Experimental Study on Matched Particle Size and Elastic Modulus of Preformed Particle Gel for Oil Reservoirs

Abstract

Suitable elastic modulus and particle size of preformed particle gel are the keys to both diverting water flow and avoiding permanent impairment to reservoirs. Therefore, the paper aims at finding the best matched preformed particle gel for given reservoirs using sand-pack displacement experiments. The results show that the injection pressure of preformed particle gel with excessively small size and elastic modulus is relatively low, indicating poor capacity to increase flow resistance and reduce water channeling. On the other hand, if the particle size and elastic modulus of preformed particle gel are excessively large, the reservoir may be plugged and irreversibly damaged, affecting oil development performance. In fact, the best matched particle size and elastic modulus of preformed particle gel increase with the increase in reservoir permeability. Furthermore, the paper establishes a quantitative logarithmic model between the particle size of preformed particle gel and reservoir permeability. Finally, the established matching relationship is validated via microscopic visualization oil displacement experiments using a glass etching model. The validation experiments indicate that the preformed particle gel (60–80 mesh; 2–4 Pa) selected according to the matching relationship can effectively reduce water channeling and increase sweeping efficiency by as much as 55% compared with water flooding in the glass etching model with an average permeability of 2624 × 10−3 μm2. Therefore, the established matching relationship can provide an effective guide when selecting the best suitable preformed particle gel for a given reservoir in more future applications.