US3822746A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Use of viscoelastic fluids for mobility control
Assignee: Marathon Oil Co
•
Filing: 1972-09-28
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Granted: 1974-07-09
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Expires: 1992-09-28
Abstract
Abstract Viscoelastic fluids are efficiently utilized in flooding subterranean reservoirs by first flooding a porous medium representative of the reservoir rock with the formation fluids at the desired velocity of the oil recovery process, then flooding a similar porous medium with the viscoelastic fluid at the same velocity and observing the viscosity thereof and thereafter designing the oil recovery process based on this viscosity. It has been observed that the viscosity of viscoelastic fluids is dependent on the velocity. Examples of useful viscoelastic fluids include micellar solutions, aqueous solutions of polyacrylamides, etc.
Inventors
- 👤 W Gogarty
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 12:41
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K8/00; C09K8/58; C09K8/588; C09K8/584; E; E21; E21B; E21B43/00; E21B43/16; C09K2208/00; C09K2208/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
30 words
flooding a porous sample representative of the reservoir at the same velocity with the viscoelastic fluid and determining the apparent viscosity of the viscoelastic fluid at the particular velocity, then
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
13 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the viscoelastic fluid is a micellar solution.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
44 words
The process of claim 2 wherein the micellar solution is comprised of about 5 percent to about 70 percent hydrocarbon, about 20 percent to about 75 percent aqueous medium, and about 4 percent to about 20 percent of surfactant, the percents based on volume.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
preparing a slug of the viscoelastic fluid from the determination of the viscosity of the formation fluids of step (1) and the apparent viscosity in step (2) by incorporating a sufficient concentration of viscoelastic fluid to maintain a desired mobility control within the reservoir at a predetermined velocity and then
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
injecting the slug into the reservoir and displacing it toward the production means to recover crude oil therethrough.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 3 wherein the surfactant is a petroleum sulfonate having an average equivalent weight within the range of about 350 to about 525.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the viscoelastic fluid is an aqueous solution comprised of a polymer or a copolymer or a combination of the polymer and the copolymer.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the fluid is a partially hydrolyzed, high molecular weight polyacrylamide.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
16 words
The process of claim 5 wherein the fluid is a copolymer of acrylamide and sodium acrylate.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-07-08 | 1978-01-07 | 1978-07-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-07-08 | 1982-01-07 | 1982-07-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-07-08 | 1986-01-07 | 1986-07-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |