Water shutoff jobs in porous-fractured carbonate reservoirs using water-swellable elastomers

Key words: water-swellable polymer, elastomer, plugging ability, carbonate reservoir.

Due to significant depletion of reserves in Devonian terrigenous formations, carbonate reservoirs are often considered as targets for resuming production in spite of their complex geometry and high water cut. In this regard customized synthesis of water-shutoff chemicals is required to effectively shut off unwanted water production. One of the most promising water shutoff techniques analyzed in this paper is application of a modified elastomer which swells in water to a limited degree and maintains its plugging ability for a long period of time.