Particle settling in viscous non‐Newtonian hydroxyethyl cellulose polymer solutions

Abstract

Oil production from unconsolidated sand often requires some means of sand control. Gravel packing is pumped into the well as a concentrated slurry using a viscous aqueous polymer solution to provide background for a study of the settling behavior of slurries. Measurements also were made of the settling velocity of single particles in the viscous non-Newtonian polymer solutions of Natrosol 250HHR. However, particle settling data also allows calculation of apparent viscosities at low shear rates and, because of the wide variation in settling velocity with polymer concentration, provides a convenient onsite test of polymer quality during the placement operation. That is, the effects of viscosity reducers and the particular time-temperature history for a given polymer solution may be readily estimated. Since particle suspensions in viscous polymer solutions also are used for fracturing and in other in situ energy applications, there is a range of uses for these results.