Method of controlling water production through treating proppants with rpms

Abstract

Water production from a subterranean formation is inhibited or controlled by pumping a fluid containing coated particles through a wellbore into the formation. The particles have been previously coated with a relative permeability modifier (RPM). Upon contact with water, the RPM coating expands or swells and inhibits and controls the production of water. The RPM may be a water hydrolyzable polymer having a weight average molecular weight greater than 100,000. The particles may be conventional proppants or gravel.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Treated particles comprising:
 a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of glass beads, ceramic beads, metal beads, bauxite grains, walnut shell fragments, aluminum pellets, nylon pellets and combinations thereof, where the particles range in size from about 10 mesh to about 200 mesh (from about 2000 microns to about 75 microns); and   a relative permeability modifier (RPM) coated on the particles, where the RPM is a water hydrolyzable polymer selected from the group consisting of:
 homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, sulfonated or quaternized homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, polyvinylalcohols, polysiloxanes, hydrophilic natural gum polymers and chemically modified derivatives thereof; 
 crosslinked homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, crosslinked sulfonated or quaternized homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, crosslinked polyvinylalcohols, crosslinked polysiloxanes, crosslinked hydrophilic natural gum polymers and chemically modified derivatives thereof; 
 copolymers having a hydrophilic monomeric unit, where the hydrophilic monomeric unit is selected from the group consisting of ammonium and alkali metal salt of acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid, a first anchoring monomeric unit based on N-vinylformamide and a filler monomeric unit, where the filler monomeric unit is selected from the group consisting of acrylamide and methylacrylamide; and 
 copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers containing ammonium or quaternary ammonium moieties, copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers comprising vinylcarboxylic acid monomers and/or vinylsulfonic acid monomers, and salts thereof, and these copolymers comprising a crosslinking monomer selected from the group consisting of bis-acrylamide, diallylamine, N,N-diallylacrylamide, divinyloxyethane, divinyldimethylsilane; 
   
       where RPM loading ranges from one pound of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 pounds of particles (1 kilogram of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 kilograms of particles). 
     
     
         2 . The treated particles of  claim 1  where the treated particles are made by coating the particles with the RPM by a process comprising:
 at least partially hydrolyzing the RPM in a liquid selected from the group consisting of water, brine, glycol, ethanol and mixtures thereof; 
 contacting the particles with the liquid; and 
 at least partially vaporizing the liquid. 
 
     
     
         3 . The treated particles of  claim 1  where the RPM is a water hydrolyzable polymer having a weight average molecular weight greater than 100,000. 
     
     
         4 . The treated particles of  claim 1  where the water hydrolyzable polymer is a crosslinked water hydrolyzable polymer selected from the group consisting of:
 crosslinked polysiloxanes; and 
 copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers containing ammonium or quaternary ammonium moieties, copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers comprising vinylcarboxylic acid monomers and/or vinylsulfonic acid monomers, and salts thereof, and 
 wherein these vinyl amide copolymers comprise a crosslinking monomer selected from the group consisting of-diallylamine, N,N-diallylacrylamide, divinyloxyethane, and divinyldimethylsilane. 
 
     
     
         5 . Treated particles comprising:
 a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of glass beads, ceramic beads, metal beads, bauxite grains, walnut shell fragments, aluminum pellets, nylon pellets and combinations thereof, where the particles range in size from about 10 mesh to about 200 mesh (from about 2000 microns to about 75 microns); and   a relative permeability modifier (RPM) coated on the particles, where the RPM has a weight average molecular weight greater than 100,000. is a water hydrolyzable polymer selected from the group consisting of:
 homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, sulfonated or quaternized homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, polyvinylalcohols, polysiloxanes, hydrophilic natural gum polymers and chemically modified derivatives thereof; 
 crosslinked homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, crosslinked sulfonated or quaternized homopolymers and copolymers of acrylamide, crosslinked polyvinylalcohols, crosslinked polysiloxanes, crosslinked hydrophilic natural gum polymers and chemically modified derivatives thereof; 
 copolymers having a hydrophilic monomeric unit, where the hydrophilic monomeric unit is selected from the group consisting of ammonium and alkali metal salt of acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid, a first anchoring monomeric unit based on N-vinylformamide and a filler monomeric unit, where the filler monomeric unit is selected from the group consisting of acrylamide and methylacrylamide; and 
 copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers containing ammonium or quaternary ammonium moieties, copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers comprising vinylcarboxylic acid monomers and/or vinylsulfonic acid monomers, and salts thereof, and these copolymers comprising a crosslinking monomer selected from the group consisting of bis-acrylamide, diallylamine, N,N-diallylacrylamide, divinyloxyethane, divinyldimethylsilane; 
   
       where RPM loading ranges from one pound of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 pounds of particles (1 kilogram of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 kilograms of particles); and where the treated particles are made by coating the particles with the RPM by a process comprising:
 at least partially hydrolyzing the RPM in a liquid selected from the group consisting of water, brine, glycol, ethanol and mixtures thereof; 
 contacting the particles with the liquid; and 
 at least partially vaporizing the liquid. 
 
     
     
         6 . The treated particles of  claim 5  where the water hydrolyzable polymer is a crosslinked water hydrolyzable polymer selected from the group consisting of:
 crosslinked polysiloxanes; and 
 copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers containing ammonium or quaternary ammonium moieties, copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers comprising vinylcarboxylic acid monomers and/or vinylsulfonic acid monomers, and salts thereof, and wherein these vinyl amide copolymers comprise a crosslinking monomer selected from the group consisting of-diallylamine, N,N-diallylacrylamide, divinyloxyethane, and divinyldimethylsilane. 
 
     
     
         7 . Treated particles comprising:
 a plurality of particles selected from the group consisting of glass beads, ceramic beads, metal beads, bauxite grains, walnut shell fragments, aluminum pellets, nylon pellets and combinations thereof, where the particles range in size from about 10 mesh to about 200 mesh (from about 2000 microns to about 75 microns); and   a relative permeability modifier (RPM) coated on the particles, where the RPM is a crosslinked water hydrolyzable polymer selected from the group consisting of:
 crosslinked polysiloxanes; and 
 copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers containing ammonium or quaternary ammonium moieties, copolymers of vinylamide monomers and monomers comprising vinylcarboxylic acid monomers and/or vinylsulfonic acid monomers, and salts thereof, and wherein these vinyl amide copolymers comprise a crosslinking monomer selected from the group consisting of-diallylamine, N,N-diallylacrylamide, divinyloxyethane, and divinyldimethylsilane; 
   
       where RPM loading ranges from one pound of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 pounds of particles (1 kilogram of RPM per about 100 to about 5000 kilograms of particles), and where the treated particles are made by coating the particles with the RPM by a process comprising:
 at least partially hydrolyzing the RPM in a liquid selected from the group consisting of water, brine, glycol, ethanol and mixtures thereof; 
 contacting the particles with the liquid; and 
 at least partially vaporizing the liquid. 
 
     
     
         8 . The treated particles of  claim 7  where the RPM is a water hydrolyzable polymer having a weight average molecular weight greater than 100,000.