Method of using tracer compositions having a degradable polymer and a detectable component for tracing gas flow in a hydrocarbon reservoir

A method of tracing gas flow in a hydrocarbon reservoir, comprising:

• introducing a tracer composition at a first location in the hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the tracer composition comprises from 98 wt % to 99.99 wt % of a degradable polymer and from 0.01 wt % to 2 wt % of a detectable component;
• contacting the tracer composition with the hydrocarbon reservoir to hydrolyze the degradable polymer to yield a degraded tracer composition that is carried by the gas flow in the hydrocarbon reservoir to a gas pipeline at a second location;
• and
• detecting the degraded tracer composition in a gas sample flowing through the gas pipeline collected at the second location in the hydrocarbon reservoir, wherein the degraded tracer composition comprises a hydrolyzed polymer and the detectable component;
• wherein the detectable component comprises a colorant;
• wherein the degradable polymer comprises a thermoplastic polyester elastomer;
• and
• wherein the thermoplastic polyester elastomer comprises a block copolymer comprising a hard segment and a soft segment;
• wherein the hard segment comprises a polyester comprising an alkylene diol monomer unit and an aromatic dicarboxylic acid monomer unit;
• wherein the soft segment comprises a polyether, and the polyether comprises a polyoxyalkylene glycol;
• and
• wherein an average molecular weight of the degradable polymer is about 20,000 g/mol to about 500,000 g/mol.