American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2023 - 47

estimated thief zone volume between the injector and offset
producers. The pumped gel volume and concentrations were
changed on the fly based on the injection pressure response,
which is a good indicator of how effective the gel is filling up
the offending reservoir features.
The polymer gel was placed in the high-permeability
features and fractures responsible for high water production
and low sweep efficiency without damaging the low-permeability
rock matrix. Figure 4 shows a typical job log where the
injection pressure was increasing continuously throughout the
treatment (this pressure increase is promoted by increasing
the polymer and cross-linker concentration/gel strength throughout
the treatment).
Figure 5 shows the monthly oil rate trend for all 38 offset
producers in phases 1 through 4. Note the increase in oil
production three months after the first treatment followed by
continual oil rate increases and a significant change in the oil
production decline throughout the four phases.
Figure 6 shows the water-to-oil ratio versus cumulative oil
plot for the area, which clearly shows a change in the WOR
trend indicative of sweep improvement. Based on this analysis,
the estimated incremental oil was 488,000 barrels. This resulted
in an incremental cost per barrel of $4.68, an average payout
per phase of 12 months, and a 31% internal rate of return for
the field operator.
While the use of polymer gel has been well established
throughout the oil and gas industry, emerging innovations have
made this established technology gain the attention of operators
looking to improve the economics of their wells with its ability
to shut off water and enhance the efficiency of improved
recovery operations, particularly in the areas of conformance
and profile modification.
❒
RANDY
PRATER
Randy Prater is chief executive officer of Polymer Technologies. He has designed and implemented
more than 4,000 polymer treatments. Prater began his career in 1977 in well
logging, perforating, cementing, stimulation and production chemistry roles. He founded
Polymer Services in 1989, specializing in applying polymer gel systems for improved and
enhanced oil recovery. Kemira Chemicals acquired Polymer Services in 2015, and Prater
served as Kemira's senior technical manager for IOR until May 2020. He founded Polymer
Technologies in 2022. He is a member of the advisory board to the University of Kansas
Tertiary Oil Recovery Program. Prater attended Fort Hays State University.
DANIEL
FRENCH
Daniel French is vice president of IOR solutions with Polymer Technologies, where he
focuses on identifying opportunities to improve asset performance and economics through
polymer technologies. Prior to joining Polymer Technologies, French served at an independent
Kansas operating company, where he assisted with growth and optimization of oil and gas
properties and gained an understanding of the challenges producers face. He also has
experience in stimulation and production chemicals. After graduating from Wichita State
University with a bachelor's in entrepreneurship, French joined Polymer Services as a
project coordinator.
MEHDI
SALEHI
Mehdi Salehi is a reservoir engineer with Polymer Technologies, responsible for the
selection and engineering design of polymer gel, wettability alteration using nanosurfactants,
clay stabilizers, injectivity improvement agents and casing leak technologies. Before joining
Polymer Technologies, he was a project manager with Surtek, and was EOR group leader at
Nalco Champion (ChampionX). Salehi has been conducting research on chemical EOR
processes, field development, and deployment of these technologies for more than 15 years. He
holds a B.S. in petroleum engineering from Petroleum University of Technology in Iran and an
M.S. and Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from the University of Kansas.
JUNE 2023 47

American Oil and Gas Reporter - June 2023

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