Sodium hydroxide treatment of field water in a biopolymer complex

Patent · Tue Dec 18 00:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:5213803

Phelps, C H; Sampath, K; Shu, P

This paper describes a waterflood method for recovering hydrocarbonaceous fluids from an oil reservoir which has zones of varying permeability and which formation is penetrated by an injection and a production well. It comprises: first mixing into water a substantially small amount of an alkali or alkaline earth metal hydroxide sufficient to cause gelation within a substantially effective time period where the hydroxide is contained in an aqueous solution in an amount of from about 1 to about 500 ppm; thereafter placing into the solution a water thickening amount of a water soluble Xanthomonas biopolysaccharide; and complexing subsequently the biopolysaccharide with an amount of a water-soluble compound of a polyvalent metal ion selected from the group consisting of trivalent phosphorus, scandium, titanium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, aluminum, arsenic, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, cadmium, tin, antimony, lanthanum, hafnium, tantalum, lead, and mixtures thereof, sufficient to cause substantially quicker gelation of the water soluble biopolysaccharide thereby forming a substantially more stable gel sufficient for use as a mobility or profile control medium in environments having low pH brines wherein the water soluble compound is added to the aqueous solution in an amount of from about 10 to about 1,000 ppm of the active polyvalent metal ion, injecting the stable gel into the reservoir via the injection well; and thereafter injecting water as a drive fluid behind the stable gel and recovering hydrocarbonaceous fluids.

• Assignee: Mobil Oil Corp., Fairfax, VA (USA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4977960; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-275460
• OSTI ID: 5213803
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: 23 Nov 1988
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
OIL WELLS
WATERFLOODING
ENHANCED RECOVERY
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
WELL STIMULATION
XANTHUM GUM
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBOHYDRATES
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYSACCHARIDES
RECOVERY
SACCHARIDES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
STIMULATION
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production