Gel Treatments for Reducing Channeling in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs

Abstract

Summary This paper considers some of the reservoir variables that affect the severity of channeling and the potential of gel treatments for reducing channeling through naturally fractured reservoirs. We performed extensive tracer and gel placement studies using two different simulators. We show that gel treatments have the greatest potential when the conductivities of fractures that are aligned with direct flow between an injector-producer pair are at least 10 times the conductivity of off-trend fractures. Gel treatments also have their greatest potential in reservoirs with moderate to large fracture spacing. Produced tracer concentrations from interwell tracer studies can help identify reservoirs that are predisposed to successful gel applications. Our simulation studies also show how tracer transit times can be used to estimate the conductivity of the most direct fracture. The effectiveness of gel treatments should be insensitive to fracture spacing for fractures that are aligned with the direct flow direction. The effectiveness of gel treatments increases with increased fracture spacing for fractures that are not aligned with the direct flow direction.