# US 5,346,013 A · Method for reducing or completely stopping the influx of water in boreholes for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,346,013 A - Document ID: US5346013A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/045,938 - Filed: 1993-04-12 - Granted: 1994-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 1992-04-10 - Assignees: Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft - Inventors: Gunter Pusch; Mohammad Ranjbar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5346013A ## CPC - E21B 33/138: Plastering the borehole wall; Injecting into the formation - C09K 8/502: Oil-based compositions - C09K 8/5083: {obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds} - C09K 8/565: Oil-based compositions - C09K 8/5753: {obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds} - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract The present invention relates to a method for reducing or completely stopping the influxes of water of a deposit in at least a portion of a borehole for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas, which traverses a deposit, a solution of a polymer being introduced, starting from the borehole, into that portion of the deposit in which the influxes of water are to be reduced or stopped, and the bore subsequently being put into service for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas, the fluids present in the deposit coming into contact with said portion of the deposit containing the polymer and the oil and/or hydrocarbon gas flowing through said portion of the deposit and reaching the borehole, wherein the non-aqueous solution of a hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymer is introduced into the deposit and the polymer precipitates in the presence of the connate water of the deposit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for reducing or completely stopping the water inflows of a deposit in at least a portion of a borehole for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas, which borehole traverses a deposit, a solution of a polymer being introduced, starting from the borehole, into that portion of the deposit in which the water inflows are to be reduced or stopped, and the bore subsequently being put into service for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas, the fluids present in the deposit coming into contact with said portion of the deposit containing the polymer and the oil and/or hydrocarbon gas flowing through said portion of the deposit and reaching the borehole, wherein the non-aqueous solution of a hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymer is introduced into the deposit and the polymer precipitates in the presence of the connate water of the deposit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein first saline water, then a displacement agent, then the solution of the polymer and subsequently a displacement agent are introduced into the deposit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solution of the polymer is introduced into a bed of gravel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymers used are polystyrene, poly(meth)acrylic acid esters, and the copolymers thereof and ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers or mixtures of these compounds. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solution of the polymer has a concentration from 0.01 to 20% by weight. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solvents used are ketones, mono- or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, or mixture thereof. ### Claim 7 A process for reducing or completely stopping the water inflows of a deposit in at least a portion of a borehole for the extraction of oil and/or hydrocarbon gas comprising the use of hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymer, wherein highly viscous oil raffinates or diesel oil are used as displacement agent to adjust the connate water to a high or low value for controlling the precipitation of the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymers are dissolved in solvents. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the solvents used are selected from the group consisting of acetone, diacetone alcohol, toluene, xylene and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said polystyrene is used and contains (a) structural units of the formula I --(CH(C.sub.6 H.sub.5)--CH.sub.2).sub.n.sup.- where n is a number between 90 and 9,000, (b) comonomers that are selected from the group acrylonitrile, .alpha.-methylstyrene and maleic anhydride or (c) a mixture of (a) and (b). ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the polystyrene has a molecular weight between 1,000 and 10.sup.6. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the polystyrene has a molecular weight between 10,000 and 500,000. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymers used are copolymers comprising from 50 to 99.9% by weight of a (meth)acrylic acid C.sub.14 -C.sub.22 -alkyl ester and from 50 to 0.1% by weight of a comonomer of the formula II ##STR3## in which R.sup.1 is hydrogen or methyl, R.sup.2 is a group of the formulae ##STR4## R.sub.3 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.80 -alkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.80 -alkenyl, C.sub.5 - or C.sub.6 - cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl which may be substituted by alkyl groups, aralkyl, alkaryl or the radical of a dimer fatty acid, of maleic acid, of succinic acid or of a C.sub.6 -C.sub.22 -alkenyl-succinic acid, R.sub.4 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.80 alkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.80 -alkenyl, C.sub.5 - or C.sub.6 -cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl which may be substituted by alkyl group, aryl group, aralkyl groups or alkaryl groups, R.sub.5 is C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 -alkyl, m is 2 or 3 n is a number from 1 to 30 and x is a number from 2 to 20. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are selected from the group consisting of C.sub.6-38 -alkyl, C.sub.6 -C.sub.38 -alkenyl, cyclohexyl, cyclohexenyl, naphthenyl, phenyl, benzyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 -mono-, di- or trialkylphenyl or alternatively R.sub.3 is the radical of a dimer fatty acid, of maleic acid, of succinic acid and of a C.sub.6 -C.sub.18 -alkenylsuccinic acid and x represents numbers from 4 to 16. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymers is selected from a mixture comprising from 10 to 90% by weight of poly(meth)acrylic acid-C.sub.14 -C.sub.22 -alkyl ##STR5## in which R.sup.1 is hydrogen or methyl, R.sup.2 is a group of the formulae ##STR6## R.sub.3 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.80 -alkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.80 -alkenyl, C.sub.5 - or C.sub.6 -cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl which may be substituted by alkyl groups, aralkyl, alkaryl or the radical of a dimer fatty acid, of maleic acid, of succinic acid or of a C.sub.6 -C.sub.22 -alkenyl-succinic acid, R.sub.4 is C.sub.1 -C.sub.80 -alkyl, C.sub.2 -C.sub.80 -alkenyl, C.sub.5 - or C.sub.6 -cycloalkyl or cycloalkenyl which may be substituted by alkyl groups, aryl groups, aralkyl groups or alkaryl groups, R.sub.5 is C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 -alkyl, m is 2 or 3 n is a number from 1 to 30 and x is a number from 2 to 20. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the polymer mixture comprises from 60 to 80% by weight of poly(meth)acrylate acid-C.sub.14 -C.sub.22 -alkyl esters (A) and from 40 to 20% by weight of at least one copolymer (B). ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymer is ethylene/vinylacetate copolymers having molecular weight of from 700 to 600,000, and said polymer containing from 99 to 40% by weight of ethylene units and the weight ratio of the two copolymers being in the range from 20:1 to 1:20. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the ethylene/vinylacetate copolymers have a molecular weight from 3,000 to 60,000. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic, water-insoluble polymers is terpolymers containing ethylene and from 0.5 to 20% by weight of diisobutylene and from 20 to 25% by weight of vinylacetate and said terpolymers have a molecular weight in the range from 1,000 to 100,000. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein said terpolymers have a molecular weight in the range from 10,000 to 30,000.