Electro-responsive hydrogel for reservoir and downhole application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12084530-B2
Application number	US-202318340586-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2023
Priority date	Aug 17, 2020
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

Electro-responsive hydrogel particles are flowed into a first wellbore formed in a subterranean formation. An electric circuit is established between the first wellbore and a second wellbore formed in the subterranean formation. An electric current is applied through the electric circuit, thereby exposing the electro-responsive hydrogel particles to an electric field and causing at least one of swelling or aggregation of the electro-responsive hydrogel particles to form a flow-diverting plug within the subterranean formation. Water is flowed into the first wellbore to increase hydrocarbon production from the second wellbore.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing an electro-responsive hydrogel for use in a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
forming an inverse emulsion of acrylic acid and magnesium aluminum phyllosilicate dispersed in a continuous phase of toluene; and
polymerizing the acrylic acid of the inverse emulsion to form the electro-responsive hydrogel, wherein polymerizing the acrylic acid in the inverse emulsion to form the electro-responsive hydrogen comprises:
adding ammonium persulfate and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide to the inverse emulsion;
allowing the acrylic acid of the inverse emulsion to polymerize and form a granular sample; and
mixing the granular sample and a basic salt solution to form a slurry.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the inverse emulsion of acrylic acid and magnesium aluminum phyllosilicate dispersed in the continuous phase of toluene comprises:
mixing the acrylic acid, the magnesium aluminum phyllosilicate, toluene, and acetic acid to form a first mixture; and
mixing the first mixture and a surfactant to form the inverse emulsion.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel is formed by drying the slurry.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel comprises a plurality of electro-responsive hydrogel particles having an average diameter in a range of from 1 nanometer (nm) to 10 micrometers (μm).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel comprises a plurality of electro-responsive hydrogel particles dispersed in an aqueous fluid to form a dispersion, and the plurality of electro-responsive hydrogel particles is present in the dispersion at a concentration in a range of from 0.1 weight percent (wt. %) to 10 wt. %.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel is configured to swell, aggregate, or both in response to exposure to a first electric field.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel is configured to revert from swelling, aggregating, or both in response to removal of the first electric field.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the electro-responsive hydrogel is configured to revert from swelling, aggregating, or both in response to exposure to a second electric field having an opposite voltage of the first electric field.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Abdel-Fattah Amr
• Sadeg Hala

Classifications

• E21B43/20

  Displacing by water · CPC title

• E21B43/14

  Obtaining from a multiple-zone well · CPC title

• E21B34/066

  electrically actuated · CPC title

• C08L79/04

  Polycondensates having nitrogen-containing heterocyclic rings in the main chain; Polyhydrazides; Polyamide acids or similar polyimide precursors · CPC title

• C08G2210/00

  Compositions for preparing hydrogels · CPC title