Shutting off water in gas wells

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PREFERENTIALLY INHIBITING PRODUCTION OF WATER FROM A SUBSURFACE FLUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCTIVE FORMATION, THE PRODUCING INTERVAL OF WHICH INCLUDES A WATERED-OUT PORTION AND A PORTION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF FLUID HYDROCARBON, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TREATING THE PRODUCING INTERVAL BY INTRODUCING INTO IT A NONAQUEOUS TREATING FLUID, WHICH ON CONTACT WITH WATER FORMS A WATERIMPERMEABLE GEL, THEREAFTER CONTACTING THE TREATING FLUID WITH WATER THEN TERMINATING THE INJECTION OF SAID TREATING FLUID AND THEREAFTER PLACING THE TREATED FORMATION ON PRODUCTION, SAID TREATING FLUID COMPRISING: A. AT LEAST ONE WATER-SOLUBLE OR AT LEAST WATER-DISPERSIBLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYACRYLAMIDES, CELLULOSE ETHER AND POLYSACCHARIDES, B. AN OXIDIZING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUNDS OF POLYVALENT METALS WHEREIN THE METAL IS PRESENT IN ITS HIGHEST VALENCE STATE AND IS CAPABLE OF BEING REDUCED TO A LOWER POLYVALENT STATE UPON CONTACT WITH A REDUCING AGENT, C. A REDUCING AGENT EFFECTIVE TO REDUCE THE HIGHER VALENCE METAL IN SAID OXIDIZING AGENT (B) TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE, AND D. AT LEAST ONE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GLYCEROL, ALKYLENE GLYCOLS, POLYOXYALKYLENE GLYCOLS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, IN AMOUNTS OF EACH COMPONENT IDENTIFIED AS (A) TO (D) AS FOLLOWS: FROM 0.001 TO 10 PARTS OF COMPONENT (A) PER 100 PARTS OF COMPONENT (D), AN AMOUNT OF COMPONENT (B) AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO YIELD 3 X 10**6 GRAM-ATOMS OF SAID METAL (B) PER GRAM OF POLYMERIC MATERIAL (A) PRESENT, AN AMOUNT OF COMPONENT (C) AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE SAID METAL(B) TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PREFERENTIALLY INHIBITING PRODUCTION OF WATER FROM A SUBSURFACE FLUID HYDROCARBON PRODUCTIVE FORMATION, THE PRODUCING INTERVAL OF WHICH INCLUDES A WATERED-OUT PORTION AND A PORTION CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE OF FLUID HYDROCARBON, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TREATING THE PRODUCING INTERVAL BY INTRODUCING INTO IT A NONAQUEOUS TREATING FLUID, WHICH ON CONTACT WITH WATER FORMS A WATERIMPERMEABLE GEL, THEREAFTER CONTACTING THE TREATING FLUID WITH WATER THEN TERMINATING THE INJECTION OF SAID TREATING FLUID AND THEREAFTER PLACING THE TREATED FORMATION ON PRODUCTION, SAID TREATING FLUID COMPRISING: A. AT LEAST ONE WATER-SOLUBLE OR AT LEAST WATER-DISPERSIBLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF POLYACRYLAMIDES, CELLULOSE ETHER AND POLYSACCHARIDES, B. AN OXIDIZING AGENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUNDS OF POLYVALENT METALS WHEREIN THE METAL IS PRESENT IN ITS HIGHEST VALENCE STATE AND IS CAPABLE OF BEING REDUCED TO A LOWER POLYVALENT STATE UPON CONTACT WITH A REDUCING AGENT, C. A REDUCING AGENT EFFECTIVE TO REDUCE THE HIGHER VALENCE METAL IN SAID OXIDIZING AGENT (B) TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE, AND D. AT LEAST ONE POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GLYCEROL, ALKYLENE GLYCOLS, POLYOXYALKYLENE GLYCOLS, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, IN AMOUNTS OF EACH COMPONENT IDENTIFIED AS (A) TO (D) AS FOLLOWS: FROM 0.001 TO 10 PARTS OF COMPONENT (A) PER 100 PARTS OF COMPONENT (D), AN AMOUNT OF COMPONENT (B) AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO YIELD 3 X 10**6 GRAM-ATOMS OF SAID METAL (B) PER GRAM OF POLYMERIC MATERIAL (A) PRESENT, AN AMOUNT OF COMPONENT (C) AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO REDUCE SAID METAL(B) TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE.

Claim 9

A method for selectively plugging the permeable water channels of a subsurface formation of nonuniform permeability penetrated by at least one well which comprises: introducing into sAid subsurface formation a nonaqueous treating fluid which, on contact with water, forms a water-impermeable gel; displacing said fluids into said formation a distance from said well; subsequently contacting the treating fluid with water; and thereafter placing the treated formation on production; said treating fluid comprising a. at least one water-soluble or at least water-dispersible polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamides, cellulose ether and polysaccharides; b. an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of water-soluble compounds of polyvalent metals wherein the metal is present in its highest valence state and is capable of being reduced to a lower polyvalent state upon contact with a reducing agent; c. a reducing agent effective to reduce the higher valence metal in said oxidizing agent (b) to a lower polyvalent valence state; and d. at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, alkylene glycols, polyoxyalkylene glycols, and mixtures thereof; in amounts of each component identified as (a) to (d) as follows: from 0.001 to 10 parts of component (a) per 100 parts of component (d); an amount of component (b) at least sufficient to yield 3 X 10 6 gram-atoms of said metal (b) of polymeric meterial (a) present;; an amount of component (c) at least sufficient to reduce said metal (b) to a lower polyvalent valence state.

Claim 10

A method for selectively plugging the permeable water channels of a subsurface formation of nonuniform permeability penetrated by at least one well which comprises: introducing into sAid subsurface formation a nonaqueous treating fluid which, on contact with water, forms a water-impermeable gel; displacing said fluids into said formation a distance from said well; subsequently contacting the treating fluid with water; and thereafter placing the treated formation on production; said treating fluid comprising a. at least one water-soluble or at least water-dispersible polymeric material selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamides, cellulose ether and polysaccharides; b. an oxidizing agent selected from the group consisting of water-soluble compounds of polyvalent metals wherein the metal is present in its highest valence state and is capable of being reduced to a lower polyvalent state upon contact with a reducing agent; c. a reducing agent effective to reduce the higher valence metal in said oxidizing agent (b) to a lower polyvalent valence state; and d. at least one polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of glycerol, alkylene glycols, polyoxyalkylene glycols, and mixtures thereof; in amounts of each component identified as (a) to (d) as follows: from 0.001 to 10 parts of component (a) per 100 parts of component (d); an amount of component (b) at least sufficient to yield 3 X 10 6 gram-atoms of said metal (b) of polymeric meterial (a) present;; an amount of component (c) at least sufficient to reduce said metal (b) to a lower polyvalent valence state.