Petroleum

SPE 89403 Water Shut-Off in Gas Wells: Proper Gel Placement is the Key to Success

F. Wassmuth, K. Green, L. Hodgins /Alberta Research Council

Copyright 2004, Society of Petroleum Engineers Inc. This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2004 SPE/DOE Fourteenth Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A., 17–21 April 2004. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE Program Committee following review of information contained in a proposal submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as presented, have not been reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its officers, or members. Papers presented at SPE meetings are subject to publication review by Editorial Committees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Electronic reproduction, distribution, or storage of any part of this paper for commercial purposes without the written consent of the Society of Petroleum Engineers is prohibited. Permission to reproduce in print is restricted to a proposal of not more than 300 words; illustrations may not be copied. The proposal must contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper was presented. Write Librarian, SPE, P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, TX 75083-3836, U.S.A., fax 01-972-952-9435.

Abstract: The objectives of water shut-off treatments in gas wells suffering from water influx are to reduce water production and at the same time increase gas production rates and producible gas reserves. Several field treatments, conducted under the umbrella of a research project focused on water abatement in gas wells, have demonstrated that a sequential gel/gas injection technique in fractured gas reservoirs was successful in reducing water production and increasing gas production. Further efforts focused on improving gel placement in both fractured and matrix...