Phillips Petroleum Company

Charles P Thomas

Riley Bryan Needham

Donald R Wier

Hsiu Kuo Chen

Permeable portions of a subterranean formation are temporarily plugged by driving a foam formed by interacting an aqueous surfactant solution and dense fluid carbon dioxide into the permeable portions of the formation. In an embodiment of the invention the aqueous surfactant solution and the dense fluid carbon dioxide are introduced into the formation by sequential slug injections of the foam generating compositions. In another embodiment oil is displaced from an oil-bearing underground formation by plugging more permeable portions of the formation as described above, introducing a drive fluid into the formation and producing recovered oil and drive fluid from a well penetrating the formation.

Method for plugging and subsequent treatment of subterranean formations

In a method of propping a fracture in subterranean formations, the invention comprises placing in the fractures particulate solids such as sand coated with a water-repellent coating composition such as an oil-soluble organo-silicon compound. The water-repellent coated solid particulate propping agent can be prepared by dissolving an oil-soluble organo-silicon compound in a solvent therefor, admixing the resultant solution with particulate material, and thereafter evaporating the solvent to form a coating of organo-silicon compound on the particulate material.

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Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

Charles P Thomas