Disproportionate permeability reduction

In UTCHEM, the viscosity of the aqueous phase that contains the polymer is multiplied by the value of the polymer permeability reduction factor, F r, to account for the mobility reduction. In other words, water relative permeability, km, is reduced, whereas oil relative permeability, k , is sometimes considered almost unchanged. The reason is that polymer is not soluble in oU, so it will not reduce effective oil permeability. The mechanism of disproportionate permeability reduction is widely used in gel treatment for water shut-off. Many polymers and gels can reduce permeability to water more than to oil or gas. 

Chauveteau, G., Tabary, R., Blin, N., Renard, M., Rousseau, D., Eaber, R., 2004. Disproportionate permeability reduction by soft preformed microgels. Paper SPE 89390 presented at the 14th SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, 17—21 April. 

Al-Sharji, H.H., Grattoni, C.A., Dawe, R.A., and Zimmerman, R.W. 2001. Disproportionate Permeability Reduction Due to Polymer Adsorption Entanglement. Paper SPE 68972 presented at the SPE European Formation Damage Conference, The Hague, 21-22 May. DPI 10.2118/68972-MS. 

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