Impact of Gelation pH, Rock Permeability, and Lithology on the Performance of a Monomer-Based Gel

Abstract

Summary Resorcinol/formaldehyde gels are used to show that gel performance in porous rocks depends critically on the pH at which gelation occurs. The gels generally reduced the permeability of low-permeability sandstone more than in high-permeability sandstone. However, residual resistance factors can be greater in sandstones than in less permeable carbonate cores. A simple mathematical model is used to assess whether pH effects can be exploited to optimize gel placement in injection wells.