Synthesis and Plugging Mechanism of New Water-Swellable Rubber Particles for Fractured Pores in High Water-Cut Reservoirs

Most of the onshore water-flooding oilfield reservoirs have dominant seepage channels dominated by large pores and fractures, resulting in the oilfield being in a period of high water cut. The treatment of this problem needs to be solved by plugging. In the research process, the particle size and suspension of the water-swellable rubber particles were measured, and the effective time of the particles was evaluated; matching relationship. The results show that adding 2000 mg/L polymer to the water-swellable rubber particles can better improve the suspension performance; the performance of the polymer solution will not be affected during mixing and injection. In addition to strong swelling performance, it also has a certain strength and deformability, up to 10 MPa high via pressure and good thermal stability. Compared with the water and oil environment, the chemical degradation phenomenon is significant after soaking in alkaline conditions. Compared with the alkaline environment and the formation water environment, the final expansion ratio of the water-swellable rubber particles in the formation oil environment is as low as 2.5 times, which has the ability to block water. There was no oil blocking feature. When the crack width is too small, particles with excessively large particle sizes may accumulate at the injection end of the core, resulting in failure to inject into the core and fail to achieve the plugging effect. For the treatment of large, fractured pores, it is possible to first inject particles with a particle size of 0.250-0.420 mm to block areas with high permeability, and then inject particles with a particle size of 0.150-0.250 mm to block areas with low permeability.

Automated summary

Most onshore water-flooding oilfield reservoirs have high water cut and require plugging treatment. Adding polymer to water-swellable rubber particles can improve suspension performance, but chemical degradation may occur in alkaline conditions. For cases with small crack width, particles of different sizes may be needed for plugging.