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Gels
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Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery
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Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 6995

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ming Qu

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Guest Editor
Unconventional Petroleum Research Institute, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Interests: gel; nanofluid; foam; chemical flooding; CCUS
Prof. Mingguo Peng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering School of Energy, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213164, China
Interests: CCUS; nanofluid; gel; sewage treatment
Dr. Tuo Liang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Petroleum Engineering, Xi’an Shiyou University, Xi’an 710065, China
Interests: gel; nanofluid; chemical flooding; foam

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue, “Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery”, focuses on the recent progress of utilizing gels in enhanced oil recovery. Within this context, all the preparations, percolations, characterizations, etc., of gels meet the requirements of this Special Issue.

With the development of reservoirs, their heterogeneity has become more and more serious, especially in fractured reservoirs. The displacing phase is prone to channeling along high-permeable channels, such as artificial or natural fractures. As a result, the oil recovery efficiency is dramatically decreased due to the reduction in sweep efficiency. In recent decades, various gels have been developed to control the phenomenon of channeling. The gel preferentially flows into the highly permeable channels and then increases the seepage resistance. Then, subsequent fluids are diverted into smaller pores and throats to enhance oil recovery. In addition, the gel can also be injected into reservoirs from production wells to decrease the water cut. However, reservoir conditions (temperature, salinity, etc.) are becoming more demanding with the continual development of old oil fields and the discovery of unconventional oil fields. Many gels lose their properties when they are injected into the reservoirs. Thus, it is urgent that innovative gels should be developed to adapt to the present harsh formation conditions. Additionally, the percolation behaviors of gel in enhanced heterogeneous reservoirs should be restudied to be better understood. Furthermore, nanomaterials have great application potential in improving gel properties. Finally, we look forward to the submission of new results on the applications of gels for EOR. The submission of both theoretical and experimental studies is welcome.

Dr. Ming Qu
Prof. Mingguo Peng
Dr. Tuo Liang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • enhanced oil recovery of gels
  • preparation and synthesis of innovative gels
  • environmentally friendly gels
  • percolation behaviors of gels
  • nanomaterials that improve gel properties
  • profile control and water plugging of gels
  • CCUS
  • shale oil
  • tight oil
  • low-permeability reservoir
  • conventional reservoir
  • fractured-vuggy reservoir
  • numerical simulation

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 5737 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Effect of CO2 Response Gel for Plugging Low-Permeability Reservoirs
by Huipeng Wang, Changhua Yang, Yongwei Zhang and Chen Wang
Gels 2024, 10(7), 449; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10070449 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 464
Abstract
In order to solve the problem of gas channeling during CO2 flooding in low-permeability reservoirs, a novel CO2 responsive gel channeling system was prepared by using carrageenan, branched polyethylene imide and ethylenediamine under laboratory conditions. Based on the Box–Behnken response surface [...] Read more.
In order to solve the problem of gas channeling during CO2 flooding in low-permeability reservoirs, a novel CO2 responsive gel channeling system was prepared by using carrageenan, branched polyethylene imide and ethylenediamine under laboratory conditions. Based on the Box–Behnken response surface design method, the optimal synthesis concentration of the system was 0.5 wt% carrageenan, 2.5 wt% branchized polyethylenimide and 6.5 wt% ethylenediamine. The micromorphology of the system before and after response was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The rheology and dehydration rate were tested under different conditions. The channeling performance and enhanced oil recovery effect of the gel system were simulated by a core displacement experiment. The experimental results show that the internal structure of the system changes from a disordered, smooth and loosely separated lamellae structure to a more uniform, complete and orderly three-dimensional network structure after exposure to CO2. The viscosity of the system was similar to aqueous solution before contact with CO2 and showed viscoelastic solid properties after contact with CO2. The experiment employing dehydration rates at different temperatures showed that the internal structure of the gel would change at a high temperature, but the gel system had a certain self-healing ability. The results of the displacement experiment show that the plugging rate of the gel system is stable at 85.32% after CO2 contact, and the recovery rate is increased by 17.06%, which provides an important guide for the development of low-permeability reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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11 pages, 2469 KiB  
Article
High-Temperature-Resistant Profile Control System Formed by Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide and Water-Soluble Phenol-Formaldehyde Resin
by Xuanran Li, Shanglin Liu, Juan Zhang, Shujun Han, Lun Zhao, Anzhu Xu, Jincai Wang, Fujian Zhou and Minghui Li
Gels 2024, 10(6), 413; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060413 - 20 Jun 2024
Viewed by 435
Abstract
To realize the effective profile control of a heavy oil reservoir, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and water-soluble phenol-formaldehyde resin (PR) were chosen to prepare the profile control system, which gelled at medium or low temperatures and existed stably at high temperatures in the meantime. [...] Read more.
To realize the effective profile control of a heavy oil reservoir, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) and water-soluble phenol-formaldehyde resin (PR) were chosen to prepare the profile control system, which gelled at medium or low temperatures and existed stably at high temperatures in the meantime. The effects of phenolic ratios, PR concentration, and HPAM concentration on the formation and strength of the gels were systematically studied by the gel-strength code method and rheological measurements. And the microstructure of the gels was investigated by scanning electron microscope measurements. The results showed that the gelling time of the HPAM-PR system was 13 h at 70 °C. The formed gel could stay stable for 90 days at 140 °C. In addition, the gels showed viscoelastic properties, and the viscosity reached 18,000 mPa·s under a 1.5 s−1 shearing rate due to their three-dimensional cellular network structure. The formation of the gels was attributable to the hydroxyl groups of the PR crosslinking agent, which could undergo the dehydration condensation reaction with amide groups under non-acidic conditions and form intermolecular crosslinking with HPAM molecules. And the organic crosslinker gel system could maintain stability at higher temperatures because covalent bonds formed between molecules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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17 pages, 6650 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Distribution Pattern of Remaining Oil and Development Potential after Weak Gel Flooding in the Offshore LD Oilfield
by Lizhen Ge, Xiaoming Chen, Gang Wang, Guohao Zhang, Jinyi Li, Yang Liu, Lixiao Xiao, Yuchen Wen, Weifeng Yuan, Ming Qu and Mingxing Bai
Gels 2024, 10(4), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10040236 - 29 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 900
Abstract
The LD oilfield is one of the representative offshore oilfields. After weak gel flooding, the recovery rate is significantly improved. However, the oilfield is then in a medium- to high-water content stage, presenting a complex distribution of the remaining oil. The measures for [...] Read more.
The LD oilfield is one of the representative offshore oilfields. After weak gel flooding, the recovery rate is significantly improved. However, the oilfield is then in a medium- to high-water content stage, presenting a complex distribution of the remaining oil. The measures for further enhanced oil recovery (EOR) are uncertain. As a result, it is necessary to clarify the distribution pattern and development potential of the remaining oil during the high-water content period after weak gel flooding. In this study, an online nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) oil displacement experiment and microscopic oil displacement experiment were conducted, and the mechanisms of weak gel flooding and the distribution pattern of the remaining oil were clarified in the LD oilfield. Additionally, high-multiple water flooding and numerical simulation experiments were conducted to analyze the development potential after weak gel flooding. The results show that the effect of weak gel flooding was more significant in the core of 1500 mD, with an increase in oil recovery of 9% compared to 500 mD. At a permeability of 500 mD, the degree of crude oil mobilization in micropores and small pores caused by weak gel flooding was improved by 29.64% and 23.48%, respectively, compared with water flooding. At 1500 mD, the degree of crude oil mobilization in small pores caused by weak gel flooding was increased by 37.79% compared to water flooding. After weak gel flooding, the remaining oil was primarily distributed in medium and large pores. Microscopically, the remaining oil was dominated by cluster residual oil, accounting for 16.49%, followed by columnar, membranous, and blind-end residual oil. High multiple water flooding experiments demonstrated that weak gel flooding could significantly reduce development time. The ultimate oil recovery efficiency of 500 mD and 1500 mD reached 71.85% and 80.69%, respectively. Numerical simulation results show that the ultimate oil recovery efficiency increased from 62.04% to 71.3% after weak gel flooding. This indicated that the LD oilfield still had certain development potential after weak gel flooding. The subsequent direction for enhanced oil recovery focuses mainly on mobilizing oil in medium pores or clustered remaining oil. This will play a crucial role in further exploring methods for utilizing the remaining oil and increasing the recovery rate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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17 pages, 2144 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Profile Control and Oil Displacement Effect of Starch Gel and Nano-MoS2 Combination System in High-Temperature Heterogeneous Reservoir
by Lianfeng Zhang, Yanhua Liu, Zhengxin Wang, Hao Li, Yuheng Zhao, Yinuo Pan, Yang Liu, Weifeng Yuan and Jirui Hou
Gels 2024, 10(2), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10020127 - 4 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1264
Abstract
The Henan Oilfield’s medium-permeability blocks face challenges such as high temperatures and severe heterogeneity, making conventional flooding systems less effective. The starch gel system is an efficient approach for deep profile control in high-temperature reservoirs, while the nano-MoS2 system is a promising [...] Read more.
The Henan Oilfield’s medium-permeability blocks face challenges such as high temperatures and severe heterogeneity, making conventional flooding systems less effective. The starch gel system is an efficient approach for deep profile control in high-temperature reservoirs, while the nano-MoS2 system is a promising enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology for high-temperature low-permeability reservoirs. Combining these two may achieve the dual effects of profile control and oil displacement, significantly enhancing oil recovery in high-temperature heterogeneous reservoirs. The basic performance evaluation of the combination system was carried out under reservoir temperature. Displacement experiments were conducted in target blocks under different permeabilities and extreme disparity core flooding to evaluate the combination system’s oil displacement effect. Additionally, the displacement effects and mechanisms of the starch gel and nano-MoS2 combination system in heterogeneous reservoirs were evaluated by simulating interlayer and intralayer heterogeneity models. The results show that the single nano-MoS2 system’s efficiency decreases with increased core permeability, and its effectiveness is limited in triple and quintuple disparity parallel experiments. After injecting the starch gel–nano-MoS2 combination system, the enhanced oil recovery effect was significant. The interlayer and intralayer heterogeneous models demonstrated that the primary water flooding mainly affected the high-permeability layers, while the starch gel effectively blocked the dominant channels, forcing the nano-MoS2 oil displacement system towards unswept areas. This coordination significantly enhanced oil displacement, with the combination system improving recovery by 15.33 and 12.20 percentage points, respectively. This research indicates that the starch gel and nano-MoS2 combination flooding technique holds promise for enhancing oil recovery in high-temperature heterogeneous reservoirs of Henan Oilfield, providing foundational support for field applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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22 pages, 68969 KiB  
Article
Analysis of the Influencing Factors on the Extraction of Residual Oil through the Gel Foam Flooding of Underground Reservoirs in the Tahe Oilfield
by Chang-Ming Li, Ji-Rui Hou, Yu-Chen Wen and Tuo Liang
Gels 2023, 9(10), 804; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9100804 - 6 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1134
Abstract
Fractured-vuggy reservoirs are mainly composed of three types: underground rivers, vugs, and fractured-vuggy structures. Based on the similarity criterion, a 3D model can truly reflect the characteristics of the multi-scale space of a fractured-vuggy reservoir, and it can reflect fluid flow laws in [...] Read more.
Fractured-vuggy reservoirs are mainly composed of three types: underground rivers, vugs, and fractured-vuggy structures. Based on the similarity criterion, a 3D model can truly reflect the characteristics of the multi-scale space of a fractured-vuggy reservoir, and it can reflect fluid flow laws in the formation. Water flooding, gas flooding, and gel foam flooding were carried out in the model sequentially. Based on gas flooding, the enhanced recovery ratio of gel foam flooding in the underground river was approximately 12%. By changing the injection rate, the average recovery ratio of nitrogen flooding was 6.84% higher than that of other injection rates at 5 mL/min, and that of gel foam flooding was 1.88% higher than that of other injection rates at 5 mL/min. The experimental results showed that the gel foam induced four oil displacement mechanisms, which selectively plugged high-permeability channels, controlled the mobility ratio, reduced oil-water interfacial tension, and changed the wettability of rock surfaces. With different injection-production methods, gel foam flooding can spread across two underground river channels. Two cases of nitrogen flooding affected one underground river channel and two underground river channels. By adjusting the injection rate, it was found that after nitrogen flooding, there were mainly four types of residual oil, and gel foam flooding mainly yielded three types of remaining oil. This study verified the influencing factors of extracting residual oil from an underground river and provides theoretical support for the subsequent application of gel foam flooding in underground rivers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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20 pages, 11388 KiB  
Article
Experimental Study on Multi-Dimensional Visualization Simulation of Gas and Gel Foam Flooding in Fractured-Vuggy Reservoirs
by Yuchen Wen and Jirui Hou
Gels 2023, 9(9), 722; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9090722 - 6 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1138
Abstract
Gas flooding and foam flooding are potential technologies for tertiary oil recovery in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. The development and mechanism research of fractured-vuggy reservoirs is difficult due to the complex structures and the strong heterogeneity of fractured-vuggy reservoirs. Visualization simulation is one of the [...] Read more.
Gas flooding and foam flooding are potential technologies for tertiary oil recovery in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. The development and mechanism research of fractured-vuggy reservoirs is difficult due to the complex structures and the strong heterogeneity of fractured-vuggy reservoirs. Visualization simulation is one of the effective methods to study the flow behavior of fluid in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. In this study, an upscaling method of visualization simulation from one dimension (1D) to three dimensions (3D) was established, and the physical models of fractured-vuggy reservoirs were designed and fabricated. Water flooding, gas flooding, and gel foam flooding were carried out in the models. The experimental results showed that gas flooding has a single flow channel and water flooding has multiple flow channels in fractures and vugs. Gel foam with an excellent capability of mobility control and a high microscopic displacement efficiency swept in all directions at a uniform velocity. The EOR mechanisms of gel foam in fractured-vuggy reservoirs were mainly as follows: reducing interfacial tension, increasing mobility ratio, selectively plugging high permeability channels, and discontinuous flow. In the displacement process of fractured-vuggy reservoirs, water should be injected from the well at the bottom of the reservoir, and gas should be injected from the well located in the vug at the high part of the reservoir. Gel foam with strong stability and high viscosity should be selected and injected in most kinds of injection wells in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. This study provides a complete method of visualization simulation for the study of flow behavior in fractured-vuggy reservoirs and provides theoretical support for the application of gas flooding and gel foam flooding in fractured-vuggy reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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Review

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16 pages, 3707 KiB  
Review
Progress of Research into Preformed Particle Gels for Profile Control and Water Shutoff Techniques
by Wei Ma, Yikun Li, Pingde Liu, Zhichang Liu and Tao Song
Gels 2024, 10(6), 372; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060372 - 28 May 2024
Viewed by 766
Abstract
Gel treatment is an economical and efficient method of controlling excessive water production. The gelation of in situ gels is prone to being affected by the dilution of formation water, chromatographic during the transportation process, and thus controlling the gelation time and penetration [...] Read more.
Gel treatment is an economical and efficient method of controlling excessive water production. The gelation of in situ gels is prone to being affected by the dilution of formation water, chromatographic during the transportation process, and thus controlling the gelation time and penetration depth is a challenging task. Therefore, a novel gel system termed preformed particle gels (PPGs) has been developed to overcome the drawbacks of in situ gels. PPGs are superabsorbent polymer gels which can swell but not dissolve in brines. Typically, PPGs are a granular gels formed based on the crosslinking of polyacrylamide, characterized by controllable particle size and strength. This work summarizes the application scenarios of PPGs and elucidates their plugging mechanisms. Additionally, several newly developed PPG systems such as high-temperature-resistant PPGs, re-crosslinkable PPGs, and delayed-swelling PPGs are also covered. This research indicates that PPGs can selectively block the formation of fractures or high-permeability channels. The performance of the novel modified PPGs was superior to in situ gels in harsh environments. Lastly, we outlined recommended improvements for the novel PPGs and suggested future research directions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Gels for Enhanced Oil Recovery)
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