# US 2022/0033703 A1 · Re-assembling polymer particle package for conformance control and fluid loss control

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- Number: US 2022/0033703 A1
- Document ID: US20220033703A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/460,925
- Filed: 2021-08-30
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-02
- Assignees: The Curators of the University of Missouri
- Applicants: The Curators of the University of Missouri
- Inventors: Jingyang Pu; Baojun Bai; Thomas Schuman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220033703A1

## CPC

- C09K 8/516: characterised by their form or by the form of their components, e.g. encapsulated material
- C09K 8/035: Organic additives
- C09K 8/5045: {containing inorganic compounds}
- C09K 8/512: containing cross-linking agents
- C09K 2208/10: Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE

## Abstract

This invention is broadly concerned with compositions and processes for oilfield applications. More specifically, this invention relates to novel polymer constructed packages that, when pumped into a petroleum well, provide tunable characteristics of transformation and delayed self-assembly with each other under reservoir conditions to yield strong, elastic, bulk gel materials. The compositions comprise a polymer, assembling agents, and optional additives used for the re-assembly stage are uniformly-distributed within the initial gel particles. The polymer particle packages absorb water and swell upon exposure to water, thus exposing the “assembling agents” that enable re-assembly. Both swelling and re-assembly are proportionally controlled via compositions to be tunable to allow functional dispersion and subsequent self-assembly under various reservoir conditions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of altering or controlling a fluid present in an environment comprising introducing a composition into the environment so that said composition contacts the fluid, said composition comprising a plurality of swellable particles comprising an assembling agent interspersed among crosslinkable polymer chains, said assembling agent being one that will associate with the polymer chains upon exposure to the fluid and being selected from the group consisting of monomers, oligomers, polymers, copolymers, Group III-VII transition metal containing molecules, Group III-VII transition metal ions, methylene bisacrylamide, polyethylene glycol, dimethacrylate, phenol-formaldehyde, diallylamine, triallylamine, divinyl sulfonate, diethylene glycol, aldehydes, polyethyleneimine, dichlorophenol, benzoyl peroxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, dibutyl hydrogen phosphite, and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein upon contact with said fluid, said swellable particles begin to swell.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein said swelling results in the association, crosslinking, and/or reassembly of the crosslinkable polymer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein said swelling causes said particles to associate, combine together, and form a bulk gel.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said fluid is selected from the group consisting of water, brine solvent, and other fluids that cause the gel particles to swell.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said environment is selected from the group consisting of wells, pipelines, and fractures.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said particles have an initial average particle size prior to said contact and wherein upon contact with said fluid, said particles swell to a second average particle size that is at least about 30 times that of the initial average particle size.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said particles have an initial average particle size prior to said contact and wherein upon contact with said fluid, said particles swell to a second average particle size that is from about 10 times to about 200 times that of the initial average particle size.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein said swelling commences within about 0.1 seconds to about 300 seconds of said contact.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein said second average particle size is reached within about 60 minutes to about 240 hours of said contact.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said assembling agent is selected from the group consisting of Cr, Zr, Co and Al molecules or ions, and mixtures thereof.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said crosslinkable polymer chain is selected from the group consisting of polymers or copolymers of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide, polyacrylamide, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, hydrophilic resin sulfonate, acrylamide, lauryl methacrylate, stearyl methacrylate, silicates, and combinations of the foregoing.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the weight ratio of crosslinkable polymer chains to assembling agent is from about 2:1 to about 200:1.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, said particles further comprising an additive selected from the group consisting of tackifiers, plasticizers, crosslinking agents, polymers other than said crosslinkable polymer, aromatic compounds, polysaccharides, deoxidants, adjustors of gelant, nanoclay, initiators, accelerators, stabilizers, and mixtures thereof.