Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.7
5.0
Journals
Gels
Special Issues
Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and...
share announcement

Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 4449

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Baojun Bai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409, USA
Interests: particle gels; chemical EOR methods; reservoir numerical simulation
Dr. Jingyang Pu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Carbon Neutral Energy, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Interests: polymers; particle gels; chemical EOR methods; water management in the oilfield
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Oil production remains crucial for sustaining our energy supply cost-effectively. Simultaneously, substantial efforts are being made in carbon storage to reduce carbon levels. While these pursuits may seem conflicting, both are vital for addressing the needs of our current society. Investing in and developing material technologies during the process of hydrocarbon development or geologic carbon storage has become a critical focus for industries as new challenges and opportunities emerge. This Special Issue on advanced technologies in polymeric gel design and applications for hydrocarbon development and geologic carbon storage in gels provides a platform for sharing the latest research and practices in this area. These technologies help the petroleum industry address the challenges of the energy transition. The Special Issue that concentrates on the latest innovations in polymeric gels helps advance the development and improve the best practices in these technologies.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Novel polymer gel materials (e.g., phase-change polymer gels, self-healing hydrogels, thermal-responsive polymer gels, salt-resistant polymer gels, sustainable and renewable polymer gels, etc.);
  • Polymer gel applications in carbon capture, utilization, and storage;
  • Factors impacting the effectiveness of polymer gel treatment;
  • Characterization of polymer gel transport and plugging performance in porous media;
  • Reservoir numerical/physical simulation of CO2 flooding;
  • Machine learning applications in polymer gels projects.

Prof. Dr. Baojun Bai
Dr. Jingyang Pu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Novel polymer gel materials (e.g., phase-change polymer gels, self-healing hydrogels, thermal-responsive polymer gels, salt-resistant polymer gels, sustainable and renewable polymer gels, etc.);
  • Polymer gel applications in carbon capture, utilization, and storage;
  • Factors impacting the effectiveness of polymer gel treatment;
  • Characterization of polymer gel transport and plugging performance in porous media;
  • Reservoir numerical/physical simulation of CO2 flooding;
  • Machine learning applications in polymer gels projects.

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 3905 KiB  
Article
Preparation and Performance Evaluation of CO2 Foam Gel Fracturing Fluid
by Yan Gao, Jiahui Yang, Zefeng Li, Zhenfeng Ma, Xinjie Xu, Ruiqiong Liu, Xin Li, Lixiao Zhang and Mingwei Zhao
Gels 2024, 10(12), 804; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10120804 - 7 Dec 2024
Viewed by 733
Abstract
The utilization of CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid offers several significant advantages, including minimal reservoir damage, reduced water consumption during application, enhanced cleaning efficiency, and additional beneficial properties. However, several current CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid systems face challenges, such as [...] Read more.
The utilization of CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid offers several significant advantages, including minimal reservoir damage, reduced water consumption during application, enhanced cleaning efficiency, and additional beneficial properties. However, several current CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid systems face challenges, such as complex preparation processes and insufficient viscosity, which limit their proppant transport capacity. To address these issues, this work develops a novel CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid system characterized by simple preparation and robust foam stability. This system was optimized by incorporating a thickening agent CZJ-1 in conjunction with a foaming agent YFP-1. The results of static sand-carrying experiments indicate that under varying temperatures and sand–fluid ratio conditions, the proppant settling velocity is significantly low. Furthermore, the static sand-carrying capacity of the CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid exceeds that of the base fluid. The stable and dense foam gel effectively encapsulates the proppant, thereby improving sand-carrying capacity. In high-temperature shear tests, conducted at a shear rate of 170 s−1 and a temperature of 110 °C for 90 min, the apparent viscosity of the CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid remained above 20 mPa·s after shear, demonstrating excellent high-temperature shear resistance. This work introduces a novel CO2 foam gel fracturing fluid system that is specifically tailored for low-permeability reservoir fracturing and extraction. The system shows significant promise for the efficient development of low-pressure, low-permeability, and water-sensitive reservoirs, as well as for the effective utilization and sequestration of CO2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

21 pages, 10455 KiB  
Article
Experimental Evaluation of a Recrosslinkable CO2-Resistant Micro-Sized Preformed Particle Gel for CO2 Sweep Efficiency Improvement in Reservoirs with Super-K Channels
by Adel Alotibi, Tao Song, Ali Al Brahim, Baojun Bai and Thomas Schuman
Gels 2024, 10(12), 765; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10120765 - 24 Nov 2024
Viewed by 836
Abstract
A recrosslinkable CO2-resistant branched preformed particle gel (CO2-BRPPG) was developed for controlling CO2 injection conformance, particularly in reservoirs with super-permeable channels. Previous work focused on a millimeter-sized CO2-BRPPG in open fractures, but its performance in high-permeability [...] Read more.
A recrosslinkable CO2-resistant branched preformed particle gel (CO2-BRPPG) was developed for controlling CO2 injection conformance, particularly in reservoirs with super-permeable channels. Previous work focused on a millimeter-sized CO2-BRPPG in open fractures, but its performance in high-permeability channels with pore throat networks remained unexplored. This study used a sandpack model to evaluate a micro-sized CO2-BRPPG under varying conditions of salinity, gel concentration, and pH. At ambient conditions, the equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR) of the gel reached 76 times its original size. This ratio decreased with increasing salinity but remained stable at low pH values, demonstrating the gel’s resilience in acidic environments. Rheological tests revealed shear-thinning behavior, with gel strength improving as salinity increased (the storage modulus rose from 113 Pa in 1% NaCl to 145 Pa in 10% NaCl). Injectivity tests showed that lower gel concentrations reduced the injection pressure, offering flexibility in deep injection treatments. Gels with higher swelling ratios had lower injection pressures due to increased strength and reduced deformability. The gel maintained stable plugging performance during two water-alternating-CO2 cycles, but a decline was observed in the third cycle. It also demonstrated a high CO2 breakthrough pressure of 177 psi in high salinity conditions (10% NaCl). The permeability reduction for water and CO2 was influenced by gel concentration and salinity, with higher salinity increasing the permeability reduction and higher gel concentrations decreasing it. These findings underscore the effectiveness of the CO2-BRPPG in improving CO2 sweep efficiency and managing CO2 sequestration in reservoirs with high permeability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 6289 KiB  
Article
Construction and Mechanism of Janus Nano-Graphite Reinforced Foam Gel System for Plugging Steam in Heavy Oil Reservoirs
by Zhongzheng Xu, Yuxin Xie, Xiaolong Wang, Ning Sun, Ziteng Yang, Xin Li, Jia Chen, Yunbo Dong, Herui Fan and Mingwei Zhao
Gels 2024, 10(11), 721; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10110721 - 7 Nov 2024
Viewed by 894
Abstract
High-temperature steam injection is a primary method for viscosity reduction and recovery in heavy oil reservoirs. However, due to the high mobility of steam, channeling often occurs within the reservoir, leading to reduced thermal efficiency and challenges in enhancing oil production. Foam fluids, [...] Read more.
High-temperature steam injection is a primary method for viscosity reduction and recovery in heavy oil reservoirs. However, due to the high mobility of steam, channeling often occurs within the reservoir, leading to reduced thermal efficiency and challenges in enhancing oil production. Foam fluids, with their dual advantages of selective plugging and efficient oil displacement, are widely used in steam-injection heavy oil recovery. Nonetheless, conventional foams tend to destabilize under high-temperature conditions, resulting in poor stability and suboptimal plugging performance, which hampers the efficient development of heavy oil resources. To address these technical challenges, this study introduces a foam system reinforced with Janus nano-graphite, a high-temperature stabilizer characterized by its small particle size and thermal resistance. The foaming agents used in the system are sodium α-olefin sulfonate (AOS), an anionic surfactant, and octadecyl hydroxylpropyl sulfobetaine (OHSB), a zwitterionic surfactant. Under conditions of 250 °C and 5 MPa, the foam system achieved a half-life of 47.8 min, 3.4 times longer than conventional foams. Janus nano-graphite forms a multidimensional network structure in the liquid phase, increasing internal friction and enhancing shear viscosity by 1.2 to 1.8 times that of conventional foams. Furthermore, the foam gel system demonstrated effective steam-channeling control in heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs, particularly in reservoirs with permeability differentials ranging from 3 to 9. These findings suggest that the Janus nano-graphite reinforced foam system holds significant potential for steam-channeling mitigation in heavy oil reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 5532 KiB  
Article
A Novel Fracturing Fluid Based on Functionally Modified Nano-Silica-Enhanced Hydroxypropyl Guar Gel
by Feifei Huang, Yun Bai, Xiaoyu Gu, Shaofei Kang, Yandong Yang and Kai Wang
Gels 2024, 10(6), 369; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10060369 - 27 May 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1247
Abstract
Considering the damage caused by conventional fracturing fluid in low-permeability reservoirs, a novel fracturing fluid (FNG) combining hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) and functionally modified nano-silica (FMNS) was prepared. The properties of heat/shear resistance, rheological property, proppant transportation, and formation damage were evaluated with systematic [...] Read more.
Considering the damage caused by conventional fracturing fluid in low-permeability reservoirs, a novel fracturing fluid (FNG) combining hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) and functionally modified nano-silica (FMNS) was prepared. The properties of heat/shear resistance, rheological property, proppant transportation, and formation damage were evaluated with systematic experiments. The results showed that the viscosities of FNG before and after the heat/resistance were 1323 mPa·s and 463 mPa·s, respectively, while that of conventional HPG gel was 350 mPa·s. FNG is a pseudoplastic strong gel with a yield stress of 12.9 Pa, a flow behavior index of 0.54, an elastic modulus of 16.2 Pa, and a viscous modulus of 6.2 Pa. As the proportions of proppant mass in further sections transported with FNG were higher than those transported with HPG gel, FNG could transport the proppant better than HPG gel at high temperatures. Because of the amphiphilic characteristics of FMNS, the surface/interface properties were improved by the FNG filtrate, resulting in a lower oil permeability loss rate of 10 percentage points in the matrix than with the filtrated HPG gel. Due to the considerable residual gel in broken HPG gel, the retained conductivity damaged with broken FNG was 9.5 percentage points higher than that damaged with broken HPG gel. FNG shows good potential for reducing formation damage during fracturing in low-permeability reservoirs in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Gels and Applications for Hydrocarbon Development and Geologic Carbon Storage)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop