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US 4,289,203 AGranted
Oil displacement method using shear-thickening compositions
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorBilly L. Swanson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Shear-thickening aqueous compositions useful as workover fluids in producing or injection wells, as water diversion agents and mobility control fluids in post-primary oil recovery operations, and as hydraulic fracturing fluids well stimulation treatments are provided comprising the reaction product formed from a high molecular weight polyalkylene oxide polymer and a synthetic resin produced from aldehydes and phenols in an alkaline environment.
Claims10
A process for displacing oil within a subterranean formation which comprises
- injecting into the formation through an injection well an aqueous shear-thickening composition comprising
- (a) a small but effective amount of a high molecular weight polyalkylene oxide and
- (b) a small but effective amount of a synthetic resin comprising the reaction product formed by heating an aqueous alkaline mixture of an aldehyde having from one to four carbon atoms and a phenol compound,
- the amounts of (a) and (b) being sufficient to form a sher-thickening composition that is fluid in a quiescent state but becomes gel-like in character on agitation, and
- (c) the balance of the composition being water
- at a pressure sufficient to force said composition into the more permeable portions of said formation and temporarily plug same and
- introducing into the formation a drive fluid at a pressure sufficient to force oil from the less permeable oil-rich zones of the formation toward a production well and to the surface.
4 more elements
A process for displacing oil within a subterranean reservoir comprising:
- injecting into the reservoir a slug of surface-active liquid that has a relatively low interfacial tension between it and the oil to be displaced and
- injecting immediately behind said surface-active liquid an aqueous shear-thickening composition comprising
- (a) a small but effective amount of a high molecular weight polyalkylene oxide,
- (b) a small but effective amount of a synthetic resin comprising the reaction product formed by heating an aqueous alkaline mixture of an aldehyde having from one to four carbon atoms and a phenol compound,
- the amounts of (a) and (b) being sufficient to form a shear-thickening composition that is fluid in a quiescent state but becomes gel-like in character on agitation, and
- (c) the balance of the composition being water.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.