Water shutoff in horizontal wells using gel technology
Abstract
The main objective of this research was to investigate the feasibility of setting a chemical wellbore plug in a horizontal wellbore. Two main problems associated with the wellbore plug were investigated: (a) method of placement of the plug so that slumping would not occur, and (b) selection and testing of chemicals that could be used to make wellbore plugs with sufficiently high holding pressures. Three chemicals used in the oil industry for gas and/or water shut-off were selected for the study, namely, a monomer, a polyacrylamide and a plastic. The experimental results indicate that (i) a chemical plug could be placed in a horizontal wellbore with minimum slumping if the plug is introduced into a viscous pill, and (ii) the plastic is most suitable for use in a chemical plug because of its high holding pressure. The proposed new isolation technique thus appears to be viable. However, further experimental studies are required, particularly to evaluate the effectiveness of the wellbore plug in conjunction with injection of formation gels.
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