Use of Polymers to Control Water Production in Oils Wells
Authors: Goddard J.E. , White J.L. , Vanlandingham J. , Carney M.J. 
Published: December 2007

This paper was prepared for the Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in Casper, Wyoming, May 15–16, 1973. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon requested to the Editor PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon requested to the Editor of the appropriate journal, provided agreement to give proper credit is made.

Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussions may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines.

Polymers can effectively reduce the water-oil ratio in producing oil wells and, in many cases, can significantly increase oil production. This use of polymers is relatively new to the Rocky Mountain Region but has been used successfully in more than 200 wells in the Mid Continent area. Although a complete shut-off of water production cannot be expected, most of the treatments have resulted in a decrease in water-oil ratio of 50 to 90 per cent.

Not all high water-cut producers are candidates for polymer treatment. Care needs to be exercised when selecting wells to be treated. Selection can be made on the basis of well and reservoir data. Use of flow tests in formation cores can aid in well selection as well as improve the prediction of results of the treatment.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the probable working mechanism of polymers and present the guidelines useful in selecting present the guidelines useful in selecting candidates for treatment. Field results are used to substantiate these guidelines and show the economics of this type of treatment. A summary of treatments shows the application and results of polymer use in the Rocky Mountain area.

Introduction

The use of polymers to reduce water production in high-watercut oil-producing wells production in high-watercut oil-producing wells has proved highly successful in many areas of the Mid-Continent region. This process is an outgrowth of the use of polymers to adjust permeability profiles for water injection wells. permeability profiles for water injection wells. It has been used in more than 200 wells to date and has resulted in a water-oil-ratio (WOR) decrease of 50 to 90 per cent in most wells. In many cases, oil production has been substantially increased.

In appropriate candidates, the oil increase has been from three folds to as high as ten folds. The well response in the Rocky Mountain Region has been different than in the Mid-Continent Area, particularly in Kansas. In both areas, a sharp particularly in Kansas. In both areas, a sharp decrease in WOR is noted immediately following treatment. In the Mid-Continent area, this decrease is followed by an increasing WOR as the oil production gradually resumes its normal decline. In the Rocky Mountain region, however, the decrease in WOR is generally a sustained decrease which is more in keeping with expected results.