APPLICATION OF HYDROGELS FOR WATER SHUTOFF TREATMENTS. Message No. 2

Abstract

The article analyzes the use of hydrogels with nanoparticle additives for well water shutoff, as well as the development of a mathematical apparatus for hydrodynamic modeling of water shutoff operations. One of the most significant trends in the development of gel forming compounds for well water shutoff in the last 10 years has been the use of nanocomposites. The base polymers for nanocomposites used for water shutoff operations are either synthetic or biopolymer origin. The article highlights the novelty and prospects of using nanoparticles in sealing compositions. Various nanocomponent additives are used to increase the success of the use of hydrogel polymer systems in order to limit water inflow and expand the scope of their application in complicated reservoir conditions. These include carbon and mineral nanoparticles, which increase the stability and strength of crosslinked gels in formation conditions.In this paper, we consider the optimization of the repair and insulation operations design using gels for well water shutoff using mathematical modeling, which helps to justify the volume of hydrogel injection and calculate the necessary pressure gradients at which the sealing screen remains stable. The paramount importance of determining the source of well flooding is emphasized, depending on which the processing design is already being built, and appropriate materials are selected; trends in the development of repair and insulation operations at the present stage are traced. Based on the results of the implementation of the proposed model by numerical methods, the authors constructed diagrams of the stability of the waterproofing screen depending on the fracture width, screen size, gel injection rate and reservoir permeability. The technique proposed in the work allows to correctly select and optimize the technological parameters of the operation to maintain the stability of the screen in specific geological conditions.Mathematical modeling allows us to strictly justify the volume of injection of the gel screen, increase the technological and economic efficiency of the process, and in large fields — to rank wells according to the priority of processing. Oilfield practice in various regions of the country fully confirms the main conclusions made in this review article. Preliminary mathematical modeling and the introduction of microdispersions into gel formulations can significantly increase the efficiency of water shutoff operations. The next step in the development of water insulation technologies is the use of nanodispersions, which look very promising in laboratory modeling and are no longer exotic materials with unrealistic cost.