Marathon Oil Company

Charles J Norton

David O Falk

Alfred D Hill

A process for producing a silicate/polymer gel in situ by reacting an undried, water-soluble, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, a water-soluble silicate and a gelling agent in a porous earthen matrix, such as a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation, to improve hydrocarbon recovery from the formation.

Hydrocarbon recovery process using an in situ silicate/polymer gel

A polymer gel is formulated by adding a cross-linking agent containing a polyvalent metal cation to an aqueous solution of undried partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide. The resulting gel is dissolved or suspended in an aqueous medium and injected via a well into a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation to improve oil recovery from the formation.

Oil recovery process using a polyacrylamide gel

A reducing agent is added to an aqueous medium containing a mixture of undried partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide and an oxidizing agent. The reducing agent and oxidizing agent act as a redox catalyst system to cross link the polymer and form a polymer gel. Gelation time is controlled by maintaining the components of the gel-forming mixture at predetermined concentrations, reaction ratios and pH. The gel-forming mixture is applied to a porous matrix such as a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation where the mixture gels in situ at a controlled rate to reduce the permeability of the porous matrix.

Oil recovery process using a polymer gel

An aqueous solution containing a water soluble polymer and a nonalkaline aqueous solution containing a polyvalent cation are sequentially injected into the relatively highly permeable zones of a subterranean formation. The solutions preferentially enter the relatively highly permeable zones and form a flocculate in situ when the polymer and cation contact and mix in the connate water. Sequential injection may be repeated several times until the permeability of the relatively highly permeable zones is substantially reduced thereby improving conformance in the subterranean formation.

Process for conformance control using a polymer flocculate

A process for selectively reducing the permeability of a subterranean formation penetrated by a well bore and having an injection surface plugged by crosslinked dry polymer. The process comprises the sequential injection of an aqueous solution containing an oxidizing agent, an aqueous spacer medium, and an aqueous solution having at least one dry polymer dissolved therein. Sequential injection of these aqueous solutions can be repeated to achieve the desired degree of injectivity and permeability reduction.

Process for cleaning a subterranean injection surface and for

Hydrolyzed and neutralized acrylonitrile is polymerized in solution without isolation to produce a high molecular weight polyacrylamide useful for mobility control in supplemented recovery of petroleum. The polyacrylamide optionally may be hydrolyzed, and/or methylolated and/or sulfomethylated.

Polyacrylamide polymers derived from acrylonitrile without intermediate

A preslug of polyalkene oxide, e.g., polyethylene oxide, is injected before injection of a displacement fluid, e.g., a micellar dispersion or thickened water, in order to prevent contact between the displacement fluid and polyvalent, e.g., divalent and trivalent ions in the formation water, which ions are detrimental to many displacement fluids.

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Charles J Norton