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Numerical Modeling of Water-Soluble Sodium Silicate Gel System for Fluid Diversion and Flow-Zone Isolation in Highly Heterogeneous Reservoirs


 This study presents a numerical modeling of a sodium silicate gel system (inorganic gel) to mitigate the problem of excess water production, which is promoted by high heterogeneity and/or an adverse mobility ratio. A numerical model of six layers was represented by one quarter of five spot pattern with two thief zones. CMG-STARS simulator was used that has the capabilities of modeling different parameters. The gelation process of this gel system was initiated by lowering the gelant's pH, and then the reaction process proceeded, which is dependent on temperature, concentration of the reactant, and other factors. An order of reaction of each component was determined and the stoichiometric coefficients of the reactants and product were specified. The purpose of this study is to develop a thorough understanding of the effects of different important parameters on the polymerization of a sodium silicate gel system.
 This study was started by selecting the optimum gridblock number that represents the model. A sensitivity analysis showed that the fewer the number of gridblocks, the better the performance of the gel system. This model was then selected as a basis for other comparisons. Different scenarios were run and compared. The results showed that the gel system performed better in the injection well compared to the production well. In addition, the treatment was more efficient when performed simultaneously in injection and production wells. Placement technology was among the parameters that affected the success of the treatment; therefore, zonal isolation and dual injection were better than bullhead injection. Lower activator concentration is more preferable for deep placement. Pre-flushing the reservoir to condition the targeted zones for sodium silicate injection was necessary to achieve a higher recovery factor. Moreover, different parameters such as adsorption, mixing sodium silicate with different polymer solutions, effects of temperature and activation energy, effects of shut-in period after the treatment, and effects of reservoir wettability were investigated. The obtained results were valuable, which lead to apply a sodium silicate gel successfully in a heterogeneous reservoir.