Method to prepare polymer solutions for down-hole applications

Abstract

A method is provided to produce a polymer-thickened solution for injection into a wellbore, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing an aqueous polymer solution or suspension; b) dispersing the aqueous polymer solution or suspension into an aqueous stream not containing any of the polymer through nozzles wherein the nozzles have an opening of no larger than a circle of about 1/8-inch diameter; c) passing the aqueous stream containing the polymer solution or suspension through a static mixer having a residence time of at least about 0.5 seconds; and d) injecting the polymer-thickened solution into a wellbore. The polymer-thickened solution prepared according to the present invention may be used as a fracturing fluid, combined with gravel pack sand and used for gravel packing a wellbore, used as an acid treatment composition or used as a fluid loss composition.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.