Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs
Silicate gels have long been utilized as water shut-off agents in petroleum fields to address excessive water production. In recent years, nano-silica gel has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional silicate gels, offering potentially improved plugging performance. However, the long-term e...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Gels |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/10/10/651 |
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| author | Ahmed Ali Mustafa Al Ramadan Murtada Saleh Aljawad |
| author_facet | Ahmed Ali Mustafa Al Ramadan Murtada Saleh Aljawad |
| author_sort | Ahmed Ali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Silicate gels have long been utilized as water shut-off agents in petroleum fields to address excessive water production. In recent years, nano-silica gel has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional silicate gels, offering potentially improved plugging performance. However, the long-term effectiveness of these gels remains uncertain, posing challenges to sustained profitability. Therefore, a comprehensive study spanning 6 months was conducted on fractured and induced channel samples treated with nano-silica gel of 75/25 wt% (silica/activator) at 200 °F. A comparative analysis was performed with samples treated using polyacrylamide/polyethyleneimine PAM/PEI gel (9/1 wt%) to compare the performance of both systems. Throughout the aging period in formation water at 167 °F, endurance tests were conducted at regular intervals, complemented by computed tomography (CT) scans to monitor any potential degradation. The results revealed nano-silica gel’s superior long-term performance in plugging fractures and channels compared to PAM/PEI gel. Even after 6 months, the nano-silica gel maintained a remarkable 100% plugging efficiency at 1000 psi, with a maximum leak-off rate of 0.088 cc/min in the mid-fractured sample and 0.027 in the induced channel sample. In comparison, PAM/PEI gel exhibited a reduction in efficiency to 99.15% in the fractured sample (5.5 cc/min maximum leak-off rate) and 99.99% in the induced channel sample (0.036 cc/min maximum leak-off rate). These findings highlight the potential of nano-silica gel as a more durable water shut-off agent for managing water production in fractures and channels. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec4d2a63873246b88cc88a08ffc76a0d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec4d2a63873246b88cc88a08ffc76a0d2025-08-20T02:11:15ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612024-10-01101065110.3390/gels10100651Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured ReservoirsAhmed Ali0Mustafa Al Ramadan1Murtada Saleh Aljawad2College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaSilicate gels have long been utilized as water shut-off agents in petroleum fields to address excessive water production. In recent years, nano-silica gel has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional silicate gels, offering potentially improved plugging performance. However, the long-term effectiveness of these gels remains uncertain, posing challenges to sustained profitability. Therefore, a comprehensive study spanning 6 months was conducted on fractured and induced channel samples treated with nano-silica gel of 75/25 wt% (silica/activator) at 200 °F. A comparative analysis was performed with samples treated using polyacrylamide/polyethyleneimine PAM/PEI gel (9/1 wt%) to compare the performance of both systems. Throughout the aging period in formation water at 167 °F, endurance tests were conducted at regular intervals, complemented by computed tomography (CT) scans to monitor any potential degradation. The results revealed nano-silica gel’s superior long-term performance in plugging fractures and channels compared to PAM/PEI gel. Even after 6 months, the nano-silica gel maintained a remarkable 100% plugging efficiency at 1000 psi, with a maximum leak-off rate of 0.088 cc/min in the mid-fractured sample and 0.027 in the induced channel sample. In comparison, PAM/PEI gel exhibited a reduction in efficiency to 99.15% in the fractured sample (5.5 cc/min maximum leak-off rate) and 99.99% in the induced channel sample (0.036 cc/min maximum leak-off rate). These findings highlight the potential of nano-silica gel as a more durable water shut-off agent for managing water production in fractures and channels.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/10/10/651water shut-offfracturesnano-silicagel durability |
| spellingShingle | Ahmed Ali Mustafa Al Ramadan Murtada Saleh Aljawad Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs Gels water shut-off fractures nano-silica gel durability |
| title | Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs |
| title_full | Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs |
| title_fullStr | Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs |
| title_short | Long-Term Investigation of Nano-Silica Gel for Water Shut-Off in Fractured Reservoirs |
| title_sort | long term investigation of nano silica gel for water shut off in fractured reservoirs |
| topic | water shut-off fractures nano-silica gel durability |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/10/10/651 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ahmedali longterminvestigationofnanosilicagelforwatershutoffinfracturedreservoirs AT mustafaalramadan longterminvestigationofnanosilicagelforwatershutoffinfracturedreservoirs AT murtadasalehaljawad longterminvestigationofnanosilicagelforwatershutoffinfracturedreservoirs |