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Swellable Elastomers
Water is a common and unwelcome guest in oil producing wells. Older wells in particular can have high volumes of water seeping into them, meaning that efforts are being spent on producing water rather than extracting the oil. It has been a growing problem for the industry but is starting to be tackled with the help of ‘swellable elastomers’ – a technology that uses water to repel water.
Swellable elastomers are synthetic rubber seals that can help stop water seeping in to the well and mixing with the oil.
Fighting water with water
Fitted round the well casings (the internal pipes in the well), these elastomers expand on contact with water but not with oil. Swelling to two or three times their original size, the elastomers cut off the water but continue to allow the oil to flow. In a number of wells, the addition of elastomers has tripled the volume of oil being produced and in one case has cut water levels from 90 to 20 per cent. Inspired by a children’s toy, swellable elastomers are now in use throughout the world under the name ‘EZIP’. In less than five years, EZIP applications have increased oil recovery by an estimated 1.5 billion barrels.
