Treating a permeable mass

Claim 1

IN THE METHOD OF TREATING A PERMEABLE EARTH FORMATION WHICH COMPRISES (A) PREPARING A SOLUTION COMPRISING A SOLVENT, A RESINFORMING POLYEPOXIDE AND A CURING AGENT FOR SAID POLYEPOXIDE; (B) INJECTING SAID SOLUTION INTO SAID FORMATION; AND (C) RETAINING SAID SOLUTION IN SAID FORMATION FOR A SUFFICIENT TIME TO PERMIT THE RESULTING EPOXY RESIN TO ADHERE TO THE SAND GRAINS OF SAID FORMATION AND CURE TO A HARD, CROSS-LINKED, HYDROCARBON-INSOLUBLE RESIN; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING AS SAID SOLUTION A MIXTURE OF: (1) A HYDROCARBON SOLVENT CONSISTING OF A MIXTURE OF AT LEAST 50 PERCENT BY WEIGHT OF AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, THE REMAINDER BEING SATURATED NON-AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS, WHEREIN THE RATIO OF SAID TYPES OF HYDROCARBONS IS PREDETERMINED TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION PRODUCT OF SAID RESIN AND CURING AGENT IN SOLUTION FOR THE PERIOD OF TIME REQUIRED TO INJECT SAID SOLUTION INTO SAID FORMATION; (2) A RESIN-FORMING POLYEPOXIDE; (3) A HYDROCARBON-SOLUBLE AMINE CURING AGENT FOR SAID POLYEPOXIDE; AND (4) A LOWER ALIPHATIC KETONE; IN PROPORTIONS SELECTED SUCH THAT: (I) THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SAID HYDROCARBON SOLVENT IS BETWEEN 30 AND 95 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF SAID SOLUTION; (II) THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF POLYEPOXIDE AND CURING AGENT IS BETWEEN 3 AND 50 PERCENT BY VOLUME OF SAID SOLUTION; AND (III) THE COMPOSITION OF SAID SOLUTION IS PREDETERMINED TO MAINTAIN THE PARTIAL REACTION PRODUCT OF SAID POLYEPOXIDE AND SAI CURING AGENT DISSOLVED FOR THE TIME REQUIRED TO INJECT SAID SOLUTION INTO SAID FORMATION.