Rheological evaluation of a sodium silicate gel system for water management in mature, naturally-fractured oilfields

The effects of silicate and activator (NaCl solution) concentrations, presence of divalent ions (e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+), temperature, and gelant dilution on sol-gel transition time are investigated. A general correlation is derived that describes the relation between sol-gel transition times and silicate solution concentration, activator concentration, temperature, degree of water dilution, and concentration of divalent ions. This correlation can be used to design the recipe of the silicate system for applications in fields with treatment region temperatures in the range of 40-60°.