Abstract
In the present study the performance of a series of star-like branched polyacrylamides (SB-PAMs) has been I investigated in oil recovery experiments to ultimately determine their suitability as novel thickening agent for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications. Hereby, SB-PAMs were compared with conventional linear PAM. The effect of a branched molecular architecture on rheology, and consequently on oil recovery was discussed. Rheological measurements identified unique properties for the SB-PAMs, as those showed higher robustness under shear and higher salt tolerance than their linear analogues. EOR performance was evaluated by simulating oil recovery in two-dimensional flow-cell measurements, showing that SB-PAMs perform approximately 3-5 times better than their linear analogues with similar molecular weight. The salinity did not influence the solution viscosity of the SB-PAM, contrarily to what happens for partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). Therefore, SB-PAMs are more resilient under harsh reservoir conditions, which can make them attractive for EOR applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 8835-8844 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue number | 27 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 11-Jul-2018 |
| Event | 254th National Meeting and Exposition of the American-Chemical-Society (ACS) on Chemistry's Impact on the Global Economy - Washington Duration: 20-Aug-2017 → 24-Aug-2017 |
Keywords
- WATER-SOLUBLE COPOLYMERS
- AQUEOUS-SOLUTION PROPERTIES
- ASSOCIATING POLYACRYLAMIDES
- HYPERBRANCHED POLYMERS
- BETA-CYCLODEXTRIN
- SOLUTION BEHAVIOR
- ACRYLAMIDE
- RHEOLOGY
- CHEMISTRY
- PROJECTS