New type plugging particle system with high temperature & high salinity resistance

A new-type plugging coated particle system was investigated which is applied in high temperature & salinity reservoir, the temperature up to 300 degrees C and salinity up to 250,000 mg/L. To analyze these factors, based on adhesion feature of the particle, a series of experiments were performed to investigate properties of particle and its suspension system, including dynamic plugging experiments, etc. The results showed that the particles can adhere together under certain temperature up to 140 degrees C. Moreover, the particle suspension, including HPG system and foam system, were screened based on suspending time. In addition, we selected four parameters, including salinity, injection rate, permeability and mass fraction, to measure plugging ability of system. Meanwhile, the visual microscopic models and glass sand-pack models were designed to observe directly particle flow in the porous media. Finally, the force analysis of particles at some special locations in the models was simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics. Experimental results confirmed the essential characters of new-type particle and indicate that this plugging system had excellent plugging performance in high temperature & salinity environment. The particle migration had strong correlation with permeability and the particle had impacted on the original structure of mineral. The process of packing was accelerated and repeated. Besides, keeping the particle single and improving material strength would promote plugging effects. The evaluation and mechanism research of new type plugging particle could provide guidance for plugging agent selection in high temperature and field development project designing.