Granted Patent B2

US 12,571,303 · App. 18/664,028 · Granted Mar 10, 2026

Inventors: Ayrat Gizzatov (Winchester, MA); Shitong Sherry Zhu (Waban, MA); Nermeen Saadoun (Somerville, MA)

Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY

E21B47/11C09K8/60

Abstract

Claims (11)

1 . A method for monitoring gas production in a subterranean formation comprising:

introducing a polymer composite particle having a degradable polymer blend and a tracer into a stimulation fluid, wherein the degradable polymer blend consists of a polymer blend of a first degradable polymer and a second degradable polymer, wherein the first degradable polymer is a polyester copolymer comprising polyester and polybutylene terephthalate and the second degradable polymer is polylactic acid;

injecting the stimulation fluid comprising the polymer composite particle into the subterranean formation to a treatment stage of a treatment zone comprising at least one opening, wherein the polymer composite particle flows into and remains inside the at least one opening;

maintaining the polymer composite particle inside the at least one opening for an amount of time during which the polymer composite particle is exposed to moisture at a downhole temperature, wherein the moisture degrades the degradable polymer blend in the amount of time of 1 day when the first degradable polymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of 10 wt % and the second degradable polymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of 90 wt %, 3 days when the first degradable polymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of 50 wt % and the second degradable polymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of 50 wt %, and 4 days when the first degradable polymer is present in an amount of 90 wt % and the second degradable polymer is present in the polymer blend in an amount of 10 wt %;

recovering produced gas from the subterranean formation, wherein the produced gas comprises a gaseous phase from the treatment stage of the treatment zone of the subterranean formation and the tracer;

determining a presence of the tracer in the produced gas; and

correlating the presence of the tracer to the treatment stage of the treatment zone of the subterranean formation.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first degradable polymer and the second degradable polymer have hydrolysable bonds.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracer is selected from the group consisting of tetrachloroisoindolinone orange, perylene red, quinacridone red, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, disazo diarylide yellows, ZnO, Fe 2 O 3 , Co 2 O 3 , Ni 2 O 3 , Cr 2 O 3 , CuO, MnO x , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , ZnS, Ce 2 S 3 , and combinations thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the stimulation fluid is selected from the group consisting of an acidizing fluid, an organic acid, a fracturing fluid, a hydraulic fracturing fluid, an emulsified acid, a viscoelastic surfactant, a foamed fluid, a linear gel, a crosslinked gel, and combinations thereof.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer composite particle is introduced into the stimulation fluid in an amount ranging from 0.2 to 10 lbm/gal of the polymer composite particles relative to a total amount of stimulation fluid.

Assignments (3)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (76)