineers and researchers are paying more and more attention to the application of temporary plugging agents(TPAs)for their efficient development.TPAs can expand the stimulated reservoir volume(SRV)and facilitate the flow of oil and gas to the bottom of the well.Particle-gels used as temporary plugging agents have the characteristics of the simple injection process,good deformation,high plugging strength,and complete self-degradation performance,which have been widely applied in recent years.In this paper,five samples of DPPG polymerized by different molecular weights of cross-linking agents were prepared.In addition,infrared spectroscopy analysis,differential calorimetry scanning(DSC)analysis,static particle gel swelling and degradation performance evaluation experiments,and dynamic temporary plugging performance experiments in cores were conducted at 34°C.Results show that as the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent(at 0.01 g)in the DPPG molecule decreased from 1,000 to 200 Da,the fewer cross-linking sites of DPPG,the looser the microscopic three-dimensional mesh structure formed.The swelling ratio increased from 7 to 33 times.However,the complete degradation time increased from 40 to 210 min.Moreover,the DSC results confirmed that the higher the molecular weight of the cross-linking agent,the worse is chemical stability and the more prone it to self-degradation.DPPG samples had good temporary plugging performance in reservoir cores.DPPGs prepared by the cross-linking agent with smaller molecular weight has a stronger swelling ratio,higher gel strength,and greater plugging strength in the core permeabilities.Moreover,the degraded DPPG is less damaging to the cores.However,their slower degradation rates take a slightly longer times to reach complete degradation.The results of this paper can provide new ideas and a theoretical basis for the development of particle gel-type temporary plugging agents(TPA)with controllable degradation time in low-temperature reservoirs.It can help to expand the application range of existing DPPG reservoir conditions.

Microstructure Formation and Degradation Mechanism of Cementitious Plugging Agent Slurries

The hydration products and microstructure of class G oil well cement and a newly developed plugging agent （YLD） slurries cured in the simulated temperature and pressure environment, which was of similar temperature and pressure with those at the bottom of oil well in a normal depth, were investigated using XRD, TG and SEM. Severe leakage is confirmed at the interface between hardened slurries and steel tube during the dynamically curing process, which induces the quick loss of cementing property of slurries. This should be the dominating cause of degradation of class G oil well cement slurry. A secondary hydration process can take place at the eroded interface of hardened YLD plugging agent slurry. Newly formed C-S-H gel has a self-healing effect to repair the damaged interface, which unceasingly maintains the cementing property of the YLD plugging agent slurry. Therefore, the effective using period of YLD plugging agent can be prolonged.

Synthesis and Evaluation of a Water-Swelling Polymer Plugging Agent SWL-1

In this paper, to solve the problems of low water absorption and weak pressure bearing capacity of current plugging materials, acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), and sodium allyl sulfonate (SAS) are used as monomers, and soluble starch is used as grafting. Material, the use of free radical aqueous solution method to synthesize the plugging agent SWL-1 with good water absorption and strong salt resistance. The monomer ratio is set as n (AA):n (AM):n (SAS) = 5:2:1, the experimental synthesis temperature is 70°C, and the orthogonal experiment is used to determine the experimental synthesis conditions as AA neutralization degree 80%, The amount of initiator is 0.60%, the amount of crosslinking agent is 0.50%, the ratio of monomer to starch is 7:1, and the amount of calcium carbonate is 13%. The comprehensive evaluation of the performance of the plugging agent SWL-1 shows that the water absorption performance at 60°C is the best 268.78 g/g, and the water absorption performance in 8% NaCl, 0.9% CaCl2 and composite brine is 21.5 g/g, 12.5 g/g and 24.9 g/g, indicating good resistance to sodium and calcium, the water retention rate is still higher than 30% after 15 days at 160°C. The sand bed plugging test found that the maximum pressure of SWL-1 was 7 MPa, and the crack plugging test found that when the crack width was 1 mm, 2 mm, and 3 mm, the maximum compressive strength of SWL-1 was 10 MPa. The acid solubility test showed that the maximum pressure was 10 MPa. The highest rate is 86.38%.

Development and performance evaluation of a high temperature resistant, internal rigid, and external flexible plugging agent for water-based drilling fluids

During the drilling process for oil and gas production,a larger number of drilling fluids invade the formation,causing severe formation damage and wellbore collapsing,which seriously hinders the efficient production of deep oil and gas.Although several plugging agents have been developed for efficient fracture sealing in recent years,the development of high-performance plugging agents with self-adaptive ability and high-temperature resistance remain a challenge.Herein,we report the synthesis of an internal rigid and external flexible plugging agent PANS by reversed-phase emulsion polymerization with nano-silica as the rigid core and poly(acrylamide-co-N-vinylpyrrolidone)as a flexible shell.The plugging agent has a median particle size of 10.5μm and can self-adapt to seal the microfractures and fractures in the formation,leading to an effective reduction in the filtration loss of bentonite water-based drilling fluid under both low temperature and low pressure(LTLP)and high temperature and high pressure(HTHP)conditions.In addition,compared with the neat nano-silica(500 nm),the sealing efficiency of PANS toward 100–120 mesh sand bed was increased by 71.4%after hot rolling at 180°C.

Fracture propagation law of temporary plugging and diversion fracturing in shale reservoirs under completion experiments of horizontal well with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation

This study conducted temporary plugging and diversion fracturing(TPDF)experiments using a true triaxial fracturing simulation system within a laboratory setting that replicated a lab-based horizontal well completion with multi-cluster sand jetting perforation.The effects of temporary plugging agent(TPA)particle size,TPA concentration,single-cluster perforation number and cluster number on plugging pressure,multi-fracture diversion pattern and distribution of TPAs were investigated.A combination of TPAs with small particle sizes within the fracture and large particle sizes within the segment is conducive to increasing the plugging pressure and promoting the diversion of multi-fractures.The addition of fibers can quickly achieve ultra-high pressure,but it may lead to longitudinal fractures extending along the wellbore.The temporary plugging peak pressure increases with an increase in the concentration of the TPA,reaching a peak at a certain concentration,and further increases do not significantly improve the temporary plugging peak pressure.The breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure show a decreasing trend with an increase in single-cluster perforation number.A lower number of single-cluster perforations is beneficial for increasing the breaking pressure and temporary plugging peak pressure,and it has a more significant control on the propagation of multi-cluster fractures.A lower number of clusters is not conducive to increasing the total number and complexity of artificial fractures,while a higher number of clusters makes it difficult to achieve effective plugging.The TPAs within the fracture is mainly concentrated in the complex fracture areas,especially at the intersections of fractures.Meanwhile,the TPAs within the segment are primarily distributed near the perforation cluster apertures which initiated complex fractures.

Study on Plugging Technology in Oil Test

In view of the shortcomings of poor temperature resistance, poor pumpability and poor pressure-bearing capacity of commonly used gel plugging materials, polyacrylamide (HPAM) and N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (BIS) were selected for crosslinking and compounding to make a new type of gel plugging material with high temperature and pressure resistance. The compressive strength and yield stress were measured by inverted observation method to evaluate the gel strength. The anti-temperature, anti-pressure, anti-dilution and gel-breaking properties of the gel were evaluated. Finally, 71 type high temperature and high pressure water loss instrument and high temperature and high pressure filter with slit plate were used to evaluate the plugging capacity of gel plugging agent. The experimental results show that the new gel plugging system between 100°C - 120°C, gelation time can be controlled at about 5 h;it has strong temperature resistance, compression resistance, dilution resistance and gel breaking performance. In the face of permeability and fracture leakage simulation experiments, when the ambient temperature below 120°C, pressure within 5 MPa, the filter loss of gel plugging agent is far less than the market two conventional plugging agent, has excellent plugging performance.

Study on the Plugging System of the Lower Ancient High Loss Zone in Changqing Gas Field

At present, in the workover operations of old gas wells in the Changqing Gas Field, due to years of exploitation in the production layer, pressure deficits, and general leakage during the well killing, the well must be plugged before the well can be killed. In particular, the fracture-cavity type fractures of the lower paleocarbonate reservoirs have serious leakage. Traditional plugging materials and traditional plugging materials and methods have some limitations in dealing with leakage problems. Therefore, a composite plugging system using polymer solution as the base carrier fluid, multi-particle size rigid particles, expandable particles and modified fibers is developed. Its formula is: water + 2% polyacrylamide + 0.1% N, N-methylene bisacrylamide polymer gel is the base carrier fluid;the formulation of the particle plugging agent was continuously optimized through the CDL-II high temperature and high pressure dynamic and static plugging ability to plug the core. The final formulation of the plugging agent is: 1) 20% rigid particles (5 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm CCP-3 ratio 4:2:1) + 1% 3 mm expanded particles SMK-1 + 1% 1 ~ 2 mm fiber SRXW-10;2) 20% rigid particles (3 mm, 0.1 mm, 0.05 mm CCP-3 ratio 3:2:1) + 1% 3 mm expanded particles SMK-1 + 1% 1 ~ 2 mm fiber SRXW-10. The water swelling multiples of the granular plugging agent in salt water are all above 7 times, which meets the requirements of leak-proof plugging operations under high salinity;3% HCl is selected as the gel breaker, and the plugging system has a gel breaking rate of 95%;through the water plugging and profile control experimental system, the sand-filled pipe is used to simulate the plugging effect under high temperature and high pressure, and the plugging system can be sealed for 5 days at a high temperature of 110°C and a high pressure of 20 MPa to achieve a good plugging of the formation. It is expected that the developed plugging system has a good application prospect in future workover operations.

High-strength and self-degradable sodium alginate/polyacrylamide preformed particle gels for conformance control to enhance oil recovery

Excess water production has become an important issue in the oil and gas extraction process.Preformed particle gels(PPGs),show the capability to control the conformance and reduce excess water cut.However,conventional PPGs have poor mechanical properties and their swollen particles are easily damaged by shearing force when passing through the fractures in formations,meanwhile PPGs can be also degraded into various byproducts,leading to permanent damage to the reservoir permeability after temporary plugging.Herein,a novel type of dual cross-linked PPGs(dPPGs)was designed and synthesized using sodium alginate(SA)and acrylamide(AAm),cross-linked with N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide(MBA)and Fe^(3+).Results show that dPPGs have excellent mechanical properties with a storage modulus up to 86,445 Pa,which is almost 20 times higher than other reported PPGs.Meanwhile,dPPGs can be completely degraded into liquid without any solid residues or byproducts and the viscosity of dPPGs degraded liquid was found to be lower than 5 mPa·s.A laboratory coreflooding test showed that the plugging efficiency of dPPGs was up to 99.83%on open fractures.The obtained results demonstrated that dPPGs could be used as economical and environment-friendly temporary plugging agent with high-strength,self-degradation,thermal stability,and salt stability,thus making it applicable to a wide range of conformance control to enhance oil recovery.