Research on a New Profile Control Agent: Dispersed Particle Gel

Abstract

Abstract In order to achieve in-depth control of injection water and improve oil recovery, a new profile control agent called dispersed particle gel (DPG) is developed, which is significantly different from colloidal dispersion gel both in its preparation and its characteristics. The DPG is prepared by the tube shearing cross-linking method with polymer and cross-linker. Atomic force microscope (AFM) studies show that DPG is made of small pseudo-spherical particles and the sizes can be controlled from nm to mm by adjusting shearing rate in the tube. The particles have a ratio of major and minor axis length of near 1, and the larger the shear rate, the closer the ratio is to 1. Salinity has a minor effect on the micro-morphology and there is an aging aggregation phenomenon. The results on dynamic light scattering also support the conclusions above. The rotary viscometer measurements show that DPG has a low viscosity, and salinity has a minor effect on viscosity, and that the DPG has good shearing stability. Physical simulation experiments in this study demonstrate that DPG has good injectivity, the ability to control injection profile, and improve oil recovery. It can be concluded from this study that this new profile control agent has the potential for wide application.