US 12,252,955 B2
Photopolymer curing for water shut-off
Abdullah Mohammed Alharith, Dhahran (SA)
Assigned to SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran (SA)
Filed by SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran (SA)
Filed on Jul. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/360,659.
Prior Publication US 2025/0034967 A1, Jan. 30, 2025
Int. Cl. E21B 33/138 (2006.01); C09K 8/44 (2006.01)
CPC E21B 33/138 (2013.01) [C09K 8/44 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A process for a treatment of a subterranean formation, comprising:
pumping a water shut-off material into a wellbore and to a target zone in the subterranean formation;
pumping a photo-curable polymer material comprising a precursor material and a photoinitiator to the target zone behind the water shut-off material, thereby forming a layer of photo-curable polymer material between the water shut-off material and the wellbore, wherein the photo-curable polymer material extends into the subterranean formation from 0.5 to up to 2 cm from the wellbore; and
directing an energy source comprising a UV light emitting device to the layer of photo-curable polymer material until the layer of photo-curable polymer material solidifies to yield a solid barrier between the water shut-off material and the wellbore, thereby preventing flowback of the water shut-off material from the target zone.