Gelled polymers and methods of preparing same

Claim 1

AN AQUEOUS MEDIUM COMPRISING WATER TO WHICH THERE HAS BEEN ADDED: A WATER-THICKENING AMOUNT OF A WATER-DISPERSIBLE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF: POLYACRYLAMIDES AND POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS CROSSLINKED POLYACRYLAMIDES AND CROSSLINKED POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HUDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS COPOLYMERS OF ACRYLAMIDE WITH ANOTHER ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATD MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH SUFFICIENT ACRYLAMIDE BEING PRESENT IN THE MONOMER MIXTURE TO IMPART SAID WATER-DISPERSIBLE PROPERTIES TO THE RESULTING COPOLYMER WHEN IT IS MIXED WITH WATER AND WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS, AND MIXTURES OF SAID POLYMERS, AN AMOUNT OF WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUND OF A POLYVALENT METAL WHEREIN THE VALENCE STATE OF THE METAL THEREIN IS CAPABLE OF BEING REDUCED TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE AND WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY AT LEAST 3X 10-6 GRAM ATOMS OF SAID POLYVALENT METAL PER GRAM OF SAID POLYMER AND AN AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE REDUCING AGENT WHICH IS EFFECT TIVE TO REDUCE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID METAL TO SAID LOWER VALENCE STATE, THE INITIAL TOTAL ISSOLVED SOLIDS CONTANT OF SAID FIRST-MENTIONED WATER BEING AT LAST ABOUT 40,000 PPM BY WEIGHT.

Claim 12

A METHOD FOR PORODUCING AN AQUEOUS GEL WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: THICKENING A BRINE HAVING AN INITIAL TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS CONTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40,000 PPM BY WEIGHT BY ADDING THERETO A THICKENING AMOUNT OF A WATER-DISPERSIBLE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF: POLYACRYLAMIDES AND POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS CROSSLINKED POLYACRYLAMIDES AND CROSSLINKED POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS COPOLYMERS OF ACRYLAMIDE WITH ANOTHER ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH SUFFICIENT ACRYLAMIDE BEING PRESENT IN THE MONOMER MIXTURE TO IMPART SAID WATER-DISPERSIBLE PROPERTIES TO THE RESULTING COPOLYMER WHEN IT IS MIXED WITH WATER AND WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS, AND MIXTURES OF SAID POLYMERS AND CAUSING GELATION OF THE SO-THICKENED BRINE BY ADDING THERETO AN AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUND OF A POLYVALENT METAL WHEREIN THE VALENCE TATE OF HE METAL THEREIN IS CAPABLE OF BEING REDUCED TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE AND WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY AT LEAST ABOUT 3 X 10-6 GRAM ATOMS OF SAID POLYVALENT METAL PER GRAM OF SAID POLYMER AND AN AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE REDUCING AGENT WHICH IS EFFECTIVE TO EDUCE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID METAL TO SAID LOWER VALENCE STATE.

Claim 13

A METHOD FOR PORODUCING AN AQUEOUS GEL WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: THICKENING A BRINE HAVING AN INITIAL TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS CONTENT OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40,000 PPM BY WEIGHT BY ADDING THERETO A THICKENING AMOUNT OF A WATER-DISPERSIBLE POLYMER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF: POLYACRYLAMIDES AND POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS CROSSLINKED POLYACRYLAMIDES AND CROSSLINKED POLYMETHACRYLAMIDES WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS COPOLYMERS OF ACRYLAMIDE WITH ANOTHER ETHYLENICALLY UNSATURATED MONOMER COPOLYMERIZABLE THEREWITH SUFFICIENT ACRYLAMIDE BEING PRESENT IN THE MONOMER MIXTURE TO IMPART SAID WATER-DISPERSIBLE PROPERTIES TO THE RESULTING COPOLYMER WHEN IT IS MIXED WITH WATER AND WHEREIN FROM 0.1 TO ABOUT 14 PERCENT OF THE CARBOXAMIDE GROUPS ARE HYDROLYZED TO CARBOXYL GROUPS, AND MIXTURES OF SAID POLYMERS AND CAUSING GELATION OF THE SO-THICKENED BRINE BY ADDING THERETO AN AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE COMPOUND OF A POLYVALENT METAL WHEREIN THE VALENCE TATE OF HE METAL THEREIN IS CAPABLE OF BEING REDUCED TO A LOWER POLYVALENT VALENCE STATE AND WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY AT LEAST ABOUT 3 X 10-6 GRAM ATOMS OF SAID POLYVALENT METAL PER GRAM OF SAID POLYMER AND AN AMOUNT OF A WATER-SOLUBLE REDUCING AGENT WHICH IS EFFECTIVE TO EDUCE AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID METAL TO SAID LOWER VALENCE STATE.