Delayed gelling agents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10323174-B2
Application number	US-201715803886-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2017
Priority date	Aug 11, 2010
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

The invention is directed to delayed gelation agents comprising a degradable polymeric cage containing therein one or more gelation agents. The cage degrades in situ, e.g., in an oil reservoir, thus releasing the gelation agent(s), which can then crosslink second polymers in situ to form a gel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of increasing the recovery of hydrocarbon fluids in a subterranean formation comprising:
a) injecting into a subterranean formation a composition comprising water and a degradable polymeric cage and having within said cage one or more gelation agents,
wherein said degradable polymeric cage degrades on exposure to ambient conditions in said subterranean formation thus releasing said one or more gelation agents,

b) injecting into a subterranean formation a composition comprising a second polymer, wherein the second polymer is in the form of an expandable polymeric particle that is highly crosslinked with a stable crosslinker and a labile crosslinker;
wherein said released gelation agent crosslinks said second polymer to form a gel in said subterranean formation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein injection steps a) and b) are simultaneous.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein injection step b) occurs before injection step a).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein injection step a) occurs before injection step b).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second polymer is part of the degradable polymeric cage.

6. A method of increasing the recovery of hydrocarbon fluids in a subterranean formation comprising:
a) injecting into a subterranean formation a composition comprising a degradable polymeric cage, and having within said cage one or more gelation agents, wherein said polymer comprises one or more monomers and is crosslinked with a labile crosslinker to form said degradable polymeric cage, wherein the monomer comprises sodium AMPS and the labile crosslinker comprises a polyethylene glycol diacrylate and the gelation agent comprises chromium and polyethyleneimine,
wherein said degradable polymeric cage degrades on exposure to ambient conditions in said subterranean formation thus releasing said one or more gelation agents,

b) injecting into a subterranean formation a composition comprising a second polymer;
wherein said released gelation agent crosslinks said second polymer to form a gel in said subterranean formation.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein injection steps a) and b) are simultaneous.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein injection step b) occurs before injection step a).

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein injection step a) occurs before injection step b).

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second polymer is in the form of an expandable polymeric particle.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second polymer is in the form of an expandable polymeric particle that is highly crosslinked with a stable crosslinker and a labile crosslinker.

12. The method of claim 6 , wherein the second polymer is part of the degradable polymeric cage.

Assignees

• Conocophillips Co
• Univ Kansas

Inventors

• Guan Huili S
• Scully Faye L
• Berkland Cory
• Moradi-Araghi Ahmad
• Liang Jenn-Tai
• Zornes David R
• Needham Riley B
• Hedges James H
• Cheng Min
• Johnson James P

Classifications

• C09K8/88

  macromolecular compounds · CPC title

• E21B33/138

  Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation · CPC title

• C09K8/588 Primary

  characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)} · CPC title

• C09K8/92

  characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material (C09K8/70 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C09K8/887 Primary

  containing cross-linking agents · CPC title