A High-Temperature-Resistant Nanogel for Profile Control and Water Shutoff in Deep Low-Permeability Reservoirs:...

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Engineering
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Profile control and water-shutoff agents are crucial for oil recovery in challenging high-temperature, low-permeability reservoirs.
• Existing agents suffer from low-temperature resistance and high filtration, limiting their effectiveness and causing reservoir damage.
• Developing advanced agents is essential to overcome these limitations and improve extraction efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize a nanoscale profile-control agent for enhanced fluid flow in geological reservoirs.
• To evaluate the performance of the synthesized agent under reservoir conditions.
• To understand the microscopic mechanisms governing the agent's profile-control and water-shutoff capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a nanoscale profile-control agent.
• Development of a multicoupled experimental apparatus to study rheological, seepage, and plugging behaviors.
• Establishment of a chemical kinetic model to analyze the microscopic regulation mechanism.

Main Results:

• The nanoscale agent demonstrated superior thermal stability at 200 °C compared to commercial alternatives.
• Elevated reservoir pressure enhanced the agent's profile-control and water-shutoff performance.
• The synthesized agent exhibited lower filtration loss and reduced material adsorption, minimizing reservoir damage.

Conclusions:

• The novel nanoscale agent effectively improves oil recovery in high-temperature, low-permeability reservoirs.
• The agent's enhanced thermal stability and performance under pressure offer significant advantages over existing technologies.
• This research provides critical theoretical and experimental insights for optimizing energy extraction from challenging geological formations.